The grass is looking greener on the other side...

[Ecurb Noselrub]

You'd be surprised at the number of self-proclaimed evolutionist have said it. I've had teachers, who used to be college professors tell me that we came from monkeys, end of discussion. i thought it was ridiculous. True theory of evolution though, that I could almost agree with. Believable and fascinating, I'm sure. I wouldn't guarantee that it's undeniable though. If it were so undeniable, there would be less people who didn't believe it.

I don't see how evolution can be denied - too much evidence, and its explanatory power is too great.  For what it's worth, there are many Christians, myself included, who accept it.  If evolution occurred, that has nothing to do with whether Jesus lived, died and rose from the dead.  Also, Darwinian evolution posits that we and the apes/monkeys came from a common ancestor, not that we came from monkeys.

[Buddy]

I remember for a period of about 6 months when I was 13, I read and watched almost everything I could about evolution. I had always thought it was fascinating, especially convergent evolution with sharks and dolphins.

[Whitney]

In all the hundreds ot thousands of posts I have read on multiple forums I have never read a post by an atheist that denied evolution.

I've come across one; can't remember which forum...but I think it was someone who was still in the process of leaving fundamentalist religion and hadn't yet gotten around to actually reading about evolution from non-creationist sources yet.  Even then it wasn't someone who denied evolution; just someone who didn't see how it was possible and felt more comfortable being undecided and cautious.

[not your typical...]

In all the hundreds ot thousands of posts I have read on multiple forums I have never read a post by an atheist that denied evolution.

I'll try to get some to join the forum. But bear in mind that most are not really big on the whole 'thinking' thing so if you don't get much out of them, it's not your fault.

[xSilverPhinx]

If people were more informed about it, very few people would deny it.

I'll grant you that it would be a substantially less number of people denying, but I know of atheist who don't even believe in evolution.

In all the hundreds ot thousands of posts I have read on multiple forums I have never read a post by an atheist that denied evolution. That doesn't say they don't exist anymore than there can be white blackbirds. But I've yet to meet one and the number must be utterly miniscule 

As a matter of interest what alternative did this evolution denier atheist postulate?

I'm also curious to know. Atheists have less reasons to have cognitive dissonances whenever evolution is brought up, so even those who are generally ignorant on the subject don't really care enough to deny it. 

You'd be surprised at the number of self-proclaimed evolutionist have said it. I've had teachers, who used to be college professors tell me that we came from monkeys, end of discussion. i thought it was ridiculous. True theory of evolution though, that I could almost agree with. Believable and fascinating, I'm sure. I wouldn't guarantee that it's undeniable though. If it were so undeniable, there would be less people who didn't believe it.

I don't see how evolution can be denied - too much evidence, and its explanatory power is too great.  For what it's worth, there are many Christians, myself included, who accept it.  If evolution occurred, that has nothing to do with whether Jesus lived, died and rose from the dead.  Also, Darwinian evolution posits that we and the apes/monkeys came from a common ancestor, not that we came from monkeys.

Christians who accept evolution. It's like music to my ears...

[The Magic Pudding]

Christians who accept evolution. It's like music to my ears...

They still sound kinda discordant to me.

[xSilverPhinx]

Christians who accept evolution. It's like music to my ears...

They still sound kinda discordant to me.

Well...you know what they say about taste

It's a step foward, at least, though I wonder how Adam, Eve and the whole original sin story fits into it all. Definitely a metaphorical explanation...but reconciled how?  

[Ecurb Noselrub]

It's a step foward, at least, though I wonder how Adam, Eve and the whole original sin story fits into it all. Definitely a metaphorical explanation...but reconciled how?

Being a lawyer, I can reconcile anything - although convincing anyone of it is another matter.  Yes, Adam and Eve is metaphorical.  I see it more as a metaphor of what happens in every person - we go from naive innocence to our own experience with the "fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil."  This causes us to be ejected from our Garden of Eden of innocence into the world of conflict and chaos.  Thus, "original sin" (not a biblical term, but a theological one) happens in each individual, not humanity as a whole.  The redemption that Christ offers is to reconcile the individual with a loving God, to remove the barriers that prevent relationship. 

This has nothing to do with evolution.  The first two chapters of Genesis are entirely metaphorical.  They don't deal with the actual creation of the human race in scientific terms, but they introduce us to God and to his dealings with an evolved species.  The language of early Genesis is hymnic and poetic.  It's not until later that you start getting into historical or semi-historical narratives, denoted primarily by the literary genre of the passage.

[The Magic Pudding]

I can't reconcile any of this stuff.
People are making payments to the sky but there's no evidence it's received.
Agents of dubious authority promise goods will be delivered, but there's no documentation to show delivery has ever been made.
Smells like a scam to me, who audits this stuff, Arthur Andersen?

[not your typical...]

Hmmmm. Interesting theory you have there, about evolution being true, but also believing in the whole Adam and Eve thing. And does creation still fit into this?

[xSilverPhinx]

It's a step foward, at least, though I wonder how Adam, Eve and the whole original sin story fits into it all. Definitely a metaphorical explanation...but reconciled how?

Being a lawyer, I can reconcile anything - although convincing anyone of it is another matter.  Yes, Adam and Eve is metaphorical.  I see it more as a metaphor of what happens in every person - we go from naive innocence to our own experience with the "fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil."  This causes us to be ejected from our Garden of Eden of innocence into the world of conflict and chaos.  Thus, "original sin" (not a biblical term, but a theological one) happens in each individual, not humanity as a whole.  The redemption that Christ offers is to reconcile the individual with a loving God, to remove the barriers that prevent relationship. 

This has nothing to do with evolution.  The first two chapters of Genesis are entirely metaphorical.  They don't deal with the actual creation of the human race in scientific terms, but they introduce us to God and to his dealings with an evolved species.  The language of early Genesis is hymnic and poetic.  It's not until later that you start getting into historical or semi-historical narratives, denoted primarily by the literary genre of the passage.

How does your congregation feel about that interpretation? As far as I know, going beyond the literal and more secure interpretation (face value, no interpretation required) can be difficult...

[Ecurb Noselrub]

How does your congregation feel about that interpretation? As far as I know, going beyond the literal and more secure interpretation (face value, no interpretation required) can be difficult...

They are warming up to it. Besides, I let them know that no one is required to agree with my interpretations. We try to focus more on just learning to have a close fellowship, being there for one another, and putting Jesus' teachings about love into practice.  We try not to get tripped off on too much doctrinal stuff.

[not your typical...]

We try to focus more on just learning to have a close fellowship, being there for one another, and putting Jesus' teachings about love into practice.  We try not to get tripped off on too much doctrinal stuff.

One day, I might have to visit ur church. What's the name of it, might I ask?

[Ecurb Noselrub]

Hmmmm. Interesting theory you have there, about evolution being true, but also believing in the whole Adam and Eve thing. And does creation still fit into this?

As I said, Adam and Eve for me is metaphorical, not literal/historical.  I think God is responsible for the existence of the universe, but if you followed my recent exchange with Attila, the whole idea of what "creation" means is difficult.  Suffice it to say that I think that a conscious, intelligent being is behind what we call the universe.  But I can't prove that any more than anyone else can prove how the universe got here.

[Tank]

Hmmmm. Interesting theory you have there, about evolution being true, but also believing in the whole Adam and Eve thing. And does creation still fit into this?

As I said, Adam and Eve for me is metaphorical, not literal/historical.  I think God is responsible for the existence of the universe, but if you followed my recent exchange with Attila, the whole idea of what "creation" means is difficult.  Suffice it to say that I think that a conscious, intelligent being is behind what we call the universe.  But I can't prove that any more than anyone else can prove how the universe got here.

Yet...