Can you believe in evolution and the bible at the same time?

[Turf1600]

You know not everyone who's read the bible is a frothing at the mouth fundamentalist

This must be correct, as I have read the bible and am certainly not a fundamentalist.

[Aptyp]

Adam, Eve, and Noah's Ark vs. primates evolving into humans.

There are no similarities at all. It is completely illogical to believe "both."

People who take the bible literally are idiots.

This is where you're being just as narrow minded as religious fundamentalist...


You can accept that a book was written by a man from a word of God.

Bible is a collection of stories that passed from generation to generation orally to at some point be written down. You can't take it factually, but you can take it as a historic piece of literature (yeah it's that old). Most stories in the bible were passed from generation to generation orally, until at some point in history, a man wrote it all down (the reason why a lot of Middle Eastern stories have same plots, but different names). One (or hundreds) man writing stories down, could not have possibly have known where stories have come from, so they were passed on to people by "a" god.

Saying you can't learn from Bible, is saying that you can't learn anything from any book... There's good and bad and you get to differentiate the two, and learn your lessons.


I like science, I find more comfort in the idea of things changing over time. But I'm not a fundamental evolutionist. No matter how far our knowledge expands, we will always have a "what then?" mentality and some questions may never be answered. So I find comfort in faith, that there's something out there I will never understand, and if religions choose to call it by any name, they're just as right/wrong as I am.



So yes, it's very possible to believe in bible (physical book with 5,000 years of recorded history) and evolution (scientifically backed-up theory). Neither should be taken 100% literally. If evolution was a fact, a lot of scientist would lose their jobs. Instead we're still trying to fill gaps and understand all the concepts and changes that species have gone through.

[Massive Lee]

Do animals go to heaven?

Only if they die under the wheels of an e30... Then they are blessed.

[Turf1600]

This is where you're being just as narrow minded as religious fundamentalist...


You can accept that a book was written by a man from a word of God.

Bible is a collection of stories that passed from generation to generation orally to at some point be written down. You can't take it factually, but you can take it as a historic piece of literature (yeah it's that old). Most stories in the bible were passed from generation to generation orally, until at some point in history, a man wrote it all down (the reason why a lot of Middle Eastern stories have same plots, but different names). One (or hundreds) man writing stories down, could not have possibly have known where stories have come from, so they were passed on to people by "a" god.

Saying you can't learn from Bible, is saying that you can't learn anything from any book... There's good and bad and you get to differentiate the two, and learn your lessons.


I like science, I find more comfort in the idea of things changing over time. But I'm not a fundamental evolutionist. No matter how far our knowledge expands, we will always have a "what then?" mentality and some questions may never be answered. So I find comfort in faith, that there's something out there I will never understand, and if religions choose to call it by any name, they're just as right/wrong as I am.



So yes, it's very possible to believe in bible (physical book with 5,000 years of recorded history) and evolution (scientifically backed-up theory). Neither should be taken 100% literally. If evolution was a fact, a lot of scientist would lose their jobs. Instead we're still trying to fill gaps and understand all the concepts and changes that species have gone through.

Ok, If you got the the flu would you use a flu vaccine from 1981?

So, the point I'm getting is this: It's ok to wholly disregard the bible because it is a bunch of fables. Right?

And since Lee didn't answer my question - do animals go to heaven?

[be34st]

Not to digress from the OP. I don't think it's possible. You can believe in anything really. But the 'theory' of evolution, and the bibles book of Genesis, along with the story of noah are very conflicting. I for one do believe in god and do often read the the Bible, but find the story of Noah hard to accept. How did he get 2 of every animal into the Ark? Maybe he got 2 of every type of animal and they evolved after the flood? Hard concept to grasp; not to mention the fact that Noah was like 700 years old.

Good topic of discussion here.

[KenC]

Stephen Jay Gould wrote a few books on the subject.

[Farbin Kaiber]

Whom is to say that the Intelligent Designer did not modify his projects to be better suited for the task he had intended them for?

Bam.

[kronus]

Evidence of evolutionary effects exists regardless of anyone's belief in evolution.

[mrsleeve]

Evidence of evolutionary effects exists regardless of anyone's belief in evolution.

This

Holy shit we are agreeing, Are you feeling ok, its a little warm here I wonder if its effecting my brain. :)

[Lof8]

This is where you're being just as narrow minded as religious fundamentalist...


You can't take it factually, but you can take it as a historic piece of literature

I stand by my narrow-minded view that people who take the bible literally are idiots.

[Aptyp]

Ok, If you got the the flu would you use a flu vaccine from 1981?

So, the point I'm getting is this: It's ok to wholly disregard the bible because it is a bunch of fables. Right?

And since Lee didn't answer my question - do animals go to heaven?

you don't seem like "reader" type to me...

When you read Tom Clancy or Michael Crichton, even though it's science fiction, do you disregard massive amount of research that was put in their book to be scientifically informative? There's a lot to be learned, and lot of it is based on reality, yet it's plot is fiction.

[Naplm00]

I don't believe that it's logically possible, but I'm interested what others think. Please explain either way.

Well that is your belief, or interpertation of the bible.

The nice thing about religon is that you can interperate it anyway you want to and still appy yourself to any group you please.

Take for example the crazy white supermacists that say "god tell us to hate these other people" or some other crazy shit like that. The fact is that in thier eyes they are correct, and here in the US no one has the authority to tell them if they are right or not.


This way I think you CAN beleive in both at the same time, or none at all. If you deceide to adhere to a higher power, it is up to you to interperate how you do so.

[wildstoats]

Technically you are incorrect. Evolution is accepted as scientific fact - where natural selection is considered a theory.

I'm interested in the biblical version of gravity. Intelligent falling?

If you want to nit pick then technically they are both theories.

[E30Kaiser]

you don't seem like "reader" type to me...

When you read Tom Clancy or Michael Crichton, even though it's science fiction, do you disregard massive amount of research that was put in their book to be scientifically informative? There's a lot to be learned, and lot of it is based on reality, yet it's plot is fiction.

This is my point of view on the subject. The Bible contains some of the oldest stories in the world, with several being taken from the ancient epics of Gilgamesh and other Mesopotamian stories from when the Hebrews forefathers lived there. No, you can't take 90% of it literally. Yes you can learn things from it.

I for one do not base my religious foundations on it very much, unlike nearly all other Christians do, mostly because I feel if I can't read the original version, it is worthless to put too much stock in a translation from Hebrew. I don't know if there is a heaven or hell, nor do I know a lot of things that people of religious backgrounds take for fact. But I do try to live my life in a moral manner, find inspiration in God and Jesus, and numerous other religious, atheist, real and fictional figures, and I base my beliefs around that. Too many philosophy classes has led to a very skeptical point of view.

[Farbin Kaiber]

I stand by my narrow-minded view that people who take the bible literally are idiots.

Me too. I like the ones who realize that it's said to have been written in parables to only be understood by those whom were meant to. Reading between the lines is where the ability to find true faith lies.