If you are religious, do you believe in any version of evolution?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm Mormon (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), and I know I don't speak for all members, but personally I accept Evolution.
The Church leadership has no official policy on it. Therefore many members may have different views on Evolution.

I think Science and Religion seek to answer two fundamentally different questions, Science = How? Religion = Why? (and by Whom?) And I think when either of them try to stray into the territory of the other they are outside their own bounds. It is NOT the job of science to disprove God. Nor is it the place of good-religion to try to invalidate good-science.
I believe that God created the Earth and all things that are on it ... I do not presume to know HOW God did it, nor is it my place to limit God, or the tools that He had at His disposal to accomplish that creation. When ALL things are revealed, I fully expect that we will see that God performed the creation by natural and scientific laws (some of which we may not fully understand at this point). I don't think God's miracles are accomplished contrary to natural laws, but in accordance with higher laws.
I think the purpose of the Genesis story is to 1st teach us WHO is the Creator, and in whose image we are made, and 2nd to teach us WHY He created this world for us, that this life is a test to see if we will obey His commandments. The Genesis story is definitely NOT an instruction manual, or a technical document. We are His children ...
If I were an architect and my 2 year old daughter asked me how a skyscraper was built, I would not talk to her about "structural integrity" and such, I would probably sit down and use her wooden blocks to build a model of the building, a very simplified representation that I think would be appropriate to her limited understanding. ... how much further above our current intellectual understanding is God from us, further than we are from a 2 year old?

*These are my personal views and are not meant to speak for the LDS church as a whole, or even for any portion of it's members.

Very nice!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If I were an architect and my 2 year old daughter asked me how a skyscraper was built, I would not talk to her about "structural integrity" and such, I would probably sit down and use her wooden blocks to build a model of the building, a very simplified representation that I think would be appropriate to her limited understanding. ... how much further above our current intellectual understanding is God from us, further than we are from a 2 year old?

*These are my personal views and are not meant to speak for the LDS church as a whole, or even for any portion of it's members.

wwhhyy iiss eevveerryytthhiinngg pprriinnttiinngg ttwwiiccee??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If I were an architect and my 2 year old daughter asked me how a skyscraper was built, I would not talk to her about "structural integrity" and such, I would probably sit down and use her wooden blocks to build a model of the building, a very simplified representation that I think would be appropriate to her limited understanding. ... how much further above our current intellectual understanding is God from us, further than we are from a 2 year old?

*These are my personal views and are not meant to speak for the LDS church as a whole, or even for any portion of it's members.

wwhhyy iiss eevveerryytthhiinngg pprriinnttiinngg ttwwiiccee??

fixed it!


Now -- we're not like 2 year olds any more. humans have advanced a lot since genesis was written-- seems like God could give us an updated version.

Seems like you're using your reasoning power to explain why god is treating us like 2 year olds.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Christian with a PhD in Biology. I don't think God and evolution are antithetical at all. God used evolution to develop life on Earth, in my view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am making an assumption that the OP is asking how I believe that life on earth came to be. If you are asking if I believe that certain animals and insects have evolved and adapted-sure to some degree. If you are asking if I believe that humans came from monkeys-no. If you are asking me if I believe the earth is billions of years old-no, and I won't apologize for it. However when the time comes for "the answer" I will give you the answer you want to hear and move on. It's not a big deal and my job is not to debate for a living.

Sounds like whatever "science" you got a PhD in neglected to educate you on what evolutionary biology actually says. So it's no wonder you reject it. Evolution does not say humans came from monkeys. Staggeringly ignorant statement from someone who has been awarded a PhD. Sad.

+1. I will automatically write off any moron who says "I don't believe humans came from monkeys" as nothing but an ignorant dipshit. If you're going to be opposed to something, at least make it an educated and informed decision. Anyone who says this, clearly knows nothing about evolution and adaptation. There is no line of thinking in human biological or anthropology that suggests humans ever evolved or came from monkeys.

What you fail to realize is that there is nothing to debate or write off. What would you be writing off based upon what I have said? Have I tried to convince you of anything, or did I say it is possible to regurgitate with precision, yet still be a person of faith? This is not a debate on evolution vs. creation and I would never be foolish enough to insist that a blind person can understand the difference between blue and green.

You also fail to realize that my post was a gross oversimplification based upon common thought. I also wrote "billions of years" which should have clued you in on that. You are looking for a debate that you are not going to get, so save the inflammatory remarks for someone who enjoys foolish conversations.

Sorry, but when you write something idiotic on a public forum, expect that some people will take you for an idiot. "Gross oversimplification based upon common thought"... LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was dumbfounded to discover my sis in law doesn't believe in evolution at all. Strict creationism. I thought most religious people thought something like Intelligent Design. What about you? Why/why not?

There's nothing to "believe" with evolution -- it is empirical fact, not something to take on faith.

[Anonymous]

I am a Christian (a practicing mainline Protestant) and I absolutely accept evolution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Christian with a PhD in Biology. I don't think God and evolution are antithetical at all. God used evolution to develop life on Earth, in my view.

any thoughts on why the loving god that Christians believe in made evolution so brutal for his creatures?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a Christian (a practicing mainline Protestant) and I absolutely accept evolution.

Where does the Christian God fit with evolution?

[Anonymous]

For those who don't believe, how do you explain that we share 99% of DNA with monkeys?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those who don't believe, how do you explain that we share 99% of DNA with monkeys?

With all do respect, humans do not share 99% of their DNA with "monkeys." Our closest relatives are the Bonobo and Chimpanzees, with whom we share 98.7% of our DNA. Bonobos and Chimpanzees are apes, not monkeys. Human beings are also apes.

[Anonymous]

Another religious biologist, here, and my area of research is human evolutionary genetics. No conflict for me between evolution and my religious beliefs, never has been. My interest in science came first, religion later.

[takoma]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a Christian (a practicing mainline Protestant) and I absolutely accept evolution.

Where does the Christian God fit with evolution?

I'm not a believer, but I see no contradiction in the God that could create the universe being able to program the life in that universe to evolve.

[Anonymous]

NP. Another mainline Protestant here who thinks that evolution and religion are absolutely compatible.

[Anonymous]

takoma wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a Christian (a practicing mainline Protestant) and I absolutely accept evolution.

Where does the Christian God fit with evolution?

I'm not a believer, but I see no contradiction in the God that could create the universe being able to program the life in that universe to evolve.

But the CHRISTIAN God who didn't come along until 1AD?