Wow, you managed to sum up the entire debate in two lines. I am a Christian and I believe in your option 1) also, which is why I think that this entire creation/evolution debate, while being very interresting, is a complete waste of time. You will not be convinced of the truth of Cristianity by this debate, any more than I will be convinced that it is a lie.
Actually, I have always suspected that the fossils were put in the ground using nano-technology. Who says that ancient peoples did not have the technology just because we have not found a three-thousand year old silicon wafer factory?
I do not say that the Bible is a lie, but I do say that it has to be interpreted with care. I agree that at first reading Genesis 1 looks like a historical document, but to many theologians it has the form of a hymn that has much to teach us bejond a literal interpretation:
God is distinct from the world, and not a part of creation
matter is not evil of itself (an error the early church had to deal with)
it establishes the seventh day of rest, which would not be guaranteed in the ancient near east
...and others
I do not reject Genesis 1, but as a Cristian I wish to ensure that Bible texts are not used to say things that are not there, and Genesis 1 tries to say "why" we are here, not "how" we are here.
I said in my original post that I believe in God because I am convinced by the evidence, and I believe in evolution because I am convinced by the evidence of that too. I thank joshki for the link to icr.org, which I will check out but I have not had the time yet to do so. I hope that when I do look I will find articles written by informed scientists who hold the creationist view and who use good scientific principles to back it up.
Unfortunately, I find that most creationists say to people like me "you are a Christian and the Bible teaches creation so evolution must be a lie", and they use weak arguments when discussing the subject with non-Christians. If after all the discussion that has gone on between the two sides the creationist argument has not gone beyond this, while evolution theory has matured to the very consistent level it is at now, then isn't it time for the creationists to rethink?
Before I reply to this article, I would like to say that I am an Evangelical Christian. I believe in God, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that the Bible is the revealed work of the Holy Spirit.... and I believe that we are here as the result of many years of evolution.
I am aware that this thread is not about the evolution/creation debate, so I am not going to try to counter the poster's comments point for point. I would just like/.ers to know that there are Christians who can still think straight (at least in Germany).
I believe in God because I find the evidence overwhelming. I believe in evolution because I find the evidence overwhelming.
It belittles God and makes Christians look stupid when Christians say that evolution runs counter to the second law of thermodynamics, or when they point to mistakes that scientists have made in the past while trying to formulate the theory of evolution. If evolution could be so easily disproved, then I think the thousands of scientists who have studied evolution over the years would have worked this out by now.
I am sure I will be flamed for this, but I am prepared to take the risk. However, I have written this for all the Cristians in the world who have not had their brains removed, who can worship God and marvel at the amazing things evolution has made. For these Christian (I know of many who hold this view, several educated to Doctorate level) there is no tension.
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Actually, I have always suspected that the fossils were put in the ground using nano-technology. Who says that ancient peoples did not have the technology just because we have not found a three-thousand year old silicon wafer factory?
God is distinct from the world, and not a part of creation
matter is not evil of itself (an error the early church had to deal with)
it establishes the seventh day of rest, which would not be guaranteed in the ancient near east
...and others
I do not reject Genesis 1, but as a Cristian I wish to ensure that Bible texts are not used to say things that are not there, and Genesis 1 tries to say "why" we are here, not "how" we are here.
I said in my original post that I believe in God because I am convinced by the evidence, and I believe in evolution because I am convinced by the evidence of that too. I thank joshki for the link to icr.org, which I will check out but I have not had the time yet to do so. I hope that when I do look I will find articles written by informed scientists who hold the creationist view and who use good scientific principles to back it up.
Unfortunately, I find that most creationists say to people like me "you are a Christian and the Bible teaches creation so evolution must be a lie", and they use weak arguments when discussing the subject with non-Christians. If after all the discussion that has gone on between the two sides the creationist argument has not gone beyond this, while evolution theory has matured to the very consistent level it is at now, then isn't it time for the creationists to rethink?
Before I reply to this article, I would like to say that I am an Evangelical Christian. I believe in God, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that the Bible is the revealed work of the Holy Spirit. ... and I believe that we are here as the result of many years of evolution.
I am aware that this thread is not about the evolution/creation debate, so I am not going to try to counter the poster's comments point for point. I would just like /.ers to know that there are Christians who can still think straight (at least in Germany).
I believe in God because I find the evidence overwhelming. I believe in evolution because I find the evidence overwhelming.
It belittles God and makes Christians look stupid when Christians say that evolution runs counter to the second law of thermodynamics, or when they point to mistakes that scientists have made in the past while trying to formulate the theory of evolution. If evolution could be so easily disproved, then I think the thousands of scientists who have studied evolution over the years would have worked this out by now.
I am sure I will be flamed for this, but I am prepared to take the risk. However, I have written this for all the Cristians in the world who have not had their brains removed, who can worship God and marvel at the amazing things evolution has made. For these Christian (I know of many who hold this view, several educated to Doctorate level) there is no tension.