Hey there, I am relatively new to Christianity and have spent my entire life (I'm 27 now) pretty much just accepting what the western world teaches (the world being billions of years old, we evolved over a very long period of time, and that God and Christianity was a human creation and is definitely not believable)...
About 4 months ago I decided I would start reading the Bible, my wife is a Christian and told me to start looking at it with some serious eyes and pretty much give it a chance. I started reading the Bible and then began reading other articles and books, one being The Case for Christ, and started realizing That this whole Christianity thing wasn't such a scam. I am now four months in and I can pretty confidently say that I myself am a, almost completely, converted Christian.
There is however a couple things holding me back that stem from my previous "teachings". I put quotes around teaching because I can't really call it that. I would rather say brainwashing but that seems a bit harsh. What I am getting at is that from my very young age to now I have been told the way things are and have never really understood any if it, I just accepted it. Now after seeing that this so called " lie" atheists claim Christians have been following has a lot more truth than my "teachings" led on.
The couple things holding me back that I am referring to are pretty much everything science is teaching. Evolution, finding homo sapiens that are millions of years old in specific regions. Don't these things refute some teachings of Christianity or the validity of the Bible? I want to be able to read science magazines and watch science shows but I am afraid that they are going to clash with my new found hope in Christianity...
I hope this is understandable, I am open to anything that will further my knowledge in both science and Christianity but just need some guidance on reliable resources to start with.
I would like this thread to be open to people sharing similar struggles and go beyond just what I am requesting. If anyone has anything else they would like to add feel free to. The more I get the better I will be able to understand and strengthen my faith.
Learning more about science to become more faithful
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Kurieuo
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Re: Learning more about science to become more faithful
Welcome. While I have my own position, I'd just point out to you that there are many positions to do with Genesis. In part, this is because the focus isn't upon detailing exactly how creation happened, in what order each individual animal were created, or even the exact formula and processes God used in creation. The main thing to understand of Israel's creation account, is that Israel's God to being said to be the one true God who created everything and is Lord over all. This is very different view when contrasted against pagan gods often found in a particular peoples' pantheon, for example, Egypt's from which they record coming out from.
If creation troubles you as found in Scripture, then I'd encourage to you reading over different positions and finding your own resolution. Some to pay attention include Day-Age (http://reasons.org and http://godandscience.org), Theistic Evolution (http://biologos.org), obviously Young Earth Creation (https://answersingenesis.org/), and then there is also the Framework interpretation which as I see is a more laid back position that doesn't try to force a particular understand into the text.
Why should you treat Scripture seriously? I'd have you read up about Messianic prophecies, which to me evidence divine inspiration upon the authors. You may or may not have looked much into such, but here's some good videos to get started on. The first two provide the contextual framework to the book of Isaiah, the third is a Jewish Christian view on Messianic prophecy like found in Isaiah 53.
If creation troubles you as found in Scripture, then I'd encourage to you reading over different positions and finding your own resolution. Some to pay attention include Day-Age (http://reasons.org and http://godandscience.org), Theistic Evolution (http://biologos.org), obviously Young Earth Creation (https://answersingenesis.org/), and then there is also the Framework interpretation which as I see is a more laid back position that doesn't try to force a particular understand into the text.
Why should you treat Scripture seriously? I'd have you read up about Messianic prophecies, which to me evidence divine inspiration upon the authors. You may or may not have looked much into such, but here's some good videos to get started on. The first two provide the contextual framework to the book of Isaiah, the third is a Jewish Christian view on Messianic prophecy like found in Isaiah 53.
"Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)
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abelcainsbrother
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Re: Learning more about science to become more faithful
wpthird wrote:Hey there, I am relatively new to Christianity and have spent my entire life (I'm 27 now) pretty much just accepting what the western world teaches (the world being billions of years old, we evolved over a very long period of time, and that God and Christianity was a human creation and is definitely not believable)...
About 4 months ago I decided I would start reading the Bible, my wife is a Christian and told me to start looking at it with some serious eyes and pretty much give it a chance. I started reading the Bible and then began reading other articles and books, one being The Case for Christ, and started realizing That this whole Christianity thing wasn't such a scam. I am now four months in and I can pretty confidently say that I myself am a, almost completely, converted Christian.
There is however a couple things holding me back that stem from my previous "teachings". I put quotes around teaching because I can't really call it that. I would rather say brainwashing but that seems a bit harsh. What I am getting at is that from my very young age to now I have been told the way things are and have never really understood any if it, I just accepted it. Now after seeing that this so called " lie" atheists claim Christians have been following has a lot more truth than my "teachings" led on.
The couple things holding me back that I am referring to are pretty much everything science is teaching. Evolution, finding homo sapiens that are millions of years old in specific regions. Don't these things refute some teachings of Christianity or the validity of the Bible? I want to be able to read science magazines and watch science shows but I am afraid that they are going to clash with my new found hope in Christianity...
I hope this is understandable, I am open to anything that will further my knowledge in both science and Christianity but just need some guidance on reliable resources to start with.
I would like this thread to be open to people sharing similar struggles and go beyond just what I am requesting. If anyone has anything else they would like to add feel free to. The more I get the better I will be able to understand and strengthen my faith.
Hi and welcome to the forum.It sounds like you are headed toward being a Theistic Evolutionist from a creation view-point.There is also nothing wrong with getting into science however don't allow science to be the only thing you focus on.The bible is a vast book that covers so much and there is much to seek and find when it comes to the word of God.It is much,much more important to learn about salvation and the gospel and to know how to understand it and even teach it to others in order to lead others to Christ.However nothing in science will contradict God's word when we have the correct interpretation.
I think you need to take the time to examine all creation interpretations and to compare them in order to discover which one is the most truthful to you.In other words don't necessarilly just go with one because it seems the most true to you.Also be willing to change your mind if you find or get new information from a different view than the one you think is the most truthful.In my experience doing this I have found that most people tend to only check out the popular creation interpretations while overlooking less popular creation interpretations.It is alot easier to do because you can go to the more popular creation interpretation web-sights and they have it all laid out for you with every question answered and so it is very easy to just accept one while overlooking less popular creation interpretations that do not have that kind of platform but nonetheless should be considered also.
I have done this myself in my desire to find the most true creation interpretation there is to me and the one I chose it not as known about or as popular as the others,yet is still the most true to me. For me I could not be a Theistic Evolutionist myself because I reject evolution and do not believe it is anywhere close to being true science so that I could never accept evolution as a creation interpretation,but many others have.
Yet I'm not a young earth creationist either,I believe the earth is very old possibly billions of years old but the evidence in the earth has been looked at all wrong from an evolution pov so that it distorts what the evidence is really telling us.
I do not reject the evidence scence has discovered in the earth because it was discovered by Christians who started modern science before Charles Darwin came along(only more has been discovered since then)and so I accept the evidence but I just interpret it from a different perspective. Instead of evolution being true and life has been evolving over billions of years I believe there was a pre-Adamite age or world that existed before God made this world,in other words instead of one big world over billions of years so that life can evolve I believe there were two different worlds with a gap between them and this gap has been overlooked because of the belief life evolves and so it looks like one big world going back over bilions of years when in fact we actually had two different worlds without evolution in either of them worlds.
Hebrews 12:2-3 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,despising the shame,and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
2nd Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,lest the light of this glorious gospel of Christ,who is the image of God,should shine unto them.
2nd Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,lest the light of this glorious gospel of Christ,who is the image of God,should shine unto them.