Does Evolution and Science draw people away from God?

[Audie]

The FACT that many scientists and lay people that do believe in evolution, some are even clergy!, shows that the answer to this thread:
Does Evolution and Science draw people away from God?

Is a resounding NO.

It seems that to some people it looks that way because their version of what it is to believe in God, is to 'believe the Bible", as in, believe it as they do.

[Audie]

Getting back to Melanie's quote in Daniel's original post:

melanie wrote:
The fact of the matter is, no matter how many Christians tie in evolution into their beliefs, it has had a massive detrimental effect on people relying on God instead of man to answer the question of 'why are we here, how did we get here ect'.

Mel, if you're still paying attention to this thread, I'd like you to expound on this. On the surface, I disagree. Unless I'm mistaken, evolution makes no claims about why we are here, or how we got here. Now of course each person who believes in evolution has his own belief of origins. But, I think that issue is separate from the evolution of existing life.

Agreed on the WHY, but as for the how, that is what the study of evolution does, is tell us how we "got here" from much humbler origins. (not Origin, if you see what I mean)

[PaulSacramento]

The FACT that many scientists and lay people that do believe in evolution, some are even clergy!, shows that the answer to this thread:
Does Evolution and Science draw people away from God?

Is a resounding NO.

It seems that to some people it looks that way because their version of what it is to believe in God, is to 'believe the Bible", as in, believe it as they do.

Yes, which has very little ( if anything) to do with science.
Heck I have even met people that believe vaccination to be unbiblical and the work of Satan.

[RickD]

Getting back to Melanie's quote in Daniel's original post:

melanie wrote:
The fact of the matter is, no matter how many Christians tie in evolution into their beliefs, it has had a massive detrimental effect on people relying on God instead of man to answer the question of 'why are we here, how did we get here ect'.

Mel, if you're still paying attention to this thread, I'd like you to expound on this. On the surface, I disagree. Unless I'm mistaken, evolution makes no claims about why we are here, or how we got here. Now of course each person who believes in evolution has his own belief of origins. But, I think that issue is separate from the evolution of existing life.

Agreed on the WHY, but as for the how, that is what the study of evolution does, is tell us how we "got here" from much humbler origins. (not Origin, if you see what I mean)

Yes. Evolution does claim to show how we got to the point in evolution that we are supposedly at. What I meant was that evolution doesn't claim to show how life got here, on earth, originally.

Sorry. I should've made that clearer.

[Danieltwotwenty]

Danielnottwenty said "You do realise that humans are still evolving..."

So Jesus was primitive then?

I believe that humans are devolving...

Primitive is a matter of a subjective perspective, Maybe Neanderthals think we are primitive because we are smaller and less muscular than they were. Was Jesus more primitive than us, well from our perspective the society was much more primitive, less technology, different primitive rules and customs. From Jesus' perspective maybe we are more primitive, destroying the planet, weapons of mass destruction etc.... Really it's a silly question.

Devolving is not a thing, you cannot devolve, all you can do is change which is evolving.

[abelcainsbrother]

Danielnottwenty said "You do realise that humans are still evolving..."

So Jesus was primitive then?

I believe that humans are devolving...

Primitive is a matter of a subjective perspective, Maybe Neanderthals think we are primitive because we are smaller and less muscular than they were. Was Jesus more primitive than us, well from our perspective the society was much more primitive, less technology, different primitive rules and customs. From Jesus' perspective maybe we are more primitive, destroying the planet, weapons of mass destruction etc.... Really it's a silly question.

Devolving is not a thing, you cannot devolve, all you can do is change which is evolving.

Maybe Neanderthals were the descendants of Cain because if I read the bible and then read what secular scientists say about them,it seems to fit.

[Danieltwotwenty]

Danielnottwenty said "You do realise that humans are still evolving..."

So Jesus was primitive then?

I believe that humans are devolving...

Primitive is a matter of a subjective perspective, Maybe Neanderthals think we are primitive because we are smaller and less muscular than they were. Was Jesus more primitive than us, well from our perspective the society was much more primitive, less technology, different primitive rules and customs. From Jesus' perspective maybe we are more primitive, destroying the planet, weapons of mass destruction etc.... Really it's a silly question.

Devolving is not a thing, you cannot devolve, all you can do is change which is evolving.

Maybe Neanderthals were the descendants of Cain because if I read the bible and then read what secular scientists say about them,it seems to fit.

I thought primitive Christians thought they were Africans and that's why they enslaved them.

[RickD]

abelcainsbrother wrote:
Maybe Neanderthals were the descendants of Cain because if I read the bible and then read what secular scientists say about them,it seems to fit.

I think you mean ancestors, not descendants. Unless you're saying Cain, a homo sapien sapien lived before Neanderthals.

But then again, you believe in the Gap Theory, so you could believe Cain lived before Neanderthals.

[Audie]

Homo sapiens sapiens

[RickD]

Homo sapiens sapiens

Audie,

I am neither scientifically nor grammatically edumucated. So I can change the singular Homo sapiens sapiens to Homo sapien sapien.

[Audie]

Homo sapiens sapiens

Audie,

I am neither scientifically nor grammatically edumucated. So I can change the singular Homo sapiens sapiens to Homo sapien sapien.

There's no husband or child for me to correct, think how busy I will be then.

[Danieltwotwenty]

Stop derailing my thread with gamma issues, I mean grammar issues. Oy Vey

[melanie]

I so wish this thread wasn't started lol. It just going to turn into another anti-evolution thread.

Yea sorry Neo-X, I thought this might happen also, people just can't stay on point and no one has even attempted to attack my points of that it is not necessarily evolution, science, philosophy, drugs, alcohol, morality etc.. Etc.. That draws people away from God but rather it is a spiritual problem we have and these things are just excuses we use, if it wasn't evolution it would be something else. Everything can be used for evil, including the Bible, including theology, even Jesus' words can be used as an excuse to turn from God, but that in no way makes those things bad, it just makes people bad.

Dan, you started a thread 'does evolution and science draw people away from God?' Then ask why nobody has addressed the social issues; drugs, alcohol ect and the moral issues. That would be because it is totally off topic from the thread. You asked a specific question relating to science, perhaps you should have made it a little more general 'how does science, social issues, addictions, morality ect draw people away from God'
Just sayin....

[melanie]

Stop trying to get me in trouble with the Mod's if you have truth on your side you won't need their help

I have never tried to get the mods to censor you (I am sure you are quite capable of doing that on your own), if they decide to do that according to the forum rules then all well and good, I don't agree with you type of argumentation tactics and I don't think they are good for a discussion forum.

this thread is about evolution and if it draws man away from God and many Christians disagree with you

Many also agree with me, how is this of any consequence, all it is, is argumentum ad populum which is faulty reasoning. I disagree with you also and just simply stated that, I don't know why you are attacking me personally now.

,you don't have to take it personal and when you do it is a sign of weakness,not strength.

I haven't taken anything you have said personally at all, I have heard all these arguments many times before and have developed a thick skin over the years and as I stated in another thread there are reasons why people get emotional and I have admitted I used to, but now I realise the reasons why and I can now divorce myself from feeling like that.

I do not judge you or any person's salvation but just because a person is saved does not mean he can't be wrong.

I never said you did specifically, in other threads I was talking more in general, it was Mel who bought you into the subject, so we used you as an example. This is why I wish Mel didn't bring you into it as it just colours the issue and detracts from the general idea of destructive behaviour, but what is done is done.

I am a gap theorist and I actually like to being challenged on it and if somebody can ever show me biblically why I am wrong,I will change my mind,so far, not one has

Prove "you" wrong, you cannot prove wrong a person who doesn't accept the "words" of men. It's funny though and quite revealing that you said prove why I am wrong, should it not be prove why God's word says such and such, seems to me you are admitting it is just your interpretation and is just the words of a man, which as you say cannot be trusted.

Seriously Dan, really?
'It was Mel who brought you into this, we just used you as an example. This is why I wish Mel didn't bring you as it just colours the issue and detracts from the general idea of destructive behaviour but what is done is done'

The fact is you were talking about Abel anyway. If you were so wishing that the poor bloke wasn't dragged into it, then you would have refrained from using him as an example instead of jumping on the bandwagon and continually referring to him, mind you in a negative tense. What you have done here is used my apology to Abel and my admittance that I should not have singled him out as a tactic for arguments sake. I don't think that's particularly noble.
Look at how many times YOU singled him out, look over the thread at how many times you post ACB even after this post. Not the actions of a bloke who is 'wishing' he was never involved.
I genuinely tried to stick up for someone, and I should never have singled him out based on what came there after. Don't use my initial lack of better judgement to excuse your singling out of an individual.
Pretty ironic that you threw my name into the mix outta nowhere, but we wouldn't want to single someone out right?

[melanie]

Getting back to Melanie's quote in Daniel's original post:

melanie wrote:
The fact of the matter is, no matter how many Christians tie in evolution into their beliefs, it has had a massive detrimental effect on people relying on God instead of man to answer the question of 'why are we here, how did we get here ect'.

Mel, if you're still paying attention to this thread, I'd like you to expound on this. On the surface, I disagree. Unless I'm mistaken, evolution makes no claims about why we are here, or how we got here. Now of course each person who believes in evolution has his own belief of origins. But, I think that issue is separate from the evolution of existing life.

I don't think science does answer those questions Rick, or can. Evolution in itself cannot answer the why.
But as humans these are questions that compel us but we come at them with differing presuppositions which will direct where we tend to point the finger, God or random chance.
Sometimes we take a meaning of a word and add more meaning than intended, 'why' means 'for what reason'. Scientists observe the theory of evolution and come to the conclusion that the 'why' or 'reason' is that it was by chance and randomness.
I wish I could elaborate further, but I'm away ATM, staying between family, I feel like a gypsy! When I get home, I will better explain what I mean