Wedge Issues 2: Evolution, or how I learned to love science and stop putting God in a box
I'm starting with evolution because this one bugs me the most.
Back when I was in high school a friend of mine and I sat in biology class. Like biology classes across the country have been for many years we were told to open our books and prepare to learn the theory of evolution. Immediatly I went numb ... the theory of how ameobas became fish and fish turned to apes, and apes turned to into people. My friend and I (being somewhat disruptive 10th graders already) decided to make this an issue. We said in front of the class that evolution was a conspiracy made up by people out to destroy Christianity! We also deliberately failed several papers because we refused to put the demon answers in writing ... either that or it was a good excuse not to do our homework. At any rate its a miracle I passed at all.
When I got to college, however (HSU represent!), I changed my perspective. HSU is a Baptist college and everyone is required to take two semesters of Bible class. Dr. McGraw (and yes he is related to the Dr. Phil McGraw of Oprah fame, I'm not sure how he feels about that ... ) taught both semesters of the Bible class I was in. Fun prof and very down to earth. He taught directly from the Bible and he gave several expert interpretations on everything that he went over. Creation of course was a hot topic. Dr. McGraw started the discussion by saying that he didn't know how exactly creation happened and that the story in the Bible really didn't have anything to do with how. It focused on WHO, and WHY. In other words, it didn't matter if God spoke and things happened, or if the Bible simply left out the details on the hows. What matters is that God set it in motion.
This viewpoint made me realize that evolution is not mutually exclusive of biblical creation and like most conspiracy theories, there is no conspiracy other than the conspiracy by a few million people to not think things through very clearly.
I understand why Christians, especially in the midwest and south would be reluctant to buy into evolution, (and if you don't believe it, that's fine) but I don't understand the recent ferver to discredit it. This concerns me because discrediting evolution I don't believe is what Christ had in mind when he asked us to make disciples. And it really concerns me because everything out there to discredit evolution usually lacks any research or proof, or if it has been researched typically relies on false pretenses. I often listen to Power FM here in Dallas and they carry the Creation Moments segments. I absolutely cringe everytime I hear one of the segments. Just read their articles on their own website. Some of my observations: "Ethicists", "Humanists" and "Evolutionists" are all wrapped into one generalized category and apparently we all believe the same things (seems they believe the conspiracy theory too). The claims of scientists professing evolution cannot be true because either the claims sound ridiculous, they don't fit with Creation Moments' interpretation of the Bible, or the scientists' tools are faulty.
If you want to argue evolution (a scientific theory), you have to argue against it scientifically. None of Creation Moments' methods can be considered good science. The claims may sound ridiculous but that's why they have to be tested. Besides to an outsider, a supreme being, snapping his fingers and creating life on a whim sounds a little ridiculous as well. If you want to blame the tools you have to test and to prove that 100% of the tools are faulty 100% of the time. And if your theory is based on a narrow interpretation of a non-scientfic book then ... well let's just say you have some serious problems. No wonder they have resorted to character attacks.
Now for ... THE POINTS!
"Theory" you keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means
This is where most people get it wrong. "Theory" in common venacular check out the definition of the word. Most people think of definitions 2, 5 or 6. Where as scientists when they talk of the Theory of Evolution are using definition 1. A theory doesn't become a theory until its been tested. There is overwhelming evidence for the Theory of Evolution. In those terms, the argument that its "just a theory" doesn't really mean anything.
1 Billion to 1 is still pretty good odds when you're dealing with infinate possibilities and infinate time
Another common argument is that life couldn't have formed from evolution because of the gigantic numerical odds against it. However I submit, just as my title reads .. when you're dealing with infinity, odds don't really mean much. Odds only mean something when you have a limited lifespan in which it might happen to you. When you're dealing with infinity its more unlikely that a particular event won't happen.
Belief in literal Creation is NOT a prerequisite for salvation
And we should stop treating it as one. Christ is the route to salvation. Evolution like all wedge issues are pulling our focus away from that fact. We're in the streets having silly arguments, when the truth is very simple and very fundimental. Such arguments only serve to weaken the position and the words of all Christians.
Back when I was in high school a friend of mine and I sat in biology class. Like biology classes across the country have been for many years we were told to open our books and prepare to learn the theory of evolution. Immediatly I went numb ... the theory of how ameobas became fish and fish turned to apes, and apes turned to into people. My friend and I (being somewhat disruptive 10th graders already) decided to make this an issue. We said in front of the class that evolution was a conspiracy made up by people out to destroy Christianity! We also deliberately failed several papers because we refused to put the demon answers in writing ... either that or it was a good excuse not to do our homework. At any rate its a miracle I passed at all.
When I got to college, however (HSU represent!), I changed my perspective. HSU is a Baptist college and everyone is required to take two semesters of Bible class. Dr. McGraw (and yes he is related to the Dr. Phil McGraw of Oprah fame, I'm not sure how he feels about that ... ) taught both semesters of the Bible class I was in. Fun prof and very down to earth. He taught directly from the Bible and he gave several expert interpretations on everything that he went over. Creation of course was a hot topic. Dr. McGraw started the discussion by saying that he didn't know how exactly creation happened and that the story in the Bible really didn't have anything to do with how. It focused on WHO, and WHY. In other words, it didn't matter if God spoke and things happened, or if the Bible simply left out the details on the hows. What matters is that God set it in motion.
This viewpoint made me realize that evolution is not mutually exclusive of biblical creation and like most conspiracy theories, there is no conspiracy other than the conspiracy by a few million people to not think things through very clearly.
I understand why Christians, especially in the midwest and south would be reluctant to buy into evolution, (and if you don't believe it, that's fine) but I don't understand the recent ferver to discredit it. This concerns me because discrediting evolution I don't believe is what Christ had in mind when he asked us to make disciples. And it really concerns me because everything out there to discredit evolution usually lacks any research or proof, or if it has been researched typically relies on false pretenses. I often listen to Power FM here in Dallas and they carry the Creation Moments segments. I absolutely cringe everytime I hear one of the segments. Just read their articles on their own website. Some of my observations: "Ethicists", "Humanists" and "Evolutionists" are all wrapped into one generalized category and apparently we all believe the same things (seems they believe the conspiracy theory too). The claims of scientists professing evolution cannot be true because either the claims sound ridiculous, they don't fit with Creation Moments' interpretation of the Bible, or the scientists' tools are faulty.
If you want to argue evolution (a scientific theory), you have to argue against it scientifically. None of Creation Moments' methods can be considered good science. The claims may sound ridiculous but that's why they have to be tested. Besides to an outsider, a supreme being, snapping his fingers and creating life on a whim sounds a little ridiculous as well. If you want to blame the tools you have to test and to prove that 100% of the tools are faulty 100% of the time. And if your theory is based on a narrow interpretation of a non-scientfic book then ... well let's just say you have some serious problems. No wonder they have resorted to character attacks.
Now for ... THE POINTS!
"Theory" you keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means
This is where most people get it wrong. "Theory" in common venacular check out the definition of the word. Most people think of definitions 2, 5 or 6. Where as scientists when they talk of the Theory of Evolution are using definition 1. A theory doesn't become a theory until its been tested. There is overwhelming evidence for the Theory of Evolution. In those terms, the argument that its "just a theory" doesn't really mean anything.
1 Billion to 1 is still pretty good odds when you're dealing with infinate possibilities and infinate time
Another common argument is that life couldn't have formed from evolution because of the gigantic numerical odds against it. However I submit, just as my title reads .. when you're dealing with infinity, odds don't really mean much. Odds only mean something when you have a limited lifespan in which it might happen to you. When you're dealing with infinity its more unlikely that a particular event won't happen.
Belief in literal Creation is NOT a prerequisite for salvation
And we should stop treating it as one. Christ is the route to salvation. Evolution like all wedge issues are pulling our focus away from that fact. We're in the streets having silly arguments, when the truth is very simple and very fundimental. Such arguments only serve to weaken the position and the words of all Christians.
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