I’m involved in an hot ongoing debate with a xtian colleague (dangerous I know). This morning we discussed evolution and she presented me with documentation obtained from her pastor. I found some of it on the net:
All the evidence a scientists has exists only in the present. All the fossils, the living animals and plants, the world, the universe--in fact, everything, exists now--in the present. The average person (including most students) is not taught that scientists have only the present and cannot deal directly with the past. Evolution is a belief system about the past [b]based on the words of men who were not there[/b], but who are trying to explain how all the evidence of the present (that is, fossils, animals and plants, etc.) originated. (Webster's Dictionary defines religion as follows: "... cause, principle or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith." Surely, this is an apt description of evolution.) Evolution is a belief system--a religion!
(my bold)
However, starting with the irrefutable evidence of the Scriptures, we are told that in God the Father and His Christ" ... are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). There is no way any human mind can know all there is to know. But we have Someone who does. This ends our dilemma. We are in no doubt that what God has revealed in His Word is truthful and accurate. He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19) about anything. In time, we will know more fully. He will add to our knowledge, but He will not change what His word has already revealed.
These discussions are often frustrating to me, I’m presented with a well educated person with the ability to think rationally and deal with situations logically and then they start spewing irrational ideas and thoughts, it drives me to distraction and seeking out a wall to go bang my head against. The irony is that she converted from Islam to xtianity and then questions why xtians and the bible are persecuted, after pointing out several critisisms of Islam and the Koran she was speechless because she simply did not think as far. Its the whole “oogklappe aan” thing. Its frustrating.
Explain to me how the scriptures can be seen as ‘irrefutable evidence’. Sorry, but I put a lot more stock in the evidence presented by a fossil which I can examine than in the written and re-translated words of barely literate men who lived a thousand years age, and as you emphasize - was not even there.
Religion/belief systems imply that the follower is a person who believes certain things to be true without any evidence to substantiate that belief. Evolution is not something I believe to be true, it is something that evidence shows me is likely to be true. Big difference.
Why is gravityism not a religion? Because it doesn’t (seemingly) have an impact on their fucked up beliefs in the first place. What always brings a shake to my head is this desperate attempt to drag you down to their level
“Evolution is a religion!” “Atheism is a belief!”
All they are really saying is, “yes, I know religion and blind belief is stupid. You are stupid too!”
when one finds a fossil. it has been sitting there for millions of years, untouched. the surroundind strata will show you what kind of condidtions was around when this fossil was formed. there is no human intervention, and scientists draw conclusions from the facts given to them by YEARS of study and many, many scientists hashing out the truth.
the bible, on the other hand, is printed by human hands, translated by human minds, interpreted by human hands. written by human hands. it’s a human driven, human conceptualized, human understood thing. there is nothing natural about it. never had it been a thing that happened by a natural force. there isnt even a method of ascertaining the ‘science’ of it. no age, no corbon dating, no strata to analyze.
We appear to have missed the fact that yesterday was the Earth’s birthday - 22 Oct 4004 BCE * - so evolution MUST be rubbish, cos so many species could not possibly have evolved in only 6000 years?
This date was calculated in 1658 CE by some archbishop!
What gets my goat is that atheists don’t say they “believe” in evolution. Ever. We say that evolution is a more likely explanation than the Biblical account of where we came from. Simple as that. I don’t say I “believe” the earth is round. Neither do woos who have seen photo’s of the earth. It’s simply a more likely theory than the one the flat earth people present.
If there is any part of Christianity that annoys me the most, it’s the smugness - the “irrefutable Bible” statements - and the arrogant assumption that they are unquestionably correct about everything.
Guys guys guys! I understand now! The bible is true because right there in the bible it says: “everything in here is true”, and since EVERYTHING in the bible is true, so is that bit, hence it’s true! I’ve SEEN THE LIGHT!
Oh wait, no, maybe I just looked into the sun for a moment.