Within the Christian community, there exists a diverse range of beliefs, and many Christians fully embrace the scientific theory of evolution as harmonious with their faith. However, a subset of Christians, particularly those adhering to a more literal interpretation of specific religious texts, may express skepticism or opposition to the theory.
The resistance to evolution within certain Christian circles can be attributed to various factors:
Literal Interpretation of Scripture: Some Christians interpret certain passages of the Bible, especially in Genesis, as offering a literal and historical account of the creation of the world. This interpretation may clash with the timeline and processes proposed by the theory of evolution.
Theological Concerns: For some Christians, accepting evolution raises theological questions, such as the nature of human beings, the concept of a historical Adam and Eve, and the idea of original sin. Some are concerned that embracing evolution challenges fundamental theological doctrines.
Cultural and Social Factors: Opposition to evolution is often linked to specific cultural and social contexts. In certain communities, rejecting evolution may serve as a means of preserving a distinct religious identity or resisting perceived secular influences.
Lack of Understanding or Misinformation: In some cases, individuals may not fully comprehend the scientific principles behind evolution, leading to skepticism or rejection. Misinformation about evolution can also contribute to misunderstandings.
It is crucial to recognize that many Christians, including prominent theologians and scientists, find no inherent conflict between their religious beliefs and the acceptance of evolution. Organizations and movements, such as theistic evolution or evolutionary creationism, advocate the idea that evolution is a natural process that can coexist with a belief in God as the ultimate creator.
If evolution is true, then the very wisdom, power and glory of God is ravaged since Genesis makes it clear that God did indeed “create the heavens and the Earth”
2.
If Adam was not a real fallen person, the Gospel is irrelevant ie man is not in a fallen state before God. We are then on a quest to determine ourselves and the future
3. Jesus believed in creationism as did Paul and refer to it in their sermons and writing -as well as other Biblical writers
4. Original sin is dependent upon Genesis
5.
The significance of the Sabbath ie the Law is dependent upon Creationism
6. Evolution has been proven to be impossible given its implications ie Laws of Thermal Dynamics, the Geological Column does not correct exist as supposed non Creationists
The rotation of the Earth, the longevity of actual days, the lacking of the entire absence of inter transitional life, gravitational force, the size of the sun etc. all point to evolution being a huge conspiracy or lie.
The main reason that I have seen is not an exact time frame but the creation of man.
The argument is that if the theory of evolution is true then death entered the world prior to man which negates Scripture as reliable (not merely as history, but also in the principles taught).
I used to believe evolution was possible within the limits of the Biblical text.
But, like JonC mentioned death first entered the world after Adam sinned.
Days referring to very long time periods just doesn't work when one realizes that the process of change over thousand and thousands of years is not a reasonable theory when one understands that if there were thousands of years, let alone millions of years involved, there also had to be death.
Natural selection can't function without survival of the fittest, aka "Death of the unfit."
Alan... Might I highly recommend a book, not just for you but anyone that is interested in the topic, from Christians who are also Scientist in various scientific fields... Well worth the read... Brother Glen:)
Looks great, Br.Glen! Looks like a real winner. Thank you.
"In this book are the testimonies of fifty men and women holding doctorates in a wide range of scientific fields who have been convicted by the evidence to believe in a literal six-day creation."
Alan... Although I'm not of the scientific mindset like some are and have not the intelligence that these 50 men and women have and they explain it in their jargon, that I have to wade through, God the designer Creator through his creation they testify through their work cannot be denied... Glad you are going to get the book... Enjoy!... Brother Glen:)
Evolution, the true and the false.
Change is over time. Order precedes chaos. Matter energy conversion requires there to be matter first.
Space-time requires there to be matter first. Without there being matter, space, energy and time are impossible.
IN the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [Earth, that requires matter.]
Baptists, (particularly dispensationalists, of which I am one), are literalists, we have theological concerns about evolution, there is a strong social construct supporting Young Earth Creationism and a similar social construct against evolutionary ideas, This leads to a poor understanding of evolution and a willingness to believe misinformation.
The concept that Genesis 1-11 is an accurate account of historic events contradicts what God has allowed us to see with our eyes and feel with our hands.
The early Christians were very concerned about this fact and typically interpreted these eleven chapters in a manner consistent with what God had taught them through their personal experiences and observations.
Indeed, at least as early as the first half of the third century Christians observed the fact that the ark as described in Genesis 6 was far too small to house all of the kinds of animals that they themselves had seen and realized that God, in Genesis 1-11, was using a very different genre of literature than He had used in the rest of the Bible.
Today, because of ministries such as Answer in Genesis and Creation Ministries International, millions of Christians are abandoning their faith in the Bible and the Christ that it proclaims.
In particular, their absurd teaching that the ark was large enough because the word “kind” expresses the concept of genera rather than species and that the millions of species of animals that we have today descended from a relative small number of genera is a bold faced lie.
About 10.8 million years ago, the cat family began to split off into 8 Lineages consisting of 2 subfamilies, 14 genera, and 41 species.
Furthermore, the biological process that that they call “descended” is macroevolution on a grand scale and macroevolution does not occur in a mater of a few thousand years but rather in a matter of many millions of years.
No one likes to be lied to, and when Christians see other Christians raking in millions of dollars by ling to them, who are they to believe—Christians who are lying to them, or scientists who are telling them the truth?
First secular scientific community find it ridiculous that Christians believe in evolution. They ridicule them and disparage them as much as the Christians they do not.
Second, there are many in the field of science that believes in creation and not evolution.
Thirdly and most important, We do not accept evolution because it was designed to disprove God and we hold that it is important to understand science through the lens of scripture and not scripture through the lens of manmade science. Doing the latter is an indictment on the theology of those who do.