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Author Topic:   Evolution or Creation
ICANT
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Posts: 6769
From: SSC
Joined: 03-12-2007
Member Rating: 1.6


Message 1 of 301 (395308)
04-15-2007 11:32 PM


Why should I choose Atheism and Evolution over God and Creation?
In Genesis 1:1 it says that In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Most go right to Genesis 1:2 and start the creation but it was created in Genesis 1:1. Somehow I think the scriptures got mixed up as in: Gene 2:4 (KJS) These [are] the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
In the day the Lord God made the earth and heavens. This account corresponds to Genesis 1:1 Gene 5:1 (KJS) This [is] the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; This says the book of generations of Adam in the day that God created man in the likeness of God. This account corresponds with the account in Genesis 1:2 - 2:3
Therefore I believe and propose that somewhere back in time as we know it that God created the heavens and the earth. I believe at that moment it was perfect in every way. The best I get is that there was no sea at this time. There was no day and night just day as God was the light. So when God told Adam the day he ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil he would die, he did die the same day. This day could have lasted millions of years in our time as there was no time then. This man was not as we know man today. He was formed from the dust of the earth and God breathed into his nostrils and he became a living soul.
I do not think he was limited as we are as he could probably teleport himself where ever he wanted to go. To name all the animals he had to be a very smart man. I believe he was the smartest man that has ever walked on the face of the earth, other than the God man.
At many points in time and the last probably about 66 million years ago there were extinction events. I assume all life forms was destroyed I have no way of knowing. Except when we get to Genesis 1:2 the earth was void and without form and now it had water.
Then we have the 7 days of Moses, the recreation, Gen. 1:2 - Gen. 2:3.
Gene 1:11 (KJS) And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, [and] the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed [is] in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. {grass: Heb. tender grass}
Pay special attention to the seed in itself upon the earth.
How did those seed get there if they were not there before?
Gene 1:26 (KJS) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Gene 1:28 (KJS) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. {moveth: Heb. creepeth}
Man blessed and told to multiply and replenish the earth. He could not replenish it if it had not been inhabited before.
I have never been able to buy into the idea that man just happened. I have always needed to know that my life was worth something and there was a reason for it. The only place I found that was in the Bible. Now I am a realist and I know man has copied the manuscripts and has probably arranged things to suit themselves along the way and even added and took away things.
But I believe that God has preserved His Word. I have studied many Bibles and have been able to find the core teachings that I believe in 90 % of them.
The Bible is the only book that I have read so far that tells me where I came from. Why I am here, and where I will spend eternity.
Some things the Bible tells me:
That God made me so I could choose to love and serve Him just because He is God.
That man has a sin nature he inherited from Adam.
God provided a sacrifice to pay my sin debt.
Jesus the only begotten Son of God was crucified that I might be saved.
That to go to heaven I must trust in That Sacrifice.
That if I do nothing I will spend eternity in the lake of fire.
That Christ was buried and arose 3 days later.
That 40 days later he ascended into Heaven to make intercession for me.
That Jesus is coming again.
That I will be judged according to how I have done on earth and will be rewarded accordingly.
That all who have not trusted Christ will stand at the Great White Throne judgment and confess Jesus is Lord.
That all whose names are not written in the Lambs Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
That there will be a new Heaven and Earth.
That there will be no more day or night as God will be the light.
That there will be a City, The New Jerusalem that has streets of Gold,where I will live with God for eternity.
I have had a happy full life and enjoyed every minute of it and I can say as Paul said, I have fought a good fight I have kept the faith and if it does end with my death what have I lost. I would not trade what I have had and still have for all the money Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have put together. That money could not buy the peace and satisfaction I have had for the past 58 years. I have never needed anything that my God has not supplied.
Now these are the things I believe and have through my faith in God.
Now I know that most of you cannot relate to what I believe. You think it is a myth, some even call it a lie, some would say I am deluded. But if when I die that is all there is to it what have I lost?
Evolution as I understand it, teaches us that we evolved from a life form that we do not know where it came from, why, or how it got here yet.
Chiroptera tells me we are not much different than a worm.
quote:
Biologically, there isn't much difference between a human and a worm,
  —Chiroptera
If we are no different than the animals, birds, fishes, or worms then when we die we return to where ever it was that we came from and that is the end of it.
But what if I am right and there is a heaven to gain and a hell to avoid?
I posted what I believe so that those wishing to respond would know where I am coming from.
But I want to limit the discussion to the question's below.
What benefit would it be for me to renounce God and creation and embrace Atheism and evolution?
For that matter what benefit is derived by anyone choosing Atheism and Evolution over God and Creation?

Replies to this message:
 Message 3 by nator, posted 04-17-2007 8:35 AM ICANT has not replied
 Message 4 by mark24, posted 04-17-2007 8:38 AM ICANT has not replied
 Message 5 by Parasomnium, posted 04-17-2007 9:53 AM ICANT has not replied
 Message 6 by jar, posted 04-17-2007 10:08 AM ICANT has not replied
 Message 7 by dwise1, posted 04-17-2007 10:50 AM ICANT has not replied
 Message 9 by Dr Adequate, posted 04-17-2007 11:22 AM ICANT has not replied
 Message 10 by fallacycop, posted 04-17-2007 11:30 AM ICANT has not replied
 Message 11 by Archer Opteryx, posted 04-17-2007 3:42 PM ICANT has not replied
 Message 12 by Neutralmind, posted 04-17-2007 6:38 PM ICANT has not replied
 Message 14 by Neutralmind, posted 04-17-2007 7:58 PM ICANT has not replied
 Message 206 by Peter, posted 04-22-2007 8:39 AM ICANT has not replied
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Message 2 of 301 (395624)
04-17-2007 7:20 AM


Thread moved here from the Proposed New Topics forum.

nator
Member (Idle past 2190 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 3 of 301 (395636)
04-17-2007 8:35 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by ICANT
04-15-2007 11:32 PM


quote:
What benefit would it be for me to renounce God and creation
and embrace Atheism and evolution?
That is a false dichotomy.
You don't have to renounce god and creation in order to accept the evidence for Evolution.
Atheism is not required to accept the ToE.
quote:
For that matter what benefit is derived by anyone choosing Atheism and Evolution over God and Creation?
Again, false dichotomy.
But leaving aside the issue of Atheism, the reason to accept the evidence for evolution is because it is the truth about how life has changed on Earth.
(AbE) It is for the same reason you should accept the Germ Theory of Disease, the Atomic Theory of Matter, or the Theory of a Heliocentric Solar System. The evidence is so strong that to not accept it is to deny reality. To self-delude. To be so willfully ignorant as to be peverse.
But let me just cut to the chase, again.
I asked you the following question in this message in the "How can Biologists believe in the ToE" thread:
Do you think that people with PhD's in Biology are stupid?
Thanks in advance for your response in the other thread.
Edited by nator, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by ICANT, posted 04-15-2007 11:32 PM ICANT has not replied

mark24
Member (Idle past 5216 days)
Posts: 3857
From: UK
Joined: 12-01-2001


Message 4 of 301 (395637)
04-17-2007 8:38 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by ICANT
04-15-2007 11:32 PM


ICAN'T,
Why should I choose Atheism and Evolution over God and Creation?
You should accept evolution because it is a notion supported by a wealth of mutidisciplinary evidence all pointing to the fact that evolution happened.
There is no evidence that any religions gods are actual beings & as such we cannot accept them as portrayed. We must be neutral to theism & therefore be a-theistic. After all, we do exactly this for everything else we have no evidence of. Anything else is intellectually inconsistent & hypocritical.
Mark

There are 10 kinds of people in this world; those that understand binary, & those that don't

This message is a reply to:
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Parasomnium
Member
Posts: 2224
Joined: 07-15-2003


Message 5 of 301 (395649)
04-17-2007 9:53 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by ICANT
04-15-2007 11:32 PM


It's not a choice
ICANT writes:
Why should I choose Atheism and Evolution over God and Creation?
The fact that you think about these matters in terms of "choosing" is telling. It's not as if an atheist is someone who may well believe in God, but nevertheless chooses to not believe in God anyway.
So I would not say you should "choose" atheism. What you should do instead is try and think critically about life, the universe and everything. Question what you think you know about it, question what others - creationists and evolutionists alike - tell you about it, and then make up your own mind.
If God exists and gave you a brain, then he probably meant for you to use it. And if God does not exist, then the fact that you have a brain that can be awe-inspired is... well, awe-inspiring I guess. Both possibilities are equally exhilarating, but for me the latter is much more intellectually satisfying.
Whatever it is you end up with, it will give you peace of mind. Personally, I ended up with atheism, because I cannot reconcile what I see around me with the notion of a supernatural being, let alone with the notion of the omnipotent, omniscient, and above all omnibenevolent God of the Bible.
As for "choosing" evolution over creation: every time you turn to the smut pages of your local tabloid, you are reminded of the fact of your mammalian ancestry. That alone should make you think about whether evolution might have something going for it after all.
So if you allow yourself, you might be convinced of evolution, or you might not, as the case may be. But whatever you do, do not treat it as a choice.

"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science." - Charles Darwin.
Did you know that most of the time your computer is doing nothing? What if you could make it do something really useful? Like helping scientists understand diseases? Your computer could even be instrumental in finding a cure for HIV/AIDS. Wouldn't that be something? If you agree, then join World Community Grid now and download a simple, free tool that lets you and your computer do your share in helping humanity. After all, you are part of it, so why not take part in it?

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jar
Member (Idle past 415 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 6 of 301 (395652)
04-17-2007 10:08 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by ICANT
04-15-2007 11:32 PM


Another False Dilemma
What benefit would it be for me to renounce God and creation and embrace Atheism and evolution?
For that matter what benefit is derived by anyone choosing Atheism and Evolution over God and Creation?
You should accept Evolution because it is a fact and truth. You should accept the Theory of Evolution tentatively because it is the only and best explanation of how Evolution happened.
No that has absolutely nothing to do with either renouncing God or becoming an atheist.
There is no need to renounce God, or even change a single one of your beliefs as you listed them.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by ICANT, posted 04-15-2007 11:32 PM ICANT has not replied

dwise1
Member
Posts: 5946
Joined: 05-02-2006
Member Rating: 5.6


Message 7 of 301 (395665)
04-17-2007 10:50 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by ICANT
04-15-2007 11:32 PM


As the others have amply pointed out, the "choice" you describe is a false dichotomy, a fallacy which is used to deceive and manipulate people.
Who taught you that you must make that choice? Who taught you that those are the only choices avaiable to you? Not science. It was "creation science".
"Creation science" has lied to you over and over again regarding what science is and what the evidence is. It's also lying to you about this.
The real choice is choosing between lies and seeking the truth. Why do you choose lies?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by ICANT, posted 04-15-2007 11:32 PM ICANT has not replied

Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 305 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 8 of 301 (395668)
04-17-2007 11:05 AM


I'm surprised the moderators let this one through.
No, you can't conflate evolution with atheism: because this is a lie.
Thank you for playing.
Edited by Dr Adequate, : No reason given.

Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 305 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 9 of 301 (395671)
04-17-2007 11:22 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by ICANT
04-15-2007 11:32 PM


But if when I die that is all there is to it what have I lost?
Your one fleeting chance to understand the world as you passed through it.

This message is a reply to:
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fallacycop
Member (Idle past 5541 days)
Posts: 692
From: Fortaleza-CE Brazil
Joined: 02-18-2006


Message 10 of 301 (395676)
04-17-2007 11:30 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by ICANT
04-15-2007 11:32 PM


What benefit would it be for me to renounce God and creation and embrace Atheism and evolution?
The false dicotomy between Evolution and belief in god has already been correctly pointed out by others. There is a second false dicotomy here between Atheism and the god you describe.
There is the possibility that there is a god that doesn't care that much about whether you believe in her or not. But that god might care about whether you are an intelectually honest person. "Chosing" not to be an atheist because you don't see any benefit for you on it can be seen as self serving and dishonest. The god I described wouldn't like that, and that could be your damnation.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by ICANT, posted 04-15-2007 11:32 PM ICANT has not replied

Archer Opteryx
Member (Idle past 3618 days)
Posts: 1811
From: East Asia
Joined: 08-16-2006


Message 11 of 301 (395719)
04-17-2007 3:42 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by ICANT
04-15-2007 11:32 PM


Willed Belief = No Belief
Icant:
What benefit would it be for me to renounce God and creation and embrace Atheism and evolution?
For that matter what benefit is derived by anyone choosing Atheism and Evolution over God and Creation?
There's no benefit in choosing any of these things. As soon as you get into the business of choosing belief, you don't really believe. You are choosing a position, a party loyalty. Nothing more.
Belief is a spontaneous, involuntary response to experience.
When you turn on the hot water and put your hand under it, you experience that the water is hot. At once you believe the water is hot. You don't stand there, scalding one hand and stroking your chin with the other, weighing the 'benefits' of believing the water to be one temperature or the other. You believe the experience.
Your OP, with all its talk of choosing, avoids any mention of real belief. You are talking about choosing a party platform. Every party has a line. When one joins a party one signs one's name to the manifesto. This is a lesson you have absorbed well.
But truth seeking is not a club. Questions are not a party line.
As long as you think in this pattern, you will have no taste for truth seeking and cannot understand even the basics of the art. You will join whatever club you please and defend all those planks in the party's platform that you find 'beneficial.' This is not belief. You speak of choices determined by personal comfort and nothing more.
Belief is an honest, involuntary personal response to reality. It is not chosen. Belief cannot be faked because it cannot be willed.
Tell me you choose your belief in God, and I know at once that you do not believe.
_____
Edited by Archer Opterix, : concision.

Archer
All species are transitional.

This message is a reply to:
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Neutralmind
Member (Idle past 6144 days)
Posts: 183
From: Finland
Joined: 06-08-2006


Message 12 of 301 (395743)
04-17-2007 6:38 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by ICANT
04-15-2007 11:32 PM


What benefit would it be for me to renounce God and creation and embrace Atheism and evolution?
For that matter what benefit is derived by anyone choosing Atheism and Evolution over God and Creation?
I just want to remind everyone these are the questions he explicitly wanted to be discussed. Not, if you can choose atheism and if it's good to do so.
Edited by Neutralmind, : blaah

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Replies to this message:
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RAZD
Member (Idle past 1426 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 13 of 301 (395748)
04-17-2007 7:21 PM
Reply to: Message 12 by Neutralmind
04-17-2007 6:38 PM


what's the real choice?
One does not need to "embrace atheism" to understand evolution.
One does not need to "renounce God and creation" to understand that species have changed over time, and that mutation and natural selection are mechanisms of change over time, mechanisms that have been observed in action and in result.
One can also ask a very similar question: what benefit would it be for me to understand how anything works, and do I need to renounce my belief that "god-did-it" to understand how any single thing works?
And one can ask another related question: what benefit would it be for me to believe a falsehood?
When looked at this way, the choice is between ignorance and education, fact and falsehood, and the rest is window-dressing.
If belief relies on falsehoods to be embraced, is that a valid belief?
I can believe that the sun orbits a flat earth or that I am Napoleon III: is that valid?
Enjoy.

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Neutralmind
Member (Idle past 6144 days)
Posts: 183
From: Finland
Joined: 06-08-2006


Message 14 of 301 (395759)
04-17-2007 7:58 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by ICANT
04-15-2007 11:32 PM


What benefit would it be for me to renounce God and creation and embrace Atheism and evolution?
I think it's a valid question.
But at first, I'd like to know if by "benefit" you mean spiritual or practical benefit. Spiritual benefit would be something like knowing the truth thus having a better feeling about your self, and practical would be something like you didn't have to attend to the church anymore.

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
 Message 15 by kuresu, posted 04-17-2007 8:19 PM Neutralmind has replied
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kuresu
Member (Idle past 2534 days)
Posts: 2544
From: boulder, colorado
Joined: 03-24-2006


Message 15 of 301 (395766)
04-17-2007 8:19 PM
Reply to: Message 14 by Neutralmind
04-17-2007 7:58 PM


I think it's a valid question.
I disagree. As many in this thread have already stated, the question sets up a false dichotomy. There is no reason to link God with Creation and Atheism with Evolution in a such a way as to be mutually exclusive. As in, you can only choose G&C or A&E. Those are not the only options. you can have G&C, A&C, G&E, A&E.
as said, his question is invalid.

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
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