Can you be Christian and still believe evolution takes place?

1. 91

   RachaelLeflerposted 12 years ago

   Can you be Christian and still believe evolution takes place?
   
   I recently commented on this hub: http://hubpages.com/hub/Faith-and-Science
   saying that I believe it is possible to be Christian and not take Genesis literally. What are your thoughts on the subject?

   replyreport
2. 60

   Merlin Fraserposted 12 years ago

   Isn't this an Apples and Pears type question ?
   
   Firstly let me tell you I am not a Christian so this is only a logical opinion.
   
   To be a Christian surely just means to believe in and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ it doesn't follow that you have to swallow everything in the Bible.
   
   The Genesis story of creation is just that a story, a simple explanation told to simple nomadic people in an attempt to explain where they and everthing else came from.
   
   OK I'll admit there are quite a few Head Bangers out there that want us to believe it is the literal word of God  as told to Moses so therefore it must be true that and the Earth is only 6,000 years old.
   
   But most sane people, including church and religious leaders now acccept that the more rational scientific explanations are now proven fact this includes Evolution,   The modern studies of  Genetics and DNA back up and prove most of Darwin's original theories.
   
   
   So I would say the answer you seek is Yes .

   replyreport
3. 61

   nightwork4posted 12 years ago

   with the use of science we have been shown that evolution is real. human remains have been found that differ from our current species , animals have been found that have changed dramaticaly etc. so to deny evolution is foolish but if you believe in god then i'm sure there is an explanation that you will accept that makes the bible right and science wrong but i'm not sure if you can believe in both.

   replyreport
4. 59

   pueblomanposted 12 years ago

   You would have to be a Christian who wasn't stupid. There are lots of them. Decent reasonable people who try to live as far as possible according to the words and example of Jesus.
   
   Anyone who believes literally in Genesis is an idiot. There is plenty of meaning and a multiplicity of levels of meaning in Genesis. To study and benefit from it does not require you to put aside your God given intelligence or your God given capacity for reason and common sense.

   replyreport
5. 60

   4x4posted 12 years ago

   Okay, reading through the answers will possibly make you more confused than you already are. Which I can't blame you as everyone believes in something and that thing isn't the same for everyone, otherwise we will all be the same persons which cannot be the case.
   
   Anyway, you being a Christian is an ongoing process and you believing in anything is also an ongoing and a changing process. You might believe in one thing today and be totally convinced otherwise the next. Anybody saying that such and such is idiotic for believing this or that and claiming they are much more intelligent than another because they believe something that they have heard or have read something that was written by somebody else is also idiotic.
   
   Thus, having said all this, do not just believe anything said by any Tom, Dick and Harry but test everything on your own, ask other's opinions (especially those you trust) but also look within yourself to know and discern all these things.
   
   And to answer, yes, it can entirely be possible to be a Christian and believe in evolution. There are many different kinds of Christians anyway as there are kinds of evolutions.
   
   You may or may not take Genesis literally, and the choice is entirely up to you, it is for this type of freedom that Jesus have set you free in the first place. But if you call yourself a Christian you should at least try to read the Bible from cover to cover at least once in your lifetime.

   replyreport
6. 50

   mclovia@gmail.composted 12 years ago

   Thank you everyone for your inputs..
   i will keep goin forward with my life, and whatever the lord has for my life, he has. God  Bless to you!

   replyreport
7. 0

   Baileybearposted 12 years ago

   You would need to be a christian that doesn't take the bible literally

   replyreport
8. 62

   Beatitudesposted 12 years ago

   I think you can believe in both.  This is assuming that a heavenly day doesn't have to equal a day as we know it on earth.  As Christians, we believe that God created the entire universe. 
   
   The Bible states that the earth was created in six days and God rested on the seventh.  A day being 24 hours and a year being 365 days is purely a man-made thing.  We can't assume God goes by those same timelines.
   
   If you look at the sequence in which God created the earth and how science has sequenced it, you will discover the main difference  is the term day used in the Bible.

   replyreport
9. 59

   withoutadoubtposted 12 years ago

   Christianity is the following of Christ right?
   Now Jesus told us the Greatest Commandment which says love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul.
   So yes you can be a Christian and still believe evolution. Heck you can even believe that God's favorite animal is a giraffe if you want. Just as long as you follow the Greatest Commandment.

   replyreport