Why can't God and evolution coexist?

1. 71

   davenmidtownposted 12 years ago

   Why can't God and evolution coexist?
   
   I am curious about the division between the concept of evolution and the religious mind... why can't God and evolution coexist?  What are the rules that define the scientific process of evolution? Can those rules be applied towards religious belief?

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2. 70

   Gaizyposted 12 years ago

   Because while there is at least SOME solid scientific, measurable nuts-and-bolts evidence that something like evolution must be going on, the same can't be said about the god theory, which is therefore superfluous - it's like saying "why cant fairies and evolution co-exist"

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3. 70

   Bretsukiposted 12 years ago

   Hello,
   
   There is not really a reason why God and evolution cannot co-exist unless one is a religious fundamentalist who claims all things were created by God in a permanent form which is unchanging.
   
   Evolution seeks only to explain how orgamisms and species change over periods of time in response to changes in the environment.
   
   Evolution has never explained what first created life itself, I believe that there is not really much explanation as to even what life itself is. But that's another question entirely.
   
   There is also the mixed theory of intelligent creation, that is that a God or supreme being created original life and then just let things go along there merry way. This view is disputed by both sides of the argument because it takes away the idea as man created in the image of God, for fundamentalists and scientists who cannot prove the existance of God don't like to admit they don't know how things began.
   
   So if one looks at the first books of Genesis, I have always found it interesting that if one takes the order of creation one gets pretty much the same order as is explained by evolution, life appearing in the seas, then life on land, birds finally man. That Genesis says it happened in six days is not realistic but there again the period of time is not defined as our 24 hour day, we just assume that it is.

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4. 95

   Faceless39posted 12 years ago

   Most of the issue is that some people take everything in the Bible as the word of God (rather than the word of power-hungry popes.)  I understand that they think the world is only a few thousand years old, so that's the problem.  Just a lot of people unwilling to allow science into their lives.  What's funny is to ask them what they think is happening when bacteria get stronger and stronger, and our antibiotics no longer work.  Usually there's silence.

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5. 71

   lburmasterposted 12 years ago

   Because if you follow the Bible it states that God created the animals and the plants and the world, basically everything, in 7 days. Evolution says it took billions of years.

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6. 59

   PhiMaths ATBposted 12 years ago

   There is no prima facie reason that they can't although, if you take many religious texts/ traditions at face value, and believe one of them then you will not be able to believe in evolution while maintaining rationality. On the other hand if take such a religious tradition at face value there tend to be many other contradictions to deal with.

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7. 0

   Larry Wallposted 12 years ago

   Evolution and God do and can co-exist. If you take everything in the Old Testament as being literal, then you are going to have a problem. We know through science, that man developed from a lower form, the earth has changed in many ways.
   
   Yet the Old Testament is more of a historical story. It has been translated and re-translated countless times. Did 7 days really mean 7 days as we measure days. There is no mention of the western hemisphere in the Bible.
   
   If you check the book of Genesis, there are two stories about creation. One is the Adam and Eve story that everyone knows. The second is a few pages over and says that God created Man--not a man or then man, just man as in Mankind. God then created woman--not a woman or the woman, but woman, as in Womankind. If you accept that then you can assume that more than one man and one woman was created and that would account for all the ethnic differences.
   
   I am not a theologian. I have seen miracles. I almost died from a perforated colon, but my doctor told me that he could not take the credit for my survival. His remark was that someone was not through with me yet. My son survived a near fatal automobile accident, but lived. There are miracles everywhere, but they are usually small. When I had my colon surgery, the doctor said I would need a colostomy. I did not think I could handle that. He looked at me and said it would "temporary." I felt better immediately--temporary was something I could handle--it was only eight weeks before I was back in the hospital being reconnected.
   
   Everyone points to Darwin's theory of evolution that said man descended from the great apes. But the question is raised why do great apes still exist.
   
   My theory is that at one time, there were two creates, both resembling the great apes, but there were slight, ever so slight differences, that science has not yet identified them. In those differences, one species was given the gift of a soul and the other was not. The species with the soul evolved into the species we are today.
   
   Finally, maybe God did create the earth in seven days -- it was called paradise. Man was created with free will and did not heed the warnings and was banished from paradise. We do not have a timeline to follow after that.
   
   In conclusion, I chose to accept the creation of the world by God as a matter of faith. I cannot prove it and no one can disprove it. I believe in evolution and further believe that evolution was and is part of God's plan.

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8. 79

   TFScientistposted 12 years ago

   I have written a hub on this very topic. There is no reason why religion and evolution cannot coexist. They are two sides of the same coin. They answer different questions. The scientific method should not be applied towards religious belief, as it is just that - a belief system.

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9. 0

   AfterAzriaposted 12 years ago

   I actually had this discussion with someone not too long ago.
   
   My personal opinion is that they do. I was raised Baptist, and therefore learned the Bible at a very early age. But you can't question scientific facts either. Did you know that every event, minus the parting of the Red Sea, in the Bible has BEEN scientifically proven? I thought that was interesting.
   
   The way I see it, yes, God created man and woman. But who's to say that they WEREN'T like the cavepeople we see today? There's definite facts supporting evolution in humans, animals, plants and technology. So while God did what He was said to do, I believe science played a large role in getting humans where we are today.

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10. 60

    cascolyposted 12 years ago

    god, if there is any, has no problem with evolution, since evolution is just an explanation for how the present world came about
    
    the problem comes from SOME people who think they have a book that is literally true [even though it's filled with errors, contradictions and metaphors], and they refuse to see the reality in front of them
    
    interestingly, even popes have finally declared that there is no contradiction between religion and evolution

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11. 60

    w1z111posted 12 years ago

    
    
    In a nutshell, I like to say: "Of course I believe in evolution...after all, God designed it, didn't He?"  In other words, I believe that God, or the Universe, or whatever else we wish to call the "forces" which are behind all things as we know them, is all knowing, all powerful, and all loving; and He has designed things to "evolve".   
    
    God has had many names throughout history, and I don't think He cares much about what we call Him (I'm even having difficulty putting gender into it, but for the sake of readability, I do). 
    
    I believe God did create things with His Word, because He is so superior in all things; what He speaks carries power we cannot even begin to grasp.  His plan for His Creation is also too far beyond our understanding, and for us to think we can decipher through mathematical and other equations is perhaps akin to a mosquito in Africa trying to figure out who the man in the moon is.  Sorry...but I do think we can be a bit arrogant about how much we (think we) know. 
    
    So, yes, I think God and evolution are very much together..."after all, God designed things that way!"  I'm just sayin'...

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12. 60

    twosheds1posted 12 years ago

    Physicist Steven Weinberg said "Science doesn't make it impossible to believe in God, but it makes it possible to not believe in God." Every single day, science moves forward in explaining how the natural world works. Lawrence Krauss' new book "A Universe From Nothing" explains how, with quantum theory, the universe could have come about from nothing. It's too complicated to explain here (that's why he wrote a book about it), but it illustrates how God as an explanation for human or universal origins is becoming increasingly superfluous.
    
    In the face of this, religion continues to backpedal, gradually allowing for certain scientific theories, and adjusting their theology to accomodate the overwhelming evidence of evolution, the Big Bang, etc. Whether you choose to accept the evidence is entirely up to you.

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13. 61

    Evylyn Roseposted 12 years ago

    There are two major misunderstandings in the evolution-creationism debate: The different aspects of the theory of evolution and which ones we have definitive evidence for and that religions are somehow incapable of incorporating the science of evolution into their theology. read more

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14. 81

    Edward J. Palumboposted 10 years ago

    I have no difficulty accepting adaption overtime. The issue between creationists and proponents of evolution is a matter of semantics. Creatures adapt or they die because their environment changes. The issue, in my opinion, is not whether they adapt or evolve to better suit their environment. Clearly, they do. The issue is whether our very existence was initiated by God, and I believe it was. Whether we have evolved over time is hardly a matter toi be contested; we have, and we will. Whether the germinal elements of Life were created and developed according to God's plan seem to be a matter of some argument. I don't have a problem with that.

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