In the sense that I believe God created the universe and the first organic matter. Other than that, God is a lazy bum who sat back and watched the show.
Though I don’t ascribe to your beliefs, I admire your courage at throwing this gauntlet down here. 
Then I think “Ask the Deist” is the thread you want to start. I don’t think that view is controversial enough to generate a whole lot of questions, though.
Sidebar: How do you think God feels about you calling him a “lazy bum”?
Priceguy, any god who developed duck-billed platyouses has a sense of humor. Besides, I’m sure God has far more important things to worry about. Or maybe He took the Cosmic Nap. Who knows?
What is your opinion concerning the teaching of evolution in science classes?
More specifically, do you have any opinion about:
[ul]
[li]The latest Kansas State Department of Education hearings concerning revisions to their science standards?[/li][li]The Florida “Academic Freedom Bill of Rights” which, it has been suggested, will give students at Florida universities legal standing to sue if they do not learn about creationism in their biology classes?[/li][/ul]
I agree with Powers. No scientific theory rules God out of the picture. Also, many theists accept evolution. The creation v. evolution “debate” is about whether Evolution is true. In other words whether Evolution is sufficient to explain the diversity and structure of living things. Creationists say it isn’t. Creationists run the gamut from Biblical literalists to Intelligent design theorists but all share the belief that natural selection does not explain the development of life on earth. If you think it does, then you are not a creationist, regardless of your belief in God.
Orbifold, I have only one thing to say to the Kansas State Department of Education and the Florida “Academic Freedom Bill of Rights.”
Pfffhhht.
:smack: That should be platypuses.
Then more power to you.
Thanks for not saying ‘platypi’.
platypodes…
Hi SG-
Why do you believe in evolution? Is it because of all the evidence that supports it?
If so, why do you not apply the same standards of evidence to your belief in god?
Who ever said evolution and God were mutually exclusive?
Platypoda, I would think.
Nobody here, that I have seen. Nor did I. I just asked a couple of questions. They weren’t trick questions, there was no hidden meaning, I’m just curious. I assume you believe in evolution because of the mountains of evidence in many diverse scientific fields. But you also believe in god, despite a complete lack of evidence in any scientific field. I’m just wondering how you reconcile this in your mind.
Nobody here, that I have seen. Nor did I. I just asked a couple of questions. They weren’t trick questions, there was no hidden meaning, I’m just curious. I assume you believe in evolution because of the mountains of evidence in many diverse scientific fields. But you also believe in god, despite a complete lack of evidence in any scientific field. I’m just wondering how you reconcile this in your mind. I’m not questioning the merits of either belief, just curious as to how you came to these two (non-mutually exclusive) beliefs from totally different directions.
As you said, there’s mountains of evidence for evolution. As to your other question, I can’t imagine NOT believing in God. The thought of not believing in God literally boggles my mind.
Creationists, of whom you are not (but that’s okay!) Not being a Creationist doesn’t mean you don’t believe in Divine Creation–simply that you don’t believe in divine creation as described in Genesis.
Bolding mine, and some fluff removed for succinctity.
Tangental: It is similar to not believing in Santa Clause. So, on our part, it boggles the mind equally that you should continue to believe.
…Just commenting because I have seen cases where people were mistakenly thinking atheist = “denier” rather than “non-believer.”
I don’t consider myself a creationist, but even I believe God stuck her fingers in the evolutionary pool a bit more than that 
Though I susspect the first organic matter occured by random on some distant planet many billions of years ago, and the life forms evolving were eventually advanced enough to seed the universe with organic matter, and the chances that our planet is the organic matter originator is so low as to be ignorable. Welcome {B}Stone Girl** I think you kind of creationist beleif will fit very much within the normal variation of beleifs on SDMB. I’m sure the be-sainted Poly is at least as much a creationist as you are.