Christians: Why are scientists more likely to be non-believers?

Yeah, I don’t buy it. What people like Benny Hinn do is forcefully reinterpret the words of the bible to fit a modern context. It’s post-hoc justification of the worst type - going from the assumption “the bible is true”, and trying to find any way to twist the words to make it true. And still failing miserably, because it’s impossible to redefine enough words to make plants existing before sunlight justified.

Yeah, they know they have nothing (because it’s essentially impossible to find evidence for it), so what they have to do is basically either create an entirely new standard of evidence (their flimsy attempts at justifying the bible as a basis for a viewpoint) or attempt to discredit everything else and claim (dishonest) victory by default. And they try to do this by claiming that you can’t see the past through the present. Which is so hilariously wrongheaded that I don’t even know where to start. AIG is one hell of a shit site.

The woman being told that she’s in pain because she’s inherently evil and deserving of punishment just by being born female may not find it quite as “satisfying”. As I said, one of the more common features of religious “explanations” is cruelty and bigotry.

Because religion including Christianity is simply wrong. Scientists find things that contradict the Bible because the Bible is full of lies and errors.

Because they are much less likely to be insulted, ostracized, fired or outright attacked for doing so.

Because it’s official doctrine of course. Communism like Christianity or Islam is a “jealous” belief system that doesn’t tolerate rivals.

But, again, you can be Christian and not take the bible so narrowly literally. The fact is, historically, most Christians haven’t believed in a 6 day creation. Even Augustine of Hippo, one of the most preeminent of the early Christian thinkers, condemned it.

Captain Amazing:

I thought Christians believe that the Bible is the word of God…

So what do those liberal Christians think about this?

Do they think it actually says:
“According to the Creation poem, God made everything in six metaphorical days”

Yes, pretty much.
What does the voice of the turtle sound like? (Song of Solomon 2:12)

And what is a “day” a metaphor for in that passage?

Czarcasm, everything in the Bible is a metaphor for whatever science tells us is true at the time.

Sometimes I think that a Biblical passage suddenly becomes a “metaphor” once science shows that it cannot be true.

There’s a difference between “The Word of God” and “The Literal Word of God.” Do you have a problem understanding this?

Are you asking me, or our “True Christian?”

For me, Genesis is a series of creation myths, which were written to define Mankind’s place in the world and in relation to God. There are also some Just-So stories (Why does the snake have no legs? Why are there so many differnrt languages?) in it.

A “day” does not need to be any specific period of time or stage of history for it to be an effective poem.

Interpreting it much more rationally as being a metaphor for creation in a single day, rather than six. He also believed in the literal existence of Adam and Eve.

Is it like the difference between “truth” and “truthiness”?

@Those who interpret genesis metaphorically: if you ignore the scientific advances in the last hundred years or so, what indication is there that genesis is not meant to be taken literally?

Then what does Exodus 20:11a mean?

“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day…”

That was God trying to tell us? That it was actually created in six “metaphorical” days? In Genesis it talks about evenings and mornings for the days. What exactly do those days mean? Surely the “Word of God” can be understood by us - so that we’d know what He means…

Just a nitpick, but this idea of a former world is not original with Benny Hinn, and is based upon a translation variation. I’m not a Hebrew scholar by any means, and it’s possible that the translation was influenced by wishful thinking, a subject for Hebrew scholars to debate, but Dr. Harry Rimmer claims that the phrase in question is tohu v’bohu, which literally means “desolation succeeding previous life.” And this is before the Genesis creation.

What makes you think that the “days” weren’t intended to involve periods of time apart from conflicting evidence from science? e.g. in Exodus it is saying to work for six days and rest for one based on the six days of creation. Genesis also talks about evenings and mornings. That sounds like literal days to me. So what Biblical evidence is there that these definitely aren’t meant to involve periods of time and instead is just an “effective poem”?

Musicat:
Yes I said “I think that’s what others believed who had a similar belief” i.e. others before him believed the same thing. It is called the gap theory or Lucifer’s flood…

For the same reaon I do not believe that L. Frank Baum actually intended us to think that the Land of Oz was actually surrounded by deadly deserts but could be reached using a hot-air balloon. A parable does not need a real-world anchor to be effective as a teaching tool.

But, as you had started asking about Scientists and then segued into the Biblical Literalism which is your only cognitive tool, it appears to me that you are seeking confirmation of the teachings of your sect. You are finding conflicts between what you have been told by members of your church and what you observe in the rest of the world.

You seem to come here for reassurance. You will not find it. This is a good start - just open your mind to the possibility that those interpreting God’s Word for you who are mistaken. Your preacher and your sisters may be as wrong as anyone else; you are feeling the discomfort that many children learn when they find that those they trusted are fallible.

Anyway, what does the voice of the turtle sound like?

Are you seriously saying that, until now, you’ve only heard of the literalist/fundamentalist strand of Christianity? because frankly, that seems unbelievable.

You mentioned that is from Song of Solomon 2:12… as far as I know all Christians believe that is a book of poetry - while some books are about prophecy which also involves metaphors.

What makes you think that Genesis is a book of poetry?

What on earth is that about? Is that poetry or metaphors?

“their days will be a hundred and twenty years”

Well that is about the maximum age that humans live… maybe it is talking about the maximum age of humans rather than being some kind of poetry!

What do all of the numbers mean? Do they have some mystical numerological meaning? Do those numbers paint some kind of beautiful poetic picture?

I really want to know.