I’m 52, and went to Catholic schools from 1966-1979.
Every science course I ever took (including several taught by nuns) taught Darwinian evolution. Heck, in 5th grade, we re-enacted the Scopes trial, and by then, all of us “knew” that William Jennings Bryan was the “bad guy.”
Indeed. You know how you see Tyrannosauruses Rex chowing down on their “fellow dinosaurs,” those peaceful Brontosauruses (Apatosaurus)? Well they’d have an easier eating humans as the time difference between T. Rex and humans is smaller than that between T. Rex and Apatosaurus (and I’m not talking about Marc Bolan).
Out of curiosity, have you ever read the Bible? Do you know or care what it contains?
Arbitrary declarations that a book is “flat out nonsense”, offered by someone who hasn’t read that book, are unlikely to convince anyone of anything.
Not “a story similar”, they consider the Bible as being part of their set of Holy Books; Adam, Eve and so forth are part of their creation myth. Another name for Arabs is Ismaelites - the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Sarah’s slave.
I know, I’ve had to argue with people like that, and South Park seems to think creationism is dogma :rolleyes:. Here’s a study (pdf) on the differences between some major religions. RCC ranks with e.g. agnosticism on many of the metrics. It’s about general trends though, not that one given individual is expected to believe a certain way.
While one individual may be very vocal, creationism is rarely an issue in New Jersey or Rhode Island.
It really depends on your definition of nonsense, anyway, right? I mean, if the Adam & Eve story is meant to tell us something about human nature and our relationship to God, and not the literal fact of what we came from, maybe it’s not nonsense at all. I mean, if you look at it as a scientific piece they yes, it’s wrong, but it can still have something to say in a philosophical sense. Philosophy isn’t nonsense, it’s just not necessarily science.
It doesn’t help that they get told the same crap about “what Christians believe” as the OP. So, if they don’t actually investigate what the official teachings are, they just assume its what the mass media tells them. After all, it’s not like evolution is going to be a common homily subject.
How did Noah get the kangaroos and polar bears to come to the ark, or vice versa?
“What Christians believe” is what the actual Christians believe; not what the official teachings are. The mass media may well be closer to the “facts on the ground” on that subject.
I think this is a point that hasn’t really been addressed. What does it mean that humans were made in God’s image? This has been discussed and debated by religious people, and there isn’t a universally agreed-upon explanation or consensus. (I searched a bit to see if I could find a thread or other link where this had been satisfyingly discussed, but couldn’t find one I liked.)
What do you think it means, and why do you think it’s incompatible with evolution?
The thing-that-makes-humans-different-from-animals, the soul, if you will - that is the part of us made in the image of god, not the physical form.
Or so I understand it.
The Earth wasn’t flooded instantly, and it didn’t dry out instantly. Noah sailed around the world (it was much smaller then, having been emptied of its internal water) and picked up and later dropped off the species from outside the Middle East. Duh.
I’ve never heard a Creationist say that. If one starts saying it you can thank me.
I have. I confess, I don’t understand much if it. I was born into a Protestant family, but religion was not a priority at all. In fact, there has been some debate lately in my family (well, I’ve asked the questions, and folks aren’t sure of the real answer) about what our actual family religious history is… Possibly Jewish, changed pre-WWII to catholic when the family immigrated to the US, but that was changed somewhere along the line took before my parents came along.
Religion has always been a curiosity to me, so I’ve tried to learn what I can from asking questions and reading, but to be honest, I lost complete interest in my early 20’s when a roommate of mine was a born again Christian (I’m not sure what he called himself, but that’s what I would call it) who would argue with me about everything, and told me I was going to hell. He believed in the bible. Literally. I didn’t understand him then, and i don’t understand him now. I haven’t re-read the bible from cover to cover in over 20 years, but occasionally I’ll read something in it. I find these types of conversations more beneficial because 1) anonymous posters are more likely to be honest and tell me what they really believe, 2) when its kept civil, people don’t feel insulted or personally attacked when someone says something they don’t agree with, 3) personal relationships are unharmed because of the relative anonymity of this board.
I honestly have no religious identity. I believe what I believe. But I ask questions like the OP because I am genuinely interested in the answer. The roommate I mentioned did not believe in evolution. My best friend, who was a Baptist (I believe) ALSO doesn’t believe in evolution, and he’s one of the smartest people I know. I simply find this topic something I can’t discuss in my real life because of my admitted ignorance on the subject, and other people’s fervor on any particular topic. Most people I have spoken to IRL feel like if they haven’t convinced me, they’ve failed. No one out here has to do that. You can just say what you think or believe and I get to digest it all.
I don’t know what that phrase means. Taken literally, I suppose God looks like us, or Jesus was a fair representation. However, I personally don’t know how one is supposed to interpret that phrase. “Man being created in gods image”… Sounds like a visual reference, but could also mean the existence of a soul. Or a thousand other things.
Thank you all for the links and the feedback. I have really been enlightened by the information regarding RCC and evolution, especially.
One thing I truly don’t grasp is the idea of a soul and why an animal couldn’t have one. I know it permits the separation of humans from everything else, and that sort of thing would require divine intervention to provide, I guess, but I’ve never seen a soul, nor has anyone else. And everyone’s explanation of what it is exactly is different.
But since the RCC and other churches have “ok’ed” the idea of evolution because it doesn’t include the soul, I guess it still makes everything fit.
I guess they all lived in the same country before the Flood.
Pangeaia
Surprised no-one’s picked up on this nitpick.
Both the definition of “humans” as meaning specifically Homo sapiens and meaning the genus Homo are acceptable, the former being far more common (though not limited to) non-technical contexts.
It has been addressed. At least from tbe RCC view it applies to the soul, not the body. It matters not if we look like apes or physcally evilved from apes. The soul is a separtate matter created by God in His image
It depends on the sect. I personally was taught that it meant that God looked like a human. I was also taught that this meant that UFOs were piloted by demons, since aliens don’t look like humans and are therefore not made in God’s image.
Most species that have ever lived are extinct. But if they died without good reason, then what are we doing? What was God’s purpose in having us act out a morality play for a couple thousand years before judging us? Was God just bored?