Theistic Evolution, Catholicism or ND?

FaithT · Nov 14, 2022

As you all know, I’m a theistic evolutionist. I was raised Catholic and long story short left Catholicism for Lutheran LCMS. I disagree with the LCMSs teachings on the age of the earth and Biblical Creation. So now where should I go? Return to Catholicism or go to a ND church that allows belief in theistic evolution and an old earth?

SavedByGrace3 · Nov 14, 2022

It will be a rare church that agrees with both my beliefs on TE and my beliefs on faith, healing, and others. Gotta choose something, so I go with a church that holds fast to the faith.

FaithT · Nov 14, 2022

SavedByGrace3 said:
It will be a rare church that agrees with both my beliefs on TE and my beliefs on faith, healing, and others. Gotta choose something, so I go with a church that holds fast to the faith.

Which is?

JimR-OCDS · Nov 14, 2022

FaithT said:
As you all know, I’m a theistic evolutionist. I was raised Catholic and long story short left Catholicism for Lutheran LCMS. I disagree with the LCMSs teachings on the age of the earth and Biblical Creation. So now where should I go? Return to Catholicism or go to a ND church that allows belief in theistic evolution and an old earth?

Go where God leads you.

Be centered in Christ, then the religion He wants you to follow will be open
to you.

FaithT · Nov 14, 2022

JimR-OCDS said:
Go where God leads you.

Be centered in Christ, then the religion He wants you to follow will be open
to you.

Well, honestly, I really like the ND church but it’s too far for me to drive every week with my anxiety. Plus I do miss receiving the sacraments. Also, I pass two Catholic Churches on the way there.

If I lived closer to the ND church I’d check it out more often and then switch back to Catholicism if I wasn’t being spiritually fed at the ND church.

SavedByGrace3 · Nov 14, 2022

FaithT said:
Which is?

Assembly of God. Or some other Pentecostal Church.

lismore · Nov 14, 2022

FaithT said:
I disagree with the LCMSs teachings on the age of the earth and Biblical Creation.

Hello! What are the LCMS teachings on the age of the earth and Biblical Creation? Just curious. Thank you.

FaithT · Nov 14, 2022

lismore said:
Hello! What are the LCMS teachings on the age of the earth and Biblical Creation? Just curious. Thank you.

Young earth, approx. 6000 years old.
Creationism as described in the Bible. No theistic evolution.

Terri Dactyl · Nov 14, 2022

Theistic evolution has death before sin, and Adam's parents would unsaved because they were not "man". Why not take God at His word?

chevyontheriver · Nov 14, 2022

FaithT said:
Well, honestly, I really like the ND church but it’s too far for me to drive every week with my anxiety. Plus I do miss receiving the sacraments. Also, I pass two Catholic Churches on the way there.

If I lived closer to the ND church I’d check it out more often and then switch back to Catholicism if I wasn’t being spiritually fed at the ND church.

I think you are actually Catholic on the inside. So if I were you I would look for a Catholic parish of quality and go with that. It IS partially about 'being fed' but it is also about the sacraments, a different kind of being fed. Look for a parish that has adoration, that has confessions more often than just once a week, some good music too. You know what you need. You don't have to settle for a barely adequate Catholic parish if the one down the way is better.

Oh, and don't be too hard core TE. I am in the TE camp but I am willing to tolerate those who are creationists. I will not argue with them even if they would be happy to argue with me.

lismore · Nov 14, 2022

FaithT said:
Young earth, approx. 6000 years old.
Creationism as described in the Bible. No theistic evolution.

The church scene must be different in the United States than it is here, what you have shared would be very unusual beliefs for a denomination here, apart from perhaps Baptist. God Bless

FaithT · Nov 14, 2022

lismore said:
The church scene must be different in the United States than it is here, what you have shared would be very unusual beliefs for a denomination here, apart from perhaps Baptist. God Bless

Bless you, too!

FaithT · Nov 14, 2022

chevyontheriver said:
I think you are actually Catholic on the inside. So if I were you I would look for a Catholic parish of quality and go with that. It IS partially about 'being fed' but it is also about the sacraments, a different kind of being fed. Look for a parish that has adoration, that has confessions more often than just once a week, some good music too. You know what you need. You don't have to settle for a barely adequate Catholic parish if the one down the way is better.

Oh, and don't be too hard core TE. I am in the TE camp but I am willing to tolerate those who are creationists. I will not argue with them even if they would be happy to argue with me.

I tolerate creationists,too. I went to the LCMS church for 4 or5 years with them. I just could never get on board with the idea, even after many conversations with my pastor.

FaithT · Nov 14, 2022

chevyontheriver said:
I think you are actually Catholic on the inside. So if I were you I would look for a Catholic parish of quality and go with that. It IS partially about 'being fed' but it is also about the sacraments, a different kind of being fed. Look for a parish that has adoration, that has confessions more often than just once a week, some good music too. You know what you need. You don't have to settle for a barely adequate Catholic parish if the one down the way is better.

Oh, and don't be too hard core TE. I am in the TE camp but I am willing to tolerate those who are creationists. I will not argue with them even if they would be happy to argue with me.

The CC within my boundaries is one I don’t like. We have another CC about 5 or 6 minutes from here, which I like, except the music isn’t modern and lively like the ND church; the homilies don’t speak to me like the ND church.

chevyontheriver · Nov 14, 2022

FaithT said:
The CC within my boundaries is one I don’t like. We have another CC about 5 or 6 minutes from here, which I like, except the music isn’t modern and lively like the ND church; the homilies don’t speak to me like the ND church.

You are not at all bound to a geographic parish. And as to music, things change. We have a new choir director and we don’t know yet how things may change. Maybe better. Maybe not.

FaithT · Nov 14, 2022

chevyontheriver said:
You are not at all bound to a geographic parish. And as to music, things change. We have a new choir director and we don’t know yet how things may change. Maybe better. Maybe not.

The music will never change to a pop/rock sound. I’ve heard that my home parish has contemporary music at noon but it’s not like a ND praise band and I like to go earlier.

FaithT · Nov 14, 2022

chevyontheriver said:
You are not at all bound to a geographic parish. And as to music, things change. We have a new choir director and we don’t know yet how things may change. Maybe better. Maybe not.

Even though I very much prefer a loud rock/pop praise band my home parish used to have a really good teens choir, with one girl who sang so beautifully it brought tears to my eyes.

DialecticSkeptic · Nov 14, 2022

FaithT said:
As you all know, I’m a theistic evolutionist. I was raised Catholic and, long story short, left Catholicism for [the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod]. I disagree with LCMS teachings on the age of the earth and biblical creation. So, now where should I go? Return to Catholicism? Or go to a [non-denominational] church that allows belief in theistic evolution and an old earth?

I don't understand why you would need to leave this Lutheran community at all.

I mean, I'm an evolutionary creationist in a Reformed church, which is arguably even more conservative than the LCMS. All of the elders, including the pastor, and most of the 250 members to whom I have spoken are young-earth creationists who vehemently oppose the theory of evolution. I'm definitely in an exquisitely tiny minority. (In fact, I have yet to meet anyone who seems to accept evolution, so I might be the only one.) But I do not feel any pressing need to leave.

So, I'm confused as to why you feel such a need. Have you explained it somewhere?

P.S. Like you, I also suffer from an anxiety disorder—but also chronic depression and PTSD. My empathy for you comes quite naturally.

FaithT · Nov 14, 2022

DialecticSkeptic said:
I don't understand why you would need to leave this Lutheran community at all.

I mean, I'm an evolutionary creationist in a Reformed church, which is arguably even more conservative than the LCMS. All of the elders, including the pastor, and most of the 250 members to whom I have spoken are young-earth creationists who vehemently oppose the theory of evolution. I'm definitely in an exquisitely tiny minority. (In fact, I have yet to meet anyone who seems to accept evolution, so I might be the only one.) But I do not feel any pressing need to leave.

So, I'm confused as to why you feel such a need. Have you explained it somewhere?

P.S. Like you, I also suffer from an anxiety disorder—but also chronic depression and PTSD. My empathy for you comes quite naturally.

Thanks for empathizing with me. I don’t know why I need to leave but I just feel uncomfortable. I too might be the only one who believes in theistic evolution and an old earth. I haven’t met anyone there who does.

DialecticSkeptic · Nov 14, 2022

FaithT said:
I don’t know why I need to leave but I just feel uncomfortable.

Have you explored why you feel uncomfortable? (And it's fine if you have not.)

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