Chrstianity and Science - how?

[jordanconnect]

I would love to get simply yes/no answers on these 4 questions to get some insight in how Christians view science.

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?
Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?
Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?
Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?

 

[dogs4thewin]

Many Christians hold to the 6000 year creation. Christians usually do not believe in the big bang.

 

[South Bound]

I would love to get simply yes/no answers on these 4 questions to get some insight in how Christians view science.

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?
Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?
Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?
Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?

None of those questions will give you any insight into how Christians view science, as one can disagree with your conclusion and be either pro or anti-science.

If you want to try to present yourself as a science lover, then you first need to realize that people can disagree on scientific issues.

 

[jordanconnect]

Hello everyone on this forum.

Please refrain from interpreting this in the way that 'South Bound' (comment above this one) has. These are not 'my conclusions' nor am I asking anyone to be (nor am I myself) 'pro science' or 'anti science'.

Furthermore, I have never heard of CARM nor am I mentally ill. I have never used the word 'extremist' in my life nor have I ever heard anyone use the phrase 'science denier'. Finally, I am not trying to present myself as a science lover. I can only presume 'South Bound' feels about himself in all these ways which is why he has mentioned them in his post, as I never mentioned any of these claims myself nor have they ever entered my mind.

Members of this forum, please refrain from making any of the presumptions or assumptions the user 'South Bound' has made above, nor take these questions as a threat on your faith, and merely see it for what it is.

I am an agnostic person with no religious views (not for nor against) and am trying to be open minded and gain insight into Christian beliefs to hopefully gain an understanding and acceptance of Christianity, and maybe even start to believe myself. I thought I would begin by seeing how Christianity views the most basic principles of science and work my way forward from there.

Hopefully other users can help rectify the representation that 'South Bound' has now given me that some Christians are very defensive, offensive, and generally rude in their judgements and assumptions of others.

Thank you again kind members of this forum.

 

[jordanconnect]

Oops, double post

 

[South Bound]

Hello everyone on this forum.

Please refrain from interpreting this in the way that 'South Bound' (comment above this one) has. These are not 'my conclusions' nor am I asking anyone to be (nor am I myself) 'pro science' or 'anti science'.

Furthermore, I have never heard of CARM nor am I mentally ill. I have never used the word 'extremist' in my life nor have I ever heard anyone use the phrase 'science denier'. Finally, I am not trying to present myself as a science lover. I can only presume 'South Bound' feels about himself in all these ways which is why he has mentioned them in his post, as I never mentioned any of these claims myself nor have they ever entered my mind.

Members of this forum, please refrain from making any of the presumptions or assumptions the user 'South Bound' has made above, nor take these questions as a threat on your faith, and merely see it for what it is.

I am an agnostic person with no religious views (not for nor against) and am trying to be open minded and gain insight into Christian beliefs to hopefully gain an understanding and acceptance of Christianity, and maybe even start to believe myself. I thought I would begin by seeing how Christianity views the most basic principles of science and work my way forward from there.

hopefully other users can help rectify the representation that 'South Bound' has now given me that some Christians are very defensive, offensive, and generally rude in their judgements and assumptions of others.

Thank you again kind members of this forum.

So nothing about the substance of my post, just ad homs, huh?

 

[LaSorcia]

I can answer for myself only. I can't speak for all Christians. There is no doctrine that tells all Christians what to believe about these things. And that's a good thing. God gave our ability to reason so that we could actually use it.

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?
I don't know how long it has existed. People who have studied science more than I have probably have a better inkling, but I doubt they are spot on with their answer.

Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?
There was certainly some 'cosmic' event that began the process of the material universe. I don't really care how that happened. Not because it's unimportant, but because my areas of interest lie elsewhere. I know that however it started, God was behind it. Although, I have lately wondered if the events described in Genesis were speaking about our solar system rather than the universe.

Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?
Again, I don't know. If someone could demonstrate to me the processes involved, and present a logical explanation, I'm prepared to believe it. To me, it doesn't matter how long it's been around. I'm here now lol.

Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?
That one's more tricky, and I don't have time to answer right now, as I have to go play a video game with my kid!

Hope I helped!

 

[John Hyperspace]

I would love to get simply yes/no answers on these 4 questions to get some insight in how Christians view science.

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?
Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?
Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?
Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?

I view theoretical science as ultimately irrelevant and meaningless. But I do understand the academic endeavor and have a good knowledge of the field. I would answer each of those questions with an "I'm not sure; there are many competing theories with good pros and cons for their evaluation. Nothing is certain, and approximations are dependant on theory." But if you ask "What about your Christian faith?" I'd say, "My Christian faith answers all of those questions with an "I couldn't care less about tentative approximations of distant theoretical happenings.""

 

[mark kennedy]

I would love to get simply yes/no answers on these 4 questions to get some insight in how Christians view science.

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?

Sure

Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?

Sure, God spoke and BANG there it was.

Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?

Yes the earth, Sun, moon and stars were created 'in the begininng', that could have been six thousand, that could have been umpteen billion years ago.

Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?

No DNA testing revealed that if Neanderthals were alive today we could still interbreed. Adam was the first parent of all humanity, including Neanderthals, created about six thousand year's ago.

 

[SnowyMacie]

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?
Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?
Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?
Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?

Most Christians throughout the world believe all of these things, there are some, pretty much all located in the United States, that do not.

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

Different Christians believe different things. I would venture to say that if the Bible and a scientific fact ever appear to contradict each other, it's that we're understanding the Bible wrong. Not that the Bible itself is wrong, but things can be misinterpreted.

My own belief is that some parts of the Bible are literal, while all of it is true, and that "true" and "literal" don't have to mean the same thing. For example, when Jesus called the Pharisees "snakes" and King Herod a "fox," He was obviously using figurative language. The Pharisees were not really legless reptiles, and King Herod was not actually any of several species of the canid family. So, sometimes the Bible can use figurative or symbolic language and still be true.

The Creation stories, then, I would say can be open to a number of explanations. It's possible God did everything in six literal 24-hour days, and somehow made it appear otherwise. He's powerful enough to do that, and we don't always understand His ways. It's also possible, based on other passages in the Bible, that "day" doesn't necessarily mean a period of 24 hours. We don't always mean it that way ourselves, such as when we say, "Back in my day, things were like this or that." We don't mean 24 hours. We mean an indefinite period of time, but we say "day."

And that's just my opinion.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I would love to get simply yes/no answers on these 4 questions to get some insight in how Christians view science.

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?
Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?
Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?
Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?

In general, 'yes' to all four questions (although the time at which Neanderthals lived is under discussion).

[ So, yes, it is possible to respect science and still have faith in God too. ]

 

[chevyontheriver]

I would love to get simply yes/no answers on these 4 questions to get some insight in how Christians view science.

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?
Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?
Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?
Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?

1.) I do. And millions like me do. More or less that long anyhow, subject to further scientific refinement.

2.) I do. And millions like me do. The person who discovered the Big Bang was a faithful Catholic priest and physicist, George Lemaitrie.

3.) I do. And millions more like me do. More or less that long anyhow, subject to further scientific refinement.

4.) Not necessarily. It's apparent that Neanderthals were around 225,000 years ago to maybe 40,000 years ago. Before that is speculative with many theories. It is necessary for Christians to accept that the human family began at one point, of one stock, and consequently we are all brothers and sisters. That at some point our ancestors sinned and we all carry the effects of that same sin of our ancestors.

Some Christians think they should reject science in favor of a particular reading of the Bible where the universe and the earth and humankind are only a few thousand years old. Fine. Other Christians think that science does have something true to say about creation. The Catholic tradition has been more or less open to what science says. We don't treat science all that badly even considering Galileo. He prompted a whole raft of Jesuit astronomers who have been very active in the scientific discipline of cosmology. And the Vatican even has it's own observatory in Italy and runs a telescope on Mt. Graham in Arizona.

 

[BelleC]

I would love to get simply yes/no answers on these 4 questions to get some insight in how Christians view science.

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?
Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?
Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?
Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?

Christians are not a single, monolithic group so there are Christians that would answer yes and no to all of those. Either way God was in control the whole time.

Scientists like Sir Isaac Newton discovered what they did in part because they believed there was an underlying order and beauty to be found. Trying to figure out the how's and when's doesn't undo the beauty, wonder, or why. That would be like saying understanding how a combustion engine works makes a Maserati less of an amazing feat of engineering.

 

[Radagast]

I would love to get simply yes/no answers on these 4 questions to get some insight in how Christians view science.

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?
Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?
Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?
Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?

Many Christians will say "yes" to the first three. Fewer will say "yes" to the fourth.

But, as people have said, that's a very narrow set of questions for asking about Christianity and Science in general.

 

[jordanconnect]

Ok so based on everyone's replies, can it be said that Christian's believe the following about science related suggestions?

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?
Yes, god created it approx. 13 billion years ago

Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?
Yes, god triggered the big bang approx. 13 billion years ago

Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?
Yes, god created earth approx. 4.5 billion years ago

Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?
No. Adam, the first man, was created approx. 6,000 years ago. All information regarding any humans (man or woman) prior to approx. 6,000 years ago is false.

?

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

But you're still assuming all Christians believe the same thing.

 

[mark kennedy]

Ok so based on everyone's replies, can it be said that Christian's believe the following about science related suggestions?

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?
Yes, god created it approx. 13 billion years ago

Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?
Yes, god triggered the big bang approx. 13 billion years ago

Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?
Yes, god created earth approx. 4.5 billion years ago

Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?
No. Adam, the first man, was created approx. 6,000 years ago. All information regarding any humans (man or woman) prior to approx. 6,000 years ago is false.

?

I'd say that's a pretty fair assessment but as has been pointed out repeatedly, positions vary. Traditionally the church has upheld the doctrine of creation especially at the point of the origin of the universe. Creation week is a little harder to reconcile to a naturalistic worldview which is not necessarily opposed to science. If you look at what the early church fathers, the core issue being discussed was usually original sin.

Sometimes a prophet like Moses relates a revelation like Genesis 1 and just kind of puts it out there. I don't know about other places but in the United States. Gallop has been doing a running poll on the subject since the early 80s, the view that man was created about 6000 years ago pretty much like we are now has held steady at just over 40% of those polled:

The percentage of the U.S. population choosing the creationist perspective as closest to their own view has fluctuated in a narrow range between 40% and 47% since the question's inception. There is little indication of a sustained downward trend in the proportion of the U.S. population who hold a creationist view of human origins. At the same time, the percentage of Americans who adhere to a strict secularist viewpoint -- that humans evolved over time, with God having no part in this process -- has doubled since 1999. (In U.S., 42% Believe Creationist View of Human Origins, Gallop Polls)
​

In Europe it's said that Creationism is on the rise but statistically there are fewer as a percentage of the overall population:

Russia: A 2005 poll reportedly found 26% of Russians accepting evolution and 49% accepting creationism.

Switzerland: A 2006 international survey found that 30% of the Swiss reject evolution, one of the highest national percentages in Europe.

United Kingdom: A 2006 survey for the BBC showed that "more than a fifth of those polled were convinced by the creationist argument. (Creationism by Country, Wikipedia)
​

Grace and peace,
Mark

 

[ViaCrucis]

I would love to get simply yes/no answers on these 4 questions to get some insight in how Christians view science.

The problem with yes/no answer to the below questions is that Christians have no single monolithic position.

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?

There are Christians who do, and there are Christians who don't.

Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?

There are Christians who do, and there are Christians who don't.

Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?

There are Christians who do, and there are Christians who don't.

Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?

There are Christians who do, and there are Christians who don't.

As I said, it's not a flat yes or no. Some Christians insist on a particular literal interpretation of the opening chapters of Genesis on a dogmatic view of Ussher's chronology (a chronology developed by a 17th century Anglican bishop), others hold to a non-literal view of the opening chapters of Genesis. Those who hold to a non-literal view of the opening chapters of Genesis are also going to be more likely to embrace the scientific consensus in regard to things such as the age of the universe.

Me? I'm a Christian who accepts the scientific consensus: the universe is about 14 billion years old, the earth about 4.5 billion years old, evolution is the best explanation for earth's biodiversity, etc.

This simply isn't an issue with which there is any dogmatic answer within the global Christian community.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[ViaCrucis]

Ok so based on everyone's replies, can it be said that Christian's believe the following about science related suggestions?

Do Christians believe the universe has existed for 13 billion years?
Yes, god created it approx. 13 billion years ago

Do Christians believe the Big Bang happened, and was the beginning of everything within the universe?
Yes, god triggered the big bang approx. 13 billion years ago

Do Christians believe that earth has existed for 4.5 billion years?
Yes, god created earth approx. 4.5 billion years ago

Do Christians believe neanderthals were living on earth 500,000 years ago?
No. Adam, the first man, was created approx. 6,000 years ago. All information regarding any humans (man or woman) prior to approx. 6,000 years ago is false.

?

Again, there is no universal opinion on these matters.

For example I don't believe that "Adam, the first man, was created approximately 6,000 years ago", I don't understand the biblical Adam to be a literal, historical individual; and as such I accept that anatomically modern human beings arose somewhere in Eastern Africa around 200,000 years ago, which is generally the accepted consensus in the scientific community.

Other Christians will say that there needs to be an historical Adam.

Other Christians will also say that that the story of creation and Adam and Eve must be, entirely, taken word for word literally.

All of these views are considered acceptable across most Christian denominations and traditions, broadly speaking.

-CryptoLutheran