Do -most- Christians accept evolution?

[Roark]

I know in the United States there is a movement, fundamentalism, which denies evolution in favor of a more dogmatic creationism. Catholics, on the other hand, (I believe) accept "theistic evolution." In fact, it seems most Christians outside the US accept evolution-- I don't believe European biology classrooms have to battle creationists.

So am I correct? Do most Christians world-wide accept theistic evolution? Can anyone point me to any statistics?

 

[ThePreacherman]

I know in the United States there is a movement, fundamentalism, which denies evolution in favor of a more dogmatic creationism. Catholics, on the other hand, (I believe) accept "theistic evolution." In fact, it seems most Christians outside the US accept evolution-- I don't believe European biology classrooms have to battle creationists.

So am I correct? Do most Christians world-wide accept theistic evolution? Can anyone point me to any statistics?

Eric J. Lerner in "Bucking the Big Bang" (New Scientist, May 22, 2004 p.20)
"...the big bang theory can boast of no quantitative predictions that have subsequently
been validated by observation...in cosmology today doubt and dissent are not tolerated,
and young scientists learn to remain silent if they have something negative to say about
the standard big bang model...Funding comes from only a few sources, and all the
peer-review committes that control them are dominated by supporters of the big bang."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Chaikowsky in "Geology vs Physics" Geotimes (vol. 50, April 2005), p. 6
"Evolutionists have physics envy. They tell the public that the science behind evolution is
the same science that sent people to the moon and cures deseases. It's not. THe science
behind evolution is not empirical, but forensic....it's scientific investigations are after
the fact - no testing, no observations, no falsification, nothing at all like physics...
I think this is what the public discerns - that evolution is just a bunch of just-so stories
disgused as science."

 

[Digit]

I know in the United States there is a movement, fundamentalism, which denies evolution in favor of a more dogmatic creationism. Catholics, on the other hand, (I believe) accept "theistic evolution." In fact, it seems most Christians outside the US accept evolution-- I don't believe European biology classrooms have to battle creationists.

So am I correct? Do most Christians world-wide accept theistic evolution? Can anyone point me to any statistics?

At the moment I am unsure. I think that's a valid answer, at least, it is certainly not something that I would rest my faith on. Faith based on a theory of origins is bound to be shaken at some stage I feel. I know enough to doubt the all-encompassing all-explaining nature of atheistic evolution, but also enough to see problems with the account of Genesis as written if read literally.

Cheers!
Digit

 

[wnwall]

I know in the United States there is a movement, fundamentalism, which denies evolution in favor of a more dogmatic creationism. Catholics, on the other hand, (I believe) accept "theistic evolution." In fact, it seems most Christians outside the US accept evolution-- I don't believe European biology classrooms have to battle creationists.

So am I correct? Do most Christians world-wide accept theistic evolution? Can anyone point me to any statistics?

Interestingly, the debate over how to interpret Genesis is not a new debate, and is not a result of the theory of evolution. And I think Christians can get too defensive on 6 day creation when they don't understand the history of the debate. Evolution has simply raised the stakes of the debate.

This debate goes back at least to the 4th century, probably much further. Saint Augustine, an ancient church father, argued that the "days" in Genesis should be understood as conveying a logical order to creation, not a chronological order. He conjectured that the entire creation process took place in an instant, and the "days" are meant to be understood as a logical, human understandable progression of the created order.

Nathan

 

[tapero]

I know in the United States there is a movement, fundamentalism, which denies evolution in favor of a more dogmatic creationism. Catholics, on the other hand, (I believe) accept "theistic evolution." In fact, it seems most Christians outside the US accept evolution-- I don't believe European biology classrooms have to battle creationists.

So am I correct? Do most Christians world-wide accept theistic evolution? Can anyone point me to any statistics?

Hi, if you are speaking in terms of man and woman evolving from something else to what we are. No.

God created adam and eve and we are all descendants of them.

For statistics, that may be difficult to find doing google search, as I know I wanted to know a statistic once on something and searched for hours. I hope you can find a place as to statistics.

blessings,
tapero

 

[ebia]

I know in the United States there is a movement, fundamentalism, which denies evolution in favor of a more dogmatic creationism. Catholics, on the other hand, (I believe) accept "theistic evolution." In fact, it seems most Christians outside the US accept evolution-- I don't believe European biology classrooms have to battle creationists.

So am I correct? Do most Christians world-wide accept theistic evolution?

Yes. Outside of the US 6-day creationism really isn't an issue. There's a small (but vocal) minority in Australia and that's about it.

Can anyone point me to any statistics?

On a world scale Catholics are, by far, the largest church - dwarfing all the rest. So, statistically one just needs to look at Catholic doctrine to get the official view of the majority of the world's Christians. The next two largest (Anglicans and Orthodox) are far smaller, but still have no problem with theistic evolution. The group that do are largely (though not exclusively) American protestants.

Even there one would hope that the majority don't treat it as the test of faith that the vocal minority try to do. That God created is vital to the Christian faith; how long it took him and exactly how he did it is not .

 

[Stinker]

I have been to many churches and they are pretty quite concerning this subject. I think a great many Christians believe that God helped bring life to the point that it is on this planet via Evolution, but it would not be appropriate to let it be known in Church.

 

[PhilosopherD]

I know in the United States there is a movement, fundamentalism, which denies evolution in favor of a more dogmatic creationism. Catholics, on the other hand, (I believe) accept "theistic evolution." In fact, it seems most Christians outside the US accept evolution-- I don't believe European biology classrooms have to battle creationists.

So am I correct? Do most Christians world-wide accept theistic evolution? Can anyone point me to any statistics?

It depends on where the Christians live. In the US, the answer would probably be no. But there are a significant amount who, like myself, think it is plausible and are not too concerned with its 'challenges' to faith.

 

[NavyGuy7]

Yes. Outside of the US 6-day creationism really isn't an issue. There's a small (but vocal) minority in Australia and that's about it.


On a world scale Catholics are, by far, the largest church - dwarfing all the rest. So, statistically one just needs to look at Catholic doctrine to get the official view of the majority of the world's Christians. The next two largest (Anglicans and Orthodox) are far smaller, but still have no problem with theistic evolution. The group that do are largely (though not exclusively) American protestants.

Even there one would hope that the majority don't treat it as the test of faith that the vocal minority try to do. That God created is vital to the Christian faith; how long it took him and exactly how he did it is not .

I don't think that one can get an idea of all christians by looking at Catholic doctrine. There is a ton of doctrine that seems to me false, and or incorrect. Such as the "need to confess one's sins to a priest", instead of just asking forgiveness of God directly. One doesn't need to go through a priest to be forgiven, thus it is a false/inaccurate doctrine. I also don't worship the apostles like they're "divine" or something, as if they were more important than God.
But personally, maybe a similarity might occur with the day thing. I don't think it took just 6 days, though it could have, and still might have... who can say?

 

[jive4005]

I'm thinking God can get it done any way He chooses... six days or six billion (of our) years. I see no conflict between science and God, only between science and religion.

His,
Rev J

 

[ebia]

I don't think that one can get an idea of all christians by looking at Catholic doctrine.

I didn't say one can get an idea of what all Christians believe (or even of what is correct Christian belief), but of what most Christians believe because most Christians (worldwide) are Catholic.

There is a ton of doctrine that seems to me false, and or incorrect. Such as the "need to confess one's sins to a priest", instead of just asking forgiveness of God directly. One doesn't need to go through a priest to be forgiven, thus it is a false/inaccurate doctrine.

Maybe

I also don't worship the apostles like they're "divine" or something, as if they were more important than God.

Neither do Catholics.

 

[psalms 91]

What I believe is what they call the gap theory. A gap between verse one and verse two of Genesis which makes it all come together rather nicely in my mind. The problem with evolution is that it is a theary so not really more believeable than biblical creation. I do believe that the bible is the Word of God and no matter what we think we know or dont know it is all God. Science has been proved wrong so many times that to put faith in science seems rather iffy at best.

 

[heron]

Statistics, oh my. I'm not sure I would trust ones on this topic, because it is a question based on people's inward thoughts -- but have any of us ever been asked?

I don't know anyone who has ever filled out a questionnaire on what they believe, but there are plenty of statistics on what they believe. Which means the random sampling has to be very, very small. And people change their minds.

Anyway, that's not what you were asking.

Many Christians negotiate to minimize the teaching of evolution in schools because it has not been proven, but it is taught as a law of science. A science teacher friend found the term "law of evolution" in one of their textbooks. She was irate. Irrefutable concepts like gravity are law.

Most people argue that it is presented as a theory. But take a standardized test, and you will find that each student is expected to quote evolution concepts as confirmed truth.

Just like my son said his Regents exam had a multiple choice question on what the war in Iraq was really about. Does anyone know? How can they grade students for something that has not been confirmed beyond question of a doubt?

Christians, in their attempt to include intelligent design in the classroom, are asking for a range of theories to be presented, with the realistic conclusion that science is a fluid subject and answers are not conclusive until tested beyond reasonable doubt. That concept is the core of what curriculum tries to convey about the field of Science (remember hypothesis-theory etc.) ... but then there are certain subjects that are titled fact too loosely.

 

[username5532457465]

I'm thinking God can get it done any way He chooses... six days or six billion (of our) years. I see no conflict between science and God, only between science and religion.

His,
Rev J

What do you mean? Science is a means of approaching knowledge that requires evidence in support of beliefs.

Religion is a means of approaching knowledge that requires belief in revelation in spite of no confirming evidence and sometimes in spite of contradictory evidence.

What do you mean there is no conflict between science and god, but there is conflict between science and religion?

 

[Live4HimAndLoveOthers]

Christians in most other countries don't have the freedom or the public voice that Christians here in the U.S. have. Christians in most other countries (esp. Communist countries and those under Muslim law) are too busy suffering persecution to fill out questionnaires about creation or evolution. Therefore, the teaching of Evolution is not challenged like it is in the U.S., because Christians in many other countries, even if they do believe in short-day Creationism, don't have the political voice or power to do anything about the education system. They don't have the same privileges that Americans do. This would also make it difficult, I would think, to gain any sort of accurate statistics on whether most of them believe in theistic Evolution or a literal 6-day (short-day) Creation.

 

[Live4HimAndLoveOthers]

Actually, I may have spoken too quickly. I just did a search on the Internet, and found that there is The Korean Association of Creation Research and The Moscow Creation Science Fellowship. In addition, I found that there are Creationist Research Societies in Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Venezuela.

http://evolution-facts.org/creation_research_society2.htm#Foreign%20Addresses

 

[NavyGuy7]

What do you mean? Science is a means of approaching knowledge that requires evidence in support of beliefs.

Religion is a means of approaching knowledge that requires belief in revelation in spite of no confirming evidence and sometimes in spite of contradictory evidence.

What do you mean there is no conflict between science and god, but there is conflict between science and religion?

Religion... most religions... aren't centered around the truth. Science is all about finding out the truth. Therein lies the conflict.

The non-conflict between God and science would be... well, think about it. God created all the laws and physics under which science operates. Scientists are using a system God implemented. As far as there being ABSOLUTELY no difference, by saying science IS God... well, that's just a lie. But God did create the system.

 

[ebia]

Actually, I may have spoken too quickly. I just did a search on the Internet, and found that there is The Korean Association of Creation Research and The Moscow Creation Science Fellowship. In addition, I found that there are Creationist Research Societies in Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Venezuela.

http://evolution-facts.org/creation_research_society2.htm#Foreign%20Addresses

Oh, there are Creationists in places like the UK, but they are very much minority of Christians.

 

[ebia]

Christians in most other countries don't have the freedom or the public voice that Christians here in the U.S. have. Christians in most other countries (esp. Communist countries and those under Muslim law) are too busy suffering persecution to fill out questionnaires about creation or evolution. Therefore, the teaching of Evolution is not challenged like it is in the U.S., because Christians in many other countries, even if they do believe in short-day Creationism, don't have the political voice or power to do anything about the education system. They don't have the same privileges that Americans do. This would also make it difficult, I would think, to gain any sort of accurate statistics on whether most of them believe in theistic Evolution or a literal 6-day (short-day) Creation.

In most countries with large numbers of Christians, those Christians have a pretty strong voice - at least on matters that do not directly impinge on politics; the vast majority of Christians live in countries where their voice can be expressed to some extent (and in any case one can get a pretty good sense of their beliefs from the predominant denominations). The only significant exception I can think of would be China.

Actually, I may have spoken too quickly. I just did a search on the Internet, and found that there is The Korean Association of Creation Research and The Moscow Creation Science Fellowship. In addition, I found that there are Creationist Research Societies in Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Venezuela.

Which demonstrates that Christians can voice their opinions, and yet in most if not all of those countries Creationism is minority belief among Christians. (I imagine Korea may well be an exception.)

 

[heron]

Remember that the theory of evolution has been around a little over a hundred years, and does not always hold the same form. Scientific knowledge keeps growing.

Many Christians see Creation as stretched out over a longer period of time than 24-hour days. If you were to expand the time span to eras, then Evolution in tandem with Intelligent Design would not be so out of the question.

Think about the use of language at the beginning of recorded history -- a day was an increment of time.