Do people who accept the theory of evolution have "faith" in evolution?

[stumpjumper]

It's a common statement that Christians and non-Christians alike accept evolution on faith. Well do they?

Let's look at faith in the religious sense of the word:

Pisteu (Strong's 4100)
from pistiV - pistis 4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ):--believe(-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.

I don't commit, entrust, or accept into my heart evolution. I simply accept that it does not conflict with Christianity or sound Biblical exegesis. I believe that the theory of evolution is a very good working explanation for how biological life was formed but I certainly do not place faith in it...

I do not have a relationship with evolution or accept it into my heart in a religious sense. I do not believe that theistic evolutionists place their faith in evolution... We just accept that it does not conflict with out true faith in Jesus Christ...

 

[Pats]

As Christians we need to be careful of our language.

The concept of "agreeing with," or "accepting" are different from the concepts of "believing in" or "having faith in."

Hebrews defines faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. This does not seem to me that it would apply to science wich is based on the evidence.

However, I think in this case, that some creationists argue that evolution is a theory built on a little evidence and includes some leaps wich some argue are faith like and others logical. I am not saying this is the case, but rather I believe it is the arguement they are trying to inlist.

Perhaps, because YEC requires a form of faith, some creationists may see faith in things that do not require faith?

 

[Willtor]

This is an important matter.

Don't prepend anything with "I believe in..." It's not good form for a Christian to do this. "I believe in a young Earth," or "I believe in evolution." "I believe in the Bible," or "I believe in the testimony of nature." Don't do it. Consider the Nicene Creed. The words were chosen so carefully, so precisely. It is said that "He was born of the virgin." It doesn't say, "I believe in the virgin birth." There are only a few things for which it actually says, "I believe in..." Notice the similarities between those things.

---

I believe in God the Father.

I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ.

I believe in the Holy Spirit.

I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

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This is faith. Contemplate on it. Only God, Himself, is to be the object of faith (and the Church as the very real presence of Christ on Earth). Don't abuse this language. It is sacred. It is powerful, when properly used. Consider the words you use, carefully. Please, please, please, don't throw it around to flower up your language. Speak accurately and precisely.

 

[RenHoek]

Depends on what is is...

From MW

3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs

I do not think it is wrong to say that people have faith in ev when using this definition.

 

[Willtor]

There is a particular use of the word, "faith," that is used in this way. But in the context of a theology forum, it should probably be avoided when possible.

 

[chaoschristian]

I accept evolutionary theory because it stands on its merits within the boundaries of modern science, to which it is restricted and from which it is formed.

Should another theory emerge from said same circumstances that better explains the existing evidence and possibly new evidence better than current evolutionary theory, then it can reasonably said that I will eventually turn to accepting Theory X over evolutionary theory.

My faith is in God, my trust in Christ and my allegiance is to the Kingdom only.

 

[RenHoek]

There is a particular use of the word, "faith," that is used in this way. But in the context of a theology forum, it should probably be avoided when possible.

Seems we are dealing with people saying you have faith enough in the theory to allow for any gaps that are not backed by hard fact. I still see this as a measure of faith. Is it the same as the faith you place in Christ? What is?

Would you say you have faith in the T of E? If not, what would be the term you would use for the belief you have in it?

 

[Willtor]

Seems we are dealing with people saying you have faith enough in the theory to allow for any gaps that are not backed by hard fact. I still see this as a measure of faith. Is it the same as the faith you place in Christ? What is?

Would you say you have faith in the T of E? If not, what would be the term you would use for the belief you have in it?

The propositional faith is something of a different sort from the faith I have in Christ. They are different types of things, not different degrees of the same thing.

I would say, as CC does, that I accept ToE as the best theory science has at describing what it is intended to describe. You may accept creationism as the best theory science has at describing what it is intended to describe. We are not both correct, but it is probably not a matter of faith in either sense. If you think it is like the faith one has in one's eyes, that when one steps forward, one will not fall through the floor, that is faith in the propositional sense, not in the Christian sense.

 

[RenHoek]

The propositional faith is something of a different sort from the faith I have in Christ. They are different types of things, not different degrees of the same thing.

I would say, as CC does, that I accept ToE as the best theory science has at describing what it is intended to describe. You may accept creationism as the best theory science has at describing what it is intended to describe. We are not both correct, but it is probably not a matter of faith in either sense. If you think it is like the faith one has in one's eyes, that when one steps forward, one will not fall through the floor, that is faith in the propositional sense, not in the Christian sense.

Sold

 

[stumpjumper]

Would you say you have faith in the T of E? If not, what would be the term you would use for the belief you have in it?

I would say that I accept the theory of evolution as true because it is a theory that works and makes the most sense of the available data.

I suppose that those who believe that people accept evolution on faith are referring to the "gaps" in our understanding of our past. I don't think faith is the appropriate term for that though because it is something that could be empirically disproven by human investigation. Say by finding fossils in the wrong place or something.

The existence of God can not be proven or disproven by human inquiry just like any other metaphysical outlook. In that case it might be appropriate to say that a metaphysical naturalist takes certain positions on "faith" because they hold unfalsifiable beliefs.

I don't think that this is using faith in line with the way pisteu was used in the greek though...

 

[shernren]

Whenever creationists say I have less faith I keep looking back to how James describes faith: living faith produces action, defends the widows and the orphans, avoids favoritism, advocates for the helpless, feeds the hungry and clothes the naked. To me, therefore, it seems that faith involves doctrine which alters behaviour. When I have faith in something, it means that I hold it so close and so true that it significantly alters the way I live and behave from had I not believed in it.

Do I have faith in evolution? Not in that sense, and I have said many times that creationists do not have faith in creationism in that sense either.

 

[billwald]

"Would you say you have faith in the T of E? If not, what would be the term you would use for the belief you have in it?"

Use of "belief . . . in" makes it a loaded question.

I am 75% convinced that the theory of evolution substantially describes the history of Earth's crtters and other living stuff.

 

[Redneck Crow]

"Would you say you have faith in the T of E? If not, what would be the term you would use for the belief you have in it?"

Use of "belief . . . in" makes it a loaded question.

I am 75% convinced that the theory of evolution substantially describes the history of Earth's crtters and other living stuff.

What billwald said. No TE I have ever encountered had "faith" in the theory of evolution to save him.

I accept, not to be confused with faith in the Christian sense, that the theory of evolution gives the most logical and factually backed explanation that has been presented to date for how life came to exist as it does today.

 

[RenHoek]

When I have faith in something, it means that I hold it so close and so true that it significantly alters the way I live and behave from had I not believed in it.

What forum would you be in if there were no evolutionary theory? Would the fact that you spend a good bit of time in this area constitute a behavioral influence that significantly alters the way you live? If not, what constitutes significant?

 

[RenHoek]

"Would you say you have faith in the T of E? If not, what would be the term you would use for the belief you have in it?"

Use of "belief . . . in" makes it a loaded question.

I am 75% convinced that the theory of evolution substantially describes the history of Earth's crtters and other living stuff.

Did not mean to load

I guess I don't see how this is not belief, 3/4 or otherwise. If not faith or believe, what would be the most acceptable verb?

 

[shernren]

What forum would you be in if there were no evolutionary theory? Would the fact that you spend a good bit of time in this area constitute a behavioral influence that significantly alters the way you live? If not, what constitutes significant?

Throwing words at each other over a global communication network is hardly an act of faith when compared to feeding the poor and defending the widows, and I hardly consider my foruming to be a sign of faith in evolutionism (or your foruming a sign of "faith", as James puts it, in creationism). By "significant" I mean something that will affect another person's life deeply and positively: tutoring a friend who is having trouble with her math, praying for another one facing exams, fasting and giving the savings earned to the poor. I don't do any of these because of evolution, but because of Jesus. And when you do these things (and probably more) I doubt that you'd do them because of creationism, but because of Jesus.

That is what I take to mean as faith. And that is why I consider an accusation of being faithless or having less faith a very serious accusation, in the context of what the NT calls faith.