Do the majority of christians believe in intelligent design or accept evolution as the correct theory? I personally can see no proof at all for intelligent design.
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Evolution or ID
- Thread starter ciaphas
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Do you mean intelligent design as an overal "theory" or do you mean intelligent design as someone is currently trying to fill in all the blanks?
There's no real absolute proof that cannot be denied of either intelligent design or evolution.
I don't believe in spontaneous generation, so I can't accept evolution, at least as currently taught. Do you have any proof of spontaneous generation? Is it so hard to believe the spark that is life came from a higher being as compared to just happening one day?
Both systems would really see support in the continuity of the way things are. For instance you could look at a painting, and if you know the artist well enough, you wouldn't need to look at his signature to know if he painted it. It would share characteristics with his other work.
And so we see with life on this planet. They share much that is in common, like the way genetics are done and the processes inside the cell and such. But there are also great differences. All would be quite consistent with a higher being creating them.
So right there you have some evidence of intelligent design. Now you might complain that could be explained other ways. Certainly, just like in a court case, circumstantial evidence can often mean more than one thing. But that doesn't mean it isn't evidence, only that you, the jury, are not convinced.
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There's no real absolute proof that cannot be denied of either intelligent design or evolution.
I don't believe in spontaneous generation, so I can't accept evolution, at least as currently taught. Do you have any proof of spontaneous generation? Is it so hard to believe the spark that is life came from a higher being as compared to just happening one day?
Both systems would really see support in the continuity of the way things are. For instance you could look at a painting, and if you know the artist well enough, you wouldn't need to look at his signature to know if he painted it. It would share characteristics with his other work.
And so we see with life on this planet. They share much that is in common, like the way genetics are done and the processes inside the cell and such. But there are also great differences. All would be quite consistent with a higher being creating them.
So right there you have some evidence of intelligent design. Now you might complain that could be explained other ways. Certainly, just like in a court case, circumstantial evidence can often mean more than one thing. But that doesn't mean it isn't evidence, only that you, the jury, are not convinced.
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Evolution does not describe how life came about, merely it's transformation from a single cell organism to the complex life that we see before us. By intelligent design, I mean that we were made as humans by an intelligent designer.
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Ciaphas, I think the answer depends upon which group of Christians you ask. Polls of U.S. Christians have repeatedly shown a marked skepticism of evolution. You didn't mention as an alternative that some may believe in a literal version of creation as written in Genesis. Apparently, this may is a popular view in the U.S.
But in the UK, a poll of ministers and priests indicated overwhelming disbelief in the literal version of creation as described in Genesis. And Europeans are much more likely to accept evolution than are Americans, although I haven't seen a poll which looked only at what Christians believe. Still, I don't think Intelligent Design, as a comprehensive theory, has much traction outside of the U.S.
But considering "Intelligent Design" to mean broadly that God is the mover behind evolution (theistic evolution) I imagine this would be a popular view among Christians in Europe. (But I am only guessing.) This is the view I personally hold.
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ebia
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Evolution is good science. As a scientific explanation of the development of life it does it's job very well. But it has nothing to say about the theology of where we come from.
ID is right in its conclusion - there is a creator behind it all - but completely wrong in its method - you can't prove a creator through pseudo-science. In accepting the assumptions of modernism ID has lost the battle before it even began.
But to actually (attempt) to answer the OP, outside of the US most Christians subscribe to some form of Theistic Evolution and ID is largely given the attention it deserves (not much).
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Key
The Opener of Locks
Depends on how you look at it.
There are several Theories involving this, ID is not the "Alternative" to Evolution, just a little heads up on that one.
You have:
Young Earth Creationist. (Genesis Account using literal Days)
Old Earth Creationist (Genesis Account using Metaphorical Days)
Theistic Evolution (Which May or may not have any elements of ID in it)
Intelligent Design. (Which is it's own Theory)
So, what exactly is your question, as you seem to have truly limited the answers that can be given.
God Bless
Key
There are several Theories involving this, ID is not the "Alternative" to Evolution, just a little heads up on that one.
You have:
Young Earth Creationist. (Genesis Account using literal Days)
Old Earth Creationist (Genesis Account using Metaphorical Days)
Theistic Evolution (Which May or may not have any elements of ID in it)
Intelligent Design. (Which is it's own Theory)
So, what exactly is your question, as you seem to have truly limited the answers that can be given.
God Bless
Key
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AbidingInHim
Senior Veteran
http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/qa.asp
I believe that Genesis is very clear about the beginning of the earth, anybody who says they believe God should not try to pick and choose what they believe....it's a package deal. This is a link to a website that addresses the questions about God creating the heavens and the earth....
I believe that Genesis is very clear about the beginning of the earth, anybody who says they believe God should not try to pick and choose what they believe....it's a package deal. This is a link to a website that addresses the questions about God creating the heavens and the earth....
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I personally haven't looked much into ID so this thread has been very helpfull, doesn't what roxannacc said have some validity, if you start picking and choosing which bits of the Bible you believe in, surely you are admitting that parts may be incorrect, as soon as you admit that you can't be sure which bits are correct, how can you take any of the Bible to be true?
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S
serephim02
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I have to say I believe ID. It just seems much more improbable IMO that life would just randomly start.
OR the big bang theory, I know I know wrong topic but it kinda coralates here. It seems inconcievable that that too would be completely random.
I heard if it were 1 degree hotter it would have blow offwards, 1 degree cooler and it just would have collasped. I cant remember which. That alone leads me to believe this world we live in, all its wonders are just random.
Evolution also was rather wierd for me for as far I know they have not found the missing link. I used to just say I was a christian but never really knew what that meant but I have placed my faith in God and Christ.
hope that answers your question
God Bless friend!
Almost forgot to mention, while I do not believe in evolution physically like humans came from a pool of goo. I do believe that while God did create everything and nothing came from goo, I think we and many animals are able to evolve past what we know now. Like pigs who once leave/runaway from their masters quickly evolve or grow tusks and get more agressive.
I think that given a few 1000 years we may evolve like IDK telekenesis or something, animals are able to adapt to fit their surrounding. That kind of evolution I believe, sounds wacky but just my opinion.
OR the big bang theory, I know I know wrong topic but it kinda coralates here. It seems inconcievable that that too would be completely random.
I heard if it were 1 degree hotter it would have blow offwards, 1 degree cooler and it just would have collasped. I cant remember which. That alone leads me to believe this world we live in, all its wonders are just random.
Evolution also was rather wierd for me for as far I know they have not found the missing link. I used to just say I was a christian but never really knew what that meant but I have placed my faith in God and Christ.
hope that answers your question
God Bless friend!
Almost forgot to mention, while I do not believe in evolution physically like humans came from a pool of goo. I do believe that while God did create everything and nothing came from goo, I think we and many animals are able to evolve past what we know now. Like pigs who once leave/runaway from their masters quickly evolve or grow tusks and get more agressive.
I think that given a few 1000 years we may evolve like IDK telekenesis or something, animals are able to adapt to fit their surrounding. That kind of evolution I believe, sounds wacky but just my opinion.
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The point is, although the odds against life on this planet were astronomical, there are also an astronomical number of planets. If it was say a billion to one chance that life springs up on any one planet then in a billion planets, the chances are that life will appear.
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Hi Ciaphas
I am both a scientist (with degrees in biological sciences) and a Christian
However, I was a biologist before I was a Christian. And even as an agnostic, I could never accept evolution. It simply doesn't stand up scientifically.
Whilst animals obviously adapt to survive in changing conditions (sometimes referred to as micro-evolution), it seems to me that it is a very big jump from this to the idea of one species evolving into another.
I am willing to explain my reasons in more detail if you wish, but do not wish to derail this thread!
I hope this is helpful.
I am both a scientist (with degrees in biological sciences) and a Christian
However, I was a biologist before I was a Christian. And even as an agnostic, I could never accept evolution. It simply doesn't stand up scientifically.
Whilst animals obviously adapt to survive in changing conditions (sometimes referred to as micro-evolution), it seems to me that it is a very big jump from this to the idea of one species evolving into another.
I am willing to explain my reasons in more detail if you wish, but do not wish to derail this thread!
I hope this is helpful.
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OldChurchGuy
Regular Member
I have no problem with the theory of evolution as there is much evidence to support the theory. I have no problem with Intelligent Design provided it does not try to present itself as science.
That last statement is based on my understanding that, to the best of my knowledge, there is no series of steps or procedures which can consistently prove (in a measuarble sense) the existense of an intelligent designer (i.e. God).
OldChurchGuy
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Sayying that something is the "most true" thing ever written is tautological, something is either true or untrue. If I said that I was sitting on a chair as I wrote this then I would be 100% true, you can't get much truer than that.
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Unfortunately I have just been warned about debating in this forum, if anyone wants to continue, please do it via PM.
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ebia
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When one is talking about simple, black & white facts that might be true; x is either simply true or false. But many facts aren't that boolean, and when one considers truths beyond facts its an entirely different matter.
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If an article has any part of it which isn't true then the article isn't true. You can put all articles into three catagories, true, false and debatable. Most articles are debatable. If an article is falls into the catagory of being true then it cannot be surpassed in truthfullness. The example I gave was absolutely true. If you insist that you have "one of the most true pieces of literature ever written" then are you putting it as being more true than the example I gave?
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