How would Christianity change for you if...?

[philadiddle]

How would your perspective of Christianity change if you found out that the opposite of your view was true. For example, if you don't accept evolution what would happen to your religious views if you came to a point where you had to accept it? Likewise, if you do accept evolution what would happen if you had to deny it and accept creationism/ID (old earth or young earth)?

More specifically, how would your view change on; sin, the resurrection/salvation, man's relationship with God, the reliability of the bible, and any other topic that comes to mind?

Other side notes, would your views change on any of the following: political preference, abortion, racism, morality/ethics.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

I'm not sure that I could be convinced to accept a young earth, short of God Himself coming down and telling me so. If that were to happen, it would have a very damaging effect on my faith, despite that fact that God Himself appeared to me. The amount of evidence for a ~4.5 billion year old is so enormous that a revelation that the earth is only 6,000 years old would imply that God is deliberately, elaborately, imaginatively, deceptive, and that doesn't fit with my personal image of God at all.

 

[ProScribe]

Patristics Christianity can be tuned and tweaked like the Jews do to Judaism.

 

[miamited]

hi phil,

Well, if I found out that Jesus didn't die for my sins, I'd spend eternity separated from God.

If I found out that it wasn't Jesus' sacrifice for sin that made the way for our salvation, then I would try to find out what I needed to do to be righteous in God's sight, but wait, maybe we wouldn't be condemned for sin. Oh man, this changes everything!

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

 

[ViaCrucis]

How would your perspective of Christianity change if you found out that the opposite of your view was true. For example, if you don't accept evolution what would happen to your religious views if you came to a point where you had to accept it? Likewise, if you do accept evolution what would happen if you had to deny it and accept creationism/ID (old earth or young earth)?

More specifically, how would your view change on; sin, the resurrection/salvation, man's relationship with God, the reliability of the bible, and any other topic that comes to mind?

Other side notes, would your views change on any of the following: political preference, abortion, racism, morality/ethics.

I'm not entirely sure what the opposite of evolutionary science would, but for the sake of conversation let's assume it's YEC.

If everything we currently knew about science was turned upon its head and that all of it suddenly lined up with every position within young earth creationism then nothing fundamentally would change for me.

The reverse has already happened in my life. I grew up being a young earth creationist, it's what I was taught in school, church and at home. My only exposure to evolution until high school was through watching programs on the Discovery Channel which I always disregarded but still enjoyed for the entertainment value and because of my love of dinosaurs, animals in general, and love for learning.

It wasn't until my mid-20's, (so about 4-6 years ago) that I ever seriously considered evolution as being a valid position to take concerning origins as a Christian.

The "switch" so to speak was rather uneventful, nothing changed about what I believed concerning God, the Gospel, Scripture, etc. I simply permitted myself to be more intellectually honest. It's rather similar to other areas of my life where I felt an internal need to cling to certain things that had been engrained upon me as a child (example: that Catholics almost certainly weren't "real" Christians or that old hymns were for stuck-in-the-mud people without the fire of the Holy Spirit) but simply let them go when I couldn't continue onward without damage to my faith and conscience.

So if the "switch" were reversed, as it were, I imagine it would be rather similar. Nothing about my Christianity would change, my love for our Lord Jesus Christ isn't dependent upon such things.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[shernren]

I echo ViaCrucis' post entirely. I mean, it would be really convenient for certain approaches of Christian apologetics, but that's about it.

 

[Notedstrangeperson]

How would your perspective of Christianity change if you found out that the opposite of your view was true. For example, if you don't accept evolution what would happen to your religious views if you came to a point where you had to accept it? Likewise, if you do accept evolution what would happen if you had to deny it and accept creationism/ID (old earth or young earth)?

More specifically, how would your view change on; sin, the resurrection/salvation, man's relationship with God, the reliability of the bible, and any other topic that comes to mind?

Other side notes, would your views change on any of the following: political preference, abortion, racism, morality/ethics.

In some ways becoming a creationist would be easier for me. If I had the right evidence, I could prove that many of the arguments atheists use are wrong - I could prove that man was a special creation and not just another animal, I could prove that the universe and everything in it had a Creator, and I could prove the Bible was absolutely the word of God.

I believe all that already, I just can't prove it.

As for my political leanings and my thoughts on abortion and racism, I don't think they would change much.

 

[philadiddle]

hi phil,

Well, if I found out that Jesus didn't die for my sins, I'd spend eternity separated from God.

If I found out that it wasn't Jesus' sacrifice for sin that made the way for our salvation, then I would try to find out what I needed to do to be righteous in God's sight, but wait, maybe we wouldn't be condemned for sin. Oh man, this changes everything!

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

Hey, thanks for the reply, but I think you misunderstood my question. I was asking about what you would think if your view of origins had to change.

 

[juvenissun]

I'm not sure that I could be convinced to accept a young earth, short of God Himself coming down and telling me so. If that were to happen, it would have a very damaging effect on my faith, despite that fact that God Himself appeared to me. The amount of evidence for a ~4.5 billion year old is so enormous that a revelation that the earth is only 6,000 years old would imply that God is deliberately, elaborately, imaginatively, deceptive, and that doesn't fit with my personal image of God at all.

As a geology friend, I would advise you to look a little into the nature of time. It is in the realm of physics, not geology. I am sure it will open your eyes. An easy source is the videos made by the Discover Channel.

Physicists take the idea of 5th dimension seriously. If that were true, then the conflict between radiometric dating and YEC is immediately solved. In the Bible, there are many places that imply the situation of a 5D space. A 5D space will make everything in the Bible literally true.

Do what I said. It WILL strengthen your faith tremendously.

 

[philadiddle]

As a geology friend, I would advise you to look a little into the nature of time. It is in the realm of physics, not geology. I am sure it will open your eyes. An easy source is the videos made by the Discover Channel.

Physicists take the idea of 5th dimension seriously. If that were true, then the conflict between radiometric dating and YEC is immediately solved. In the Bible, there are many places that imply the situation of a 5D space. A 5D space will make everything in the Bible literally true.

Do what I said. It WILL strengthen your faith tremendously.

If you'd like to start a new thread giving more detail that would be fine, but I don't really see how it is on topic. Maybe you could just make your point instead of telling ppl that there is an argument out there somewhere on a TV show.

 

[juvenissun]

If you'd like to start a new thread giving more detail that would be fine, but I don't really see how it is on topic. Maybe you could just make your point instead of telling ppl that there is an argument out there somewhere on a TV show.

Sorry, I am just giving him some of my thought.

Basically he said if the earth were proven young, his faith would be hurt or weakened. And I said (to him), not necessarily. In a sense, it is an indirect reply to your OP.

 

[philadiddle]

Sorry, I am just giving him some of my thought.

Basically he said if the earth were proven young, his faith would be hurt or weakened. And I said (to him), not necessarily. In a sense, it is an indirect reply to your OP.

So what would your response be to the question in the OP?

 

[juvenissun]

So what would your response be to the question in the OP?

I don't like the question. I feel it is a wrong one.
But I don't know yet how to argue against it.
So, I decided not to answer it.

 

[philadiddle]

I don't like the question. I feel it is a wrong one.
But I don't know yet how to argue against it.
So, I decided not to answer it.

I'm not sure what you mean by "argue against it". Why would you need to do that? It's just a question on your perspective, I don't see how a question like that could be "wrong".

 

[juvenissun]

I'm not sure what you mean by "argue against it". Why would you need to do that? It's just a question on your perspective, I don't see how a question like that could be "wrong".

It could be wrong if you should not put the question that way.
The argument of that is one which goes against your question.

You may feel it if I asked a similar one: If YEC is proven right, how would that affect your faith?
It is not a right question.

 

[philadiddle]

It could be wrong if you should not put the question that way.
The argument of that is one which goes against your question.

You may feel it if I asked a similar one: If YEC is proven right, how would that affect your faith?
It is not a right question.

Your question is fine, in fact, that is my question. I was asking what would happen if the opposite of your origins view was true.

If YEC is proven right then I will be able to go back to my original view of the creation account. I could use the evidence for it as a powerful witnessing tool. My relationship with Jesus wouldn't change, and it wouldn't affect my salvation, but it would change how I view science. For science to have been so greatly wrong about this means it would need a big overhaul.

So now can you answer it?

 

[juvenissun]

Your question is fine, in fact, that is my question. I was asking what would happen if the opposite of your origins view was true.

If YEC is proven right then I will be able to go back to my original view of the creation account. I could use the evidence for it as a powerful witnessing tool. My relationship with Jesus wouldn't change, and it wouldn't affect my salvation, but it would change how I view science. For science to have been so greatly wrong about this means it would need a big overhaul.

So now can you answer it?

Here is why I don't like your question.

If YEC were right, there will be no "bad" consequence to you. but if evolution were right, there will be "bad" consequence to me. Here the "bad" means sinful.

Why is the difference? Because YEC is simply either correct, or not correct. It is a science issue. But evolution to me, is more than that. It is sinful or not sinful. It is a theological issue. The weight is very different.

 

[philadiddle]

Here is why I don't like your question.

If YEC were right, there will be no "bad" consequence to you. but if evolution were right, there will be "bad" consequence to me. Here the "bad" means sinful.

Why is the difference? Because YEC is simply either correct, or not correct. It is a science issue. But evolution to me, is more than that. It is sinful or not sinful. It is a theological issue. The weight is very different.

Interesting, if you could indulge me I'm really curious now; In what specific ways is evolution a bad theological issue?

 

[juvenissun]

Interesting, if you could indulge me I'm really curious now; In what specific ways is evolution a bad theological issue?

Because nearly all principles used in the process of evolution are evil.

For example, survival of the fittest.

 

[philadiddle]

Because nearly all principles used in the process of evolution are evil.

For example, survival of the fittest.

But that's the process we see in God's creation now, are you saying you look at nature, which is God's creation, and see it as evil?

This also makes me wonder what "evil" means to you.

I would like to point out that I look at nature and see beauty in the struggle for survival. I think it's an amazing system of growth and rebirth.