• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Andy D

Andy D
Jun 4, 2004
537
15
Melbourne
✟23,303.00
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Single
Being paid by AIG or ICR is not an argument with any weight at all because each man or woman is their own being and for them to be biassed, is just as likely as all other scientists in the world to be biassed.

Please, point out these sciences that contradict Scripture and quote this Scripture.
 
Upvote 0

Andy D

Andy D
Jun 4, 2004
537
15
Melbourne
✟23,303.00
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Single
I understand all this to be the reason we dont use this arugment but I am just stating that it is possible for the alternatives
 
Upvote 0

gluadys

Legend
Mar 2, 2004
12,958
682
Toronto
✟39,020.00
Faith
Protestant
Politics
CA-NDP

Well, most of the atheists I've seen posting (and the few I know personally) have a moral sense, and do recognize the difference between right and wrong. They may not use the word sin or explain wrong-doing in a theistic way, but they still recognize that it is a reality. I don't find atheists as a group justifying murder or theft or immorality--or committing those deeds in any greater frequency than those who profess to be Christians or theists.

C. S. Lewis made the same point in Mere Christianity. No matter what people claim to believe or disbelieve, and even when they disagree on the details of what is right and wrong---everyone believes there IS a right and wrong, and protests when someone treats them wrongly.

G. K. Chesterton also made the same point: that original sin was the only doctrine of the church which is empirically verifiable.

You don't need faith in God or anything else to believe in sin. It is our common everyday exeperience that tells us sin is a fact.
 
Upvote 0

gluadys

Legend
Mar 2, 2004
12,958
682
Toronto
✟39,020.00
Faith
Protestant
Politics
CA-NDP

Hear! Hear! and

If I had not just given you rep recently I would give you more. This should be read by everyone in this forum every day before posting here.


and the'll know we are Christians by our love--by our love--yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.....[/QUOTE]
 
Upvote 0

gluadys

Legend
Mar 2, 2004
12,958
682
Toronto
✟39,020.00
Faith
Protestant
Politics
CA-NDP
Andy D said:
But then a different person learns through geology that the flood in fact could have occured and been global.

So, then, if you seek to know the truth, you learn enough about geology to determine who is interpreting the evidence correctly. As it happens, it is not the flood geologists.

Remember it was Christians who disproved the global flood, before Darwin was ever set sail in the Beagle---because they were looking for it, and found instead the evidence that falsified their assumptions.

So standard geology is not an atheist conspiracy.


Unless it is read allogorically which doesnt make sense because I then have to read genealogies that have some ficticious people in the lists.

Not uncommon in ancient texts.


Also the argument that Genesis 1 is poetry and meant to be read that way is one that I believe is made up to fit in with evolutionary theory because i cannot see how it was meant to be read that way.

It is, admittedly, much more obvious in the original Hebrew. But that it was not intended as literal is a tradition found even in pre-Christian Jewish writings, and affirmed by early Christian teachers such as Augustine.

I see sooo many VERY good biblical points from theologians that point to it being an actual account.

And there are just as many theologians who will argue the other way.



Your choice. I am just saying that there is more than one Christian position, and that most churches have not found a reason to reject evolution. And while Jesus is the authority over any priest, theologian or bishop, we still depend on the human authorities of the church to teach us what is and is not biblical. That's why we have so many different churches and beliefs, and each one claiming to be right. I am neither Catholic, Anglican nor Baptist. I have no way to determine why I should choose to be one over the other except my own good sense, and (I hope and pray) the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But having found my own place, I cannot say another's choice is wrong either.
 
Upvote 0

gluadys

Legend
Mar 2, 2004
12,958
682
Toronto
✟39,020.00
Faith
Protestant
Politics
CA-NDP

I don't understand this, Andy. You agree some Christians are scientists, but you say scientists are on their own, with no spiritual guidance?

How can that be? Does God withdraw the Holy Spirit from Christians who pursue science? Surely not.
 
Upvote 0

gluadys

Legend
Mar 2, 2004
12,958
682
Toronto
✟39,020.00
Faith
Protestant
Politics
CA-NDP

If they are scientists, they all have. But remember, one does not have to be a scientist or well-educated to be YEC. The same applies to those who accept evolution (and are therefore, in some sense, "evolutionists")

For the purposes of having some sort of label for my position I accept the description "theistic evolutionist" though it would not be my first preference. And although I am a university grad, I am not a scientist and did not study either science or math beyond high school. I still can't follow more than basic math, though I have taught myself more science since I became interested in this topic. But I am far far removed from being an expert in any scientific field.

btw, I also studied most of this from a creationist perspective before I began studying it from a scientific perspective. So I have looked at both sides and found the scientific perspective to be much better founded in the evidence and to make a great deal more sense IMHO.
 
Upvote 0

Andy D

Andy D
Jun 4, 2004
537
15
Melbourne
✟23,303.00
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Single
gluadys said:
I don't understand this, Andy. You agree some Christians are scientists, but you say scientists are on their own, with no spiritual guidance?

How can that be? Does God withdraw the Holy Spirit from Christians who pursue science? Surely not.
I was answering two separate points made. One is in the context of worldly scientists who quite often do have a bias towards evolution before they even start researching and they do their work on their own.

The other is yes, there are Christians who are scientists but here I will make no judgement because some Christians may try researching science and reject God from their work. Many of us turn Christianity off at work, so no different for Christian scientists who are surrounded by much peir pressure to believe as the world does as in most workplaces. Some Christian scientists I beleive would first of all accept the Bible as the infallible Word of God and then research within a Biblical context in that they will be bias towards their belief of the Bible. I beleive that one particular belief is closer to being correct and because I am only able to see Genesis as being iterpreted a certain way, I will be bias in stating I believe it is the correct way. I understand that we can interpret the Bible incorrectly at times but one must make a choice not based on scientific evidence but on faith and Biblical evidence. I know creation shouts to us the glory of God but if we are going to research it's wonders then we must start always with the Bible because whilst it does not give us a detailed account of how we got here as evolutionists have come up with, it gives us all we need to know. If it were not for the efforts of scientists (regardless of what each of us thinks about the evidence) then what would you beleive? You couldnt really know what to believe other than a literal interpretation of Genesis and a real Adam and Eve so it obviously cant be harmful to the faith by YEC's believing this. The YEC version of creation doesnt require one to have a DEEP understanding of the Scriptures to be able to read into it Gap theory or to look at science and have more than high school level of maths to understand it as TE's do. The YEC version require plain faith in God and the infallible Word of God and that Genesis is read literally because if we didnt know the alternative theories then we couldnt read it any other way anyhow.
 
Upvote 0

Andy D

Andy D
Jun 4, 2004
537
15
Melbourne
✟23,303.00
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Single
gluadys said:
If they are scientists, they all have. But remember, one does not have to be a scientist or well-educated to be YEC. The same applies to those who accept evolution (and are therefore, in some sense, "evolutionists")
But it appears from this statement that one does need to be well grounded in science or well educated to understand a TE position. Why would God put us in a position. Even someone who has a mental handicap (as I went to school with some children in this category) should be able to understand the Gospel of Christ in many of the cases because it is so simple. The creation story would be simplistic as well and just as easy to understand from a young age. TE's would have to teach their children for years for them to understand why they follow this theory.

Also I was referring to evolutionist as in all people who believe in evolution. In this case a VERY low percentage are scientists...
 
Upvote 0

adam149

Active Member
Sep 23, 2003
236
18
Ohio
Visit site
✟457.00
Faith
Calvinist
Politics
US-Others
Null-Geodesic said:
Note to all:

I intend no personal insult here but I am sick to death of fundamental Creationists slurring what I do for a living and either implying I am part of some conspiracy or I and my colleagues are liars.
I intend no personal insult here, but I am sick to death of liberal evolutionists slurring what I do and will continue to do for a living and either implying I am part of some conspiracy to overthrow science or I and other creationist peers are liars.

Null-Geodesic said:
Yet this comes from people who admit they don't know what they are talking about and probably never got beyond high school math.
I certainly don't understand every technical detail of every little scientific fact, but I and anyone else would be lying if they claimed they did. However, I do know what I'm talking about and I have gotten beyond high school math, just for your info.

Null-Geodesic said:
In other words shut up about science when you cannot follow it seemingly. And quit saying we scientists are liars.
Only after you stop saying we creationists are conspiracy-theory nuts, stupid, or liars.

Think about it.
 
Upvote 0

PotLuck

Active Member
May 5, 2002
253
3
Visit site
✟408.00
Faith
Christian
There have always been issues but citing that to rationalize the introduction of yet another form of diversity only leads to compounding the problems not fixing them.


You'll get no argument from me there.


Here I have a hard time understanding how the introduction of another element doesn't influence the constitution of the whole. A little yeast goes a long way. When it gets to the point that some outside influence is telling me I'm reading scripture the wrong way, that because I don't believe the theory of evolution as fact as some do and that I'm wrong in my interpretation of the bible because of it then I'm going to question that influence. The mere fact that there is division with that influence at the core as seen here testifys that it does indeed have an effect. If there is no effect then why is it being discussed? The mormons believe salvation also but also make "adjustments" to what you're considering as having no consequence. And history, scripture and inspiration are just as important as anything else because it influences the health of the whole body. The heart and brain may be superior to one hand or one foot but those parts are still quite essential to the working of the body as a whole. You can not separate parts and pieces of the spirituality or the christian doctrines into catagories of importance then rationalize alterations simply because something is viewed as less important.

Any one part of a car may seem insignificant in terms of getting to a destination, such as a spare tire, wipers or headlights on a bright summer day. But along the path to the destination there will be need of those nonessentials sooner or later. Those items do indeed have much importance.

As to love among christians, well, the mormons believe they too are christians, that they should be accepted as such and ask that we unite with them in love and understanding to help an unbelieving world instead of speaking out against some of their nonessentials like history, scripture and inspiration. But it doesn't make their doctrine right even though they will tell you they believe Christ died, was buried and rose again.



Agreed. God can make light anywhere and at any time he so pleases. He can even make a star in the process of exploding when an instant earlier it never existed in the first place.
 
Upvote 0

Andy D

Andy D
Jun 4, 2004
537
15
Melbourne
✟23,303.00
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Single
PotLuck said:
Agreed. God can make light anywhere and at any time he so pleases. He can even make a star in the process of exploding when an instant earlier it never existed in the first place.
And it just shows the awesomeness of God to be able to do this. A star is such a BIG body and yet compared to a God who created millions of them, it is but one star. I am just mesmorised by the amazing power of God when I look at the stars or the massive oceans, or the complexity of the human eye.
 
Upvote 0

theFijian

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Oct 30, 2003
8,898
476
West of Scotland
Visit site
✟86,155.00
Faith
Calvinist
Marital Status
Married
Thank you MercuryMJ. I believe my assertion for an allegorical reading of Gen 1 still stands.
 
Upvote 0

theFijian

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Oct 30, 2003
8,898
476
West of Scotland
Visit site
✟86,155.00
Faith
Calvinist
Marital Status
Married
Andy D said:
God bless you all, I am off now..I hope to be back soon to continue discussing this. It is pleasant in this thread to have many who love God in here.
Thanks for your kind words. It certainly is pleasant as you say.

Andy
 
Upvote 0

theFijian

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Oct 30, 2003
8,898
476
West of Scotland
Visit site
✟86,155.00
Faith
Calvinist
Marital Status
Married
I speak from the authority of scriptures, Jesus himself said God is a Spirit (John 4:24). Does a spirit have a body? Have I seen God? No one has seen God (John 1:18) Do you really think God had to take on physical form to create ex nihilo? You seem to be confusing what I think God is capable of, with what I think he actually did. You say he created in six days, do you not think he could have created in 6 minutes if he wanted it so? You see what I'm getting at.

GodSaves said:
I too get annoyed when someone states something of the Bible which is not true. Science today is not intended to study God's creation and give Him praise or glory.
You don't really know what science is do you.

GodSaves said:
The science that looks to God's creation and tries to explain how it all started and began through the big bang and evolution does not cite God.
Science is agnostic, it is not a philosphical discipline. Humanists and secularists will draw their philosophies from it but you have made the mistake of confusing the two. You want science to be athiestic so you have something to kick against, unfortunately for you it is not what you want it to be.

GodSaves said:
These teachings are in direct contradiction with the teachings of the Bible as found in Genesis.
Correction: they are in contradiction with your idolatrous Bibliolatry.

GodSaves said:
And who do you believe God's teachings or sciences teachings? Oh, I know the answer to it you believe both. For many see that it is ok to believe both the world and God.
Actually you know very few answers. I believe God's teachings as they are found in both his special revelation and his general revelation. The Bible gives us the former, science helps us understand the latter.

GodSaves said:
Maybe I am wrong and I ask God everyday to correct me if I am, but yes I do doubt the faith of Christians who say the Bible is not God's Word, the Bible is fallible, and those who believe the world over Biblical teachings when they are in conflict.
Please point out where I have said that the Bible is not God's word and/or fallible.

Believe it or not, I do exactly the same thing.

You are, as you admit, a fool. Unfortunately not in the way you wish to be. I do not laugh at you, I despair of you.

GodSaves said:
Statements like this very much trouble me, and I realize more and more each day why in the end times there will be only 144,000 sealed by Christ.
That really is priceless, are you a Mormon in disguise? Conservative estimates place the Christian population of China at 4%. Do you know what 4% of 1.3 billion is?

GodSaves said:
God Bless the wise and the fools
Amen to that.
 
Upvote 0

PotLuck

Active Member
May 5, 2002
253
3
Visit site
✟408.00
Faith
Christian
Here's the focus, the verse in guestion .


|v7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
(OldT:Genesis 2:7)

To take it as myth supports the Theory of Evolution.
To take it as literal does not support the Theory of Evolution.

Myth/literal does/doesn't support the Theory of Evolution.
 
Upvote 0

PotLuck

Active Member
May 5, 2002
253
3
Visit site
✟408.00
Faith
Christian
Separating the two.

1)
a. The verse is literal.
b. The verse is myth.

2)
a. The theory is fact.
b. The theory is an unproven idea.

In the first case it may be more logical to opt for selection (a) than in the second case.
God didn't say He formed man from an animal but from the dust of the ground. If so it should have read:

|v7 And the LORD God formed man from an animal, and man became a living soul.
(OldT:Genesis 2:7)

Also he would not have had to breathe life into man because man would already have been alive as in Eve's case.
 
Upvote 0
Status
Not open for further replies.