Why Christians and conservatives should accept evolution

Discussion in 'Politics' started by James R, Nov 16, 2006.

  1. James R Just this guy, you know? Staff Member

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    An interesting column in the October issue of Scientific American:

    Link to Scientific American article

    Here's the start of the article:

    "According to a 2005 Pew Research Center poll, 70 percent of evangelical Christians believe that living beings have always existed in their present form, compared with 32 percent of Protestants and 31 percent of Catholics. Politically, 60 percent of Republicans are creationists, whereas only 11 percent accept evolution, compared with 29 percent of Democrats who are creationists and 44 percent who accept evolution. A 2005 Harris Poll found that 63 percent of liberals but only 37 percent of conservatives believe that humans and apes have a common ancestry. What these figures confirm for us is that there are religious and political reasons for rejecting evolution. Can one be a conservative Christian and a Darwinian? Yes. Here's how.

    ..."

    Comments?
     
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  3. JetPilot Registered Senior Member

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    Those politicians probably arent even creationists, they just need to image for public support.
     
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  5. John99 Banned Banned

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    James,

    Evolution does not dis-prove creationism, and tbh evolution cannot and more than likely will never be fully proven. Hasn't science promoted incorrect theories for centuries?

    Taking into account human fallibility of course.
     
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  7. Sandoz Girl Named Sandoz Registered Senior Member

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    Some Christians and lots of conservatives actually "accept" the theory of evolution.

    John Paul II said quite some time ao that there was nothing about evolution that contradicted the tenets of Catholicism, and that it was therefore perfectly acceptable.

    And as for conservatives, well, just take a look at this hilarious article by arch-neocon Charles Krauthammer ridiculing the intelligent design people.
     
  8. Mystech Adult Supervision Required Registered Senior Member

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    This is actually true, but only because creationism is not a scientific theory, and in fact isn't even solidly nailed down so it can change to try and work around any argument that's thrown at it.

    Though if we are to accept the fairly mainstream creationist theory that the world is only 6000 years old, then yes not just Evolution, but geology and cosmology both soundly show that creationism is invalid.

    Evolution is as proven as it gets at the moment. "But it's just a theory" I can hear you saying - and that's correct, but you're thinking of the layman's term, a "theory" does not graduate into scientific "law", instead Theory is the term applied to all working models which produce predictions which can be tested (and as such the validity of the theory determined). Evolutionary Theory is a theory in the same sense as germ theory or gravitational theory - neither is a "complete" science, which is to say we don't know everything there is to know (and probably never will) But still we're able to cure disease and land a probe on Mars.

    Evolution is in the same boat as those other branches of science and isn't going anywhere unless somehow it turns out the most basic fundamentals of biology turn out, somehow, to be false, thus completely shattering it as a science all together. Being that we seem rather accomplished when it comes to biology (it's theories work, and genetic predictions actually bring predictable results again and again) I wouldn't hold my breath for such a thing to happen.

    It's happened in the past, but no one has promoted incorrect theories with more success and longevity than certain major world religions. Part of the beauty of Science is that it's self correcting - if there is a wrong theory in there, well we're just going to keep hammering and hammering at it, testing it and depending on it to provide usefully conclusions and predictions, and if it just doesn't do that, then new theories must be designed to fit the evidence and create accurate predictions.
     
  9. Baron Max Registered Senior Member

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    I think that people should be permitted to believe whatever the hell they want to believe without being harrassed and belittled for it.

    Or would y'all prefer that all people be forced to believe in exactly the same things. And perhaps all people doing exactly the same things? Wearing the same clothes? Eating the same food? Drinking the same drinks?

    If someone wants to believe in creationism and god, how is that any of your business?

    Baron Max
     
  10. Athelwulf Rest in peace Kurt... Registered Senior Member

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    You may have a point that evolution will not ever be absolutely, one-hundred-percent proven, just like gravity and the existence of atoms can never be absolutely, one-hundred-percent proven. In fact, if one wanted to be philosophical about it, one could argue that we cannot prove anything one-hundred percent. But since scientific fact isn't absolute, this is perfectly fine.

    Yes it has, but most likely these theories never had mountains of evidence in their favor like evolution does.

    Remember that some citizens of the US pride themselves in being Protestants who don't answer to the Pope of the "obviously unChristian cult" known as Catholicism. But yes, this declaration by John Paul II would cover a large portion of the Christian population.

    I quite like this link. Thanks for sharing.

    Yes, people should have the right to be wrong.

    Having the same type of marriage?

    (I couldn't resist injecting that into the mix.)

    You're right. If people want to believe false information, that's their perogative. People certainly have the right to their opinion, even if that opinion is wrong.

    Meanwhile, we'll teach in our schools what we've found to be true, and hope that they choose to believe the truth.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  11. Ayodhya Registered Senior Member

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    How many athiests become born-again Christians (every year, per se)? Does anyone have statistics on this? It seems somewhat illogical that someone would "reason" their way to God (like that cook C.S. Lewis).
     
  12. Roman Banned Banned

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    James R didn'e mention dis-proving anything now, did he?
    I believe the thread title is "Why Christians and conservatives should accept evolution" not reject creationism.
     
  13. Absane Rocket Surgeon Valued Senior Member

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    My whole family is Christian. I am the only one that believes the "Adam and Eve" tale is BS. Go evolution!
     
  14. Mr. G reality.sys Valued Senior Member

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    Hmm. 56% of Democrats don't embrace Evolution.

    44 isn't much of a monopoly on natural IQ.
     
  15. John99 Banned Banned

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    Well if you read beyond the title it states:

    Appearantly accepting evolution OR creation are the only options. See?
     
  16. John99 Banned Banned

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    Adam and Eve does not have to be the only option for believing in creation. But you guy's are obviously certain of evolution soooo/

    But of course a belief in Evolution magically adds like 20points to your IQ, and a bannana too.
     
  17. Fire Registered Senior Member

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    That link basically says "HEY! You can be delusional and accept evolution at the same time". The liberals who respond to the alleged controversy of evolution are just feeding the creationists. Just treat evolution as you would gravity: based on the facts. No need to resort to the political marketing of scientific facts.
     
  18. Athelwulf Rest in peace Kurt... Registered Senior Member

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    They are if you don't think too hard about it. Evolution explains what has happened to the world's organisms since they got here. It doesn't explain how they got here. People are free to think that crap creationism (or at least some aspects of it) and evolution are both true.

    Yup, we are.

    Sarcasm aside, and in a manner of speaking, that is sometimes true.

    It appears that the conservatives are the ones creating the controversy, not liberals.

    Does anyone have an idea of when the war on science started? I think it was sometime during the Scopes trial, but it might be even sooner than that, or later.
     
  19. Fire Registered Senior Member

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    I know, thats why I said 'alleged' controversy since consevatives base their rejections on nothingness. But liberals who respond to it sort of look like evolutionary apologists.
     
  20. Bells Staff Member

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    It is when they attempt to force all into believing it and they have the political powerbase and clout to force the Government to curb to their religious ideals. That whole notion of separation of Church and State gets more and more blurred.
     
  21. infoterror Registered Senior Member

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    I don't see why evolution is such a threat to the idea of God. If God made everything, he/she/it (God is Gay) made evolution.
     
  22. (Q) Encephaloid Martini Valued Senior Member

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    I was having a debate with a born again Christian about evolution, and managed to get to a point where he couldn't refute evolution as being a fact, when in walked his breathren friend, and they both began jumping about like monkeys yelling, "Look at me, I'm evolving. Ooo, Ooo Ooo!"

    I don't have a lot of confidence in these nutters to accept anything.
     
  23. Mr. G reality.sys Valued Senior Member

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    Half of all college degreed doctors graduated in the lower 50-percentile of their class.

    That raises a confidence issue, or three, too.

    No?
     

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