Which do you believe? Did we get here by apes or God?

I believe God worked through evolution to create creatures as they are today, and we are still evolving. I don't take the 6 day creation story literally--more of a story to explain the origins of the world and everything living in it. Every culture has one, the Creation story is the Abrahamic God-believing culture's explanation.

I thought evolution was man coming from an ape-like creature, not really an actual ape? Man an ape share a common ancestor. I don't find that difficult to believe at all, looking at the "ape" to man chart.

I'm glad you have an open mind about this and are willing to listen to other viewpoints. Rather than just stating that you are right because the Bible says so, you are looking for others to give you their opinions as well to help you form your own thoughts on the matter. That makes this blog more star-worthy than others written on the same subject. :-)

http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/sawaboof

"...There is a crushing guilt that comes with being a Catholic. Whether things are good or bad or you're simply... eating tacos in the park, there is always the crushing guilt."
-30 Rock-

I've come to a conclusion that for me is a balance between science and my faith. The Bible was written by man. And what was written in Genesis about the creation was told to man by God, because, quite obviously, man wasn't around until the end.

I also believe that God tells us what He wants us to know, and nothing more. So why couldn't something along the lines of evolution have been God's tool? Every natural process and cycle that exists in the world today was part of God's plan for creation, from the water cycle to phoosynthesis.

And if you think about it, would the world in biblical times have been able to comprehend evolution? If it truly was God's tool for creation, would he have told mankind way back then so that it could be recorded?

All I really know for sure is that I WON'T know for sure until I meet God in heaven and get to ask him. Until then, I'll be finding peaceful medians between science and my faith in order to prevent myself much confusion.

And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.

Yes, it is very true that what the Bible says and what your biology textbook says contradict each other on many points! If you look back in history, and read about Darwin's theory and its acceptance (or lack thereof) in society, which led to crazy things like the theory of "eugenics", you will see that people have taken this argument to extreme lengths and some have been ostracized and even killed for believing in one or the other! It's insanity! But that goes to show what a controversial topic it is...I suppose because it contradicts religion and faith, and attempts to disprove either science or religion.
But what a lot of people don't seem to realize is that it's not so "black and white"--there is ALWAYS a gray area in the middle, if you think about it. Even with this topic--because of different interpretations. First of all, the Bible is interpreted in different ways. God spoke through the disciples who wrote the Bible, but some argue that there could have existed either a "margin of error or misinterpretation" through the translation, or in a more positive sense, "varying artistic representations" of the many scribes of the Bible. What I personally have come to believe at this point, is that the book of Genesis is truth through the Word of God, but His truth can be different from what we see as "truth"--which I believe is more concrete, and less accepting of different views, deviations, or metaphorical representations. I believe the Bible does apply to our lives, but on a different level--a faith level. It's hard to explain, but you have to be able to differentiate between the two--a metaphorical, faith-driven approach to humanity found in the Bible versus how we interpret the earth through science. In this sense, if the Book of Genesis is more of a metaphor, a method of artistic conversation between God and his people (but of course don't interpret that as it's not true and doesn't apply to our lives!), then I believe God DID make the dinosaurs, the humans, the protozoans, the squiggly little things you see in microscopes--he made the whole earth--everything. Even though they don't say "God created dinosaurs on the 4th day", doesn't mean it didn't happen in the sense that we see it. :) I hope that helps a bit! Talk to your priest about this topic too--it's not challenging God or His Word or His Ways--it's just finding a way to put things together in the way you can understand them so that you can see the world in an enlightened way.

Also, to make another point, my Bible says that God created Adam first and then made Eve out of one of his ribs. Although this is different from the exact way it is put in your Bible, they both encompass the same concept, or truth--that God created Man, and further, all of the Earth!

Personally, I don't really believe in any god. I can understand the belief that people have that god created everything, and that what is in the bible is his word through his disciples, but I just can't go with it. I just can't believe in the whole, gods universe is different than our earth, and and the way he sees the physical world, and time, and space, and everything else is different and incomprehensible to us.

To me, no matter how you explain the bible, it just isn't rooted in enough literal truth for me to put my faith behind it. And if it is all metaphors, and interpretations, then what makes it so different from a normal work of fiction (besides the fact that the authors all viewed themselves as men of god) I don't want to seem like i'm making anyones faith lesser than what it is, but this is just how i feel.

This is probably not going to go over well, but i really don't like religion at all, and I think it has done more harm for our society and race as a whole than any good it could ever do.

I believe that humans evolved from a primate ancestor that is also what modern monkeys are descended from. In the evolutionary process, I see no need for god.

"Don't blame me. I voted for Kodos."
Homer Simpson

Why not both?

Well, not all scientists believe in evolution... and many scientists believe in both. Just because somebody is a scientist does not mean they are not religious.

Après la pluie le beau temps. ♥