With respect to creation-evolution discussion Christians take various stand. All Christians believe that God is the creator and sustainer. There is, however, difference of opinion on how God has brought about his creation and how God sustains/conserves the world. It is little unfortunate that some Christians believe that their position is the only true Christian position and others have compromised.
Creationism is that branch which includes belief that the earth was created some 6,000 years ago. They would interpret Genesis text of the Bible in a very literalistic sense. They deny that God would have used evolutionary process to create the world. They claim that this understanding is derived both from the Bible as well as Science. Ken Ham, Jonathan Sarfati, Henry Morris, Carl Wieland, John MacArthur et al are some names who belong to this camp. This group is also popularly called Young Earth Creationist.
Intelligent Design is that branch which argues that certain features of the organism and universe are best explained by an intelligent cause. They do not commit themselves to the idea that this designer could be god. They argue that certain organism like bacterial flaggelum cannot come about by Darwinian mechanism of mutation and natural selection. William Dembski, Phillip Johnson, Stephen Meyer et all key proponent of the school.
Biologos is that school that believes life, bio, comes through the word, logos. ( The word was with God and the word was God). They are committed to the idea that God is the creator and that all features of the universe is designed by God. The design of the world/organism could have come about through Darwinian mechanism mutation and natural selection. Whether it is through such mechanism or not, let Science settle it is their argument. They do understand the Genesis text in literalistic sense following the traditional interpretative principle of Origen/Augustin et al. Francis Collins, Darrel Falk, Denis Alexander et would belong to this camp.
I disagree with the Creationist interpretation of the Genesis text. I also find it so hard to believe that the earth is just some 6,000 years old only. But then Creationist will argue that the Bible says so and Science does not provide evidences that the earth is older than 6,000 years old. Formation of petroleum, stars, mountains etc do not provide sufficient evidences for old earth, according to the group.
Intelligent Design folks split creation into two tier: those which can be explained only by inferring a designer and those that need not infer to a designer. So that God leaves mark only in certain organism and features of the universe. Those that can be explained through natural mechanism do not bear fingerprint of God. Of course, this designer could be an alien too. This need not be God.
To me the position which does justice to the Bible as well as to Science is Biologos. They believe that “the heavens declare the glory of the living God”. Not one part of the creation is there which is not created by God. Evolution seems to be right, but leave it to Science to determine whether it’s true or not. What we are concerned is that God is the creator. This is very much in echoing what Billy Graham, John Stott et all have said.
Creationism is that branch which includes belief that the earth was created some 6,000 years ago. They would interpret Genesis text of the Bible in a very literalistic sense. They deny that God would have used evolutionary process to create the world. They claim that this understanding is derived both from the Bible as well as Science. Ken Ham, Jonathan Sarfati, Henry Morris, Carl Wieland, John MacArthur et al are some names who belong to this camp. This group is also popularly called Young Earth Creationist.
Intelligent Design is that branch which argues that certain features of the organism and universe are best explained by an intelligent cause. They do not commit themselves to the idea that this designer could be god. They argue that certain organism like bacterial flaggelum cannot come about by Darwinian mechanism of mutation and natural selection. William Dembski, Phillip Johnson, Stephen Meyer et all key proponent of the school.
Biologos is that school that believes life, bio, comes through the word, logos. ( The word was with God and the word was God). They are committed to the idea that God is the creator and that all features of the universe is designed by God. The design of the world/organism could have come about through Darwinian mechanism mutation and natural selection. Whether it is through such mechanism or not, let Science settle it is their argument. They do understand the Genesis text in literalistic sense following the traditional interpretative principle of Origen/Augustin et al. Francis Collins, Darrel Falk, Denis Alexander et would belong to this camp.
I disagree with the Creationist interpretation of the Genesis text. I also find it so hard to believe that the earth is just some 6,000 years old only. But then Creationist will argue that the Bible says so and Science does not provide evidences that the earth is older than 6,000 years old. Formation of petroleum, stars, mountains etc do not provide sufficient evidences for old earth, according to the group.
Intelligent Design folks split creation into two tier: those which can be explained only by inferring a designer and those that need not infer to a designer. So that God leaves mark only in certain organism and features of the universe. Those that can be explained through natural mechanism do not bear fingerprint of God. Of course, this designer could be an alien too. This need not be God.
To me the position which does justice to the Bible as well as to Science is Biologos. They believe that “the heavens declare the glory of the living God”. Not one part of the creation is there which is not created by God. Evolution seems to be right, but leave it to Science to determine whether it’s true or not. What we are concerned is that God is the creator. This is very much in echoing what Billy Graham, John Stott et all have said.
Evolution seems to be right, but leave it to Science to determine whether it’s true or not.
ReplyDeleteEvolution is true. There's too much evidence for a sane person to deny it.
Unfortunately for people who don't want to recover from their Christian disease, their god-of-the-gaps has run out of gaps. For example, the magic god fairy did not have anything to do with the history of life. From the development of the first simple living cells, to the evolution of every species living today, the god fairy was not needed for any of it. The magic fairy did not invent evolution, it did not use evolution, and it did not guide evolution. Mr. God's magic wand is not a mechanism of any natural process.
http://darwin-killed-god.blogspot.com/
Human Ape, u rightly pointed out the 'god-of-the-gaps' used by som christians and said evolution should be left to science for verification through evidences. But in the next instance, u r crossing the boundary you set urself to use scientific evidences to disprove God
ReplyDelete@ Human ape,
ReplyDeleteThe God Bible tells about is not someone who pops out to fill the gap. He very much use the natural law to fulfill his purposes. Just because the origin of species has been explained through natural mechanism that does not at all deny the hand of God in the process. I don't believe in 'god-of-the-gap'.