Can I have both?

[Jeremiah Ames]

1. I believe in evolution and I believe the earth is billions of years old. This is what I was taught and the
evidence is overwhelming to accept it.
2. I also believe the 7 day creation story from Genesis. It’s a beautiful story filled with incredible information.

My mind’s understanding of these things is in harmonious peace.

Does anyone else feel the same?
If not, do you think you could get there?

 

[shunyadragon]

1. I believe in evolution and I believe the earth is billions of years old. This is what I was taught and the
evidence is overwhelming to accept it.
2. I also believe the 7 day creation story from Genesis. It’s a beautiful story filled with incredible information.

My mind’s understanding of these things is in harmonious peace.

Does anyone else feel the same?
If not, do you think you could get there?

'A beautiful story filled with incredible information,' is not sufficient to believe in a literal Genesis account of Creation.

What you have presented is a radical contradiction unless you can propose a symbolic metaphysical understanding of Genesis.

You cannot have it both ways.

 

[columbus]

1. I believe in evolution and I believe the earth is billions of years old.

2. I also believe the 7 day creation story from Genesis.

As long as the word "believe" means two different things in the two sentences above, then sure you can have both.
It's when people want both, but don't recognize the difference between them, that logical problems arise.
Tom

 

[Enoch07]

I see nothing preventing both to be true.

The reason people think that both can't be true is because some people think Adam and Eve were the first 2 humans, that all other humans came from. This is a simple misunderstanding that can be rectified by close examination of Genesis.

 

[SalixIncendium]

1. I believe in evolution and I believe the earth is billions of years old. This is what I was taught and the
evidence is overwhelming to accept it.
2. I also believe the 7 day creation story from Genesis. It’s a beautiful story filled with incredible information.

My mind’s understanding of these things is in harmonious peace.

Does anyone else feel the same?
If not, do you think you could get there?

If empirical evidence and tentative hypotheses were presented that supported a seven day creation event, it would certainly merit consideration.

 

[Shiranui117]

1. I believe in evolution and I believe the earth is billions of years old. This is what I was taught and the
evidence is overwhelming to accept it.
2. I also believe the 7 day creation story from Genesis. It’s a beautiful story filled with incredible information.

My mind’s understanding of these things is in harmonious peace.

Does anyone else feel the same?
If not, do you think you could get there?

I believe the creation accounts in Genesis were meant to teach mankind spiritual truths, not empirical scientific ones. The differing orders of creation in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 (man being created after the animals vs. man being created before the animals) makes this pretty clear. Whether the world was created exactly as described in Genesis 1 or 2 or not is irrelevant to the message of the text. Evolution could be true and it would take away none of the value of the first two or three chapters--though it might rustle the jimmies of Young Earth Creationists.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

My mind’s understanding of these things is in harmonious peace.

Having a malleable and complicit mind strikes me as a rather shallow attribute.

 

[Jeremiah Ames]

I see nothing preventing both to be true.

The reason people think that both can't be true is because some people think Adam and Eve were the first 2 humans, that all other humans came from. This is a simple misunderstanding that can be rectified by close examination of Genesis.

Indeed.
Since I don’t believe there was an original human man named Adam, nor an original female human named Eve. Nor is there a pleasant garden filled with pretty trees. Nor is there a serpent.

That’s why the story is beautiful to me. I can see so much much more than two people, a tree, and a snake.

If one must take the story literally, then one should give me directions to this garden. God said he would place cherubim to guard the tree of life, and never mentioned that the garden would disappear from the earth.

 

[Jeremiah Ames]

Having a malleable and complicit mind strikes me as a rather shallow attribute.

Yet it’s the closed mind responsible for the evil in the world. imo

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Yet it’s the closed mind responsible for the evil in the world. imo

The difference between an open mind and a vacuous one is discernment.

 

[shunyadragon]

If empirical evidence and tentative hypotheses were presented that supported a seven day creation event, it would certainly merit consideration.

. . . but no such 'tentative' hypothesis is remotely presentable, therefore it does not merit consideration.

 

[shunyadragon]

Yet it’s the closed mind responsible for the evil in the world. imo

True all the subjective variable, diverse, conflicting religious world views, each believing that are right, represent closed minds par excellence, and yes this leads to a great deal of evil in the world.

 

[Enoch07]

Indeed.
Since I don’t believe there was an original human man named Adam, nor an original female human named Eve. Nor is there a pleasant garden filled with pretty trees. Nor is there a serpent.

That’s why the story is beautiful to me. I can see so much much more than two people, a tree, and a snake.

If one must take the story literally, then one should give me directions to this garden. God said he would place cherubim to guard the tree of life, and never mentioned that the garden would disappear from the earth.

I think Adam and Eve were literal people. And still I see nothing preventing the creation story and evolution from both being true.

*Eden could be a another universe or dimension entirely. See Multiverse Theory and Pocket Universe.

 

[shunyadragon]

I think Adam and Eve were literal people. And still I see nothing preventing the creation story and evolution from both being true.

*Eden could be a another universe or dimension entirely. See Multiverse Theory and Pocket Universe.

There is more to belief in in Adam and Eve in Genesis as in some way literal real people. Your consideration of the interpretation of Genesis as a opposed or in harmony with science needs more explanation.

For example; the Baha'i Faith believes that Adam and Eve are the fist people of each cycle through the many cycles of human existence possibly going back hundreds of thousands of years. Adam and Eve are symbolic of the first man and woman of a cycle of Revelation. This represents a symbolic metaphysical understanding of Genesis. As far as the science of evolution, the Baha'i Faith considers it the knowledge of science concerning the physical history of our existence, earth, life and humanity.

 

[columbus]

I think Adam and Eve were literal people. And still I see nothing preventing the creation story and evolution from both being true.

How about Harry Potter and Dumbledore? Are they and their magic true, as well as science?
If not, Why not?
Tom

 

[Enoch07]

How about Harry Potter and Dumbledore? Are they and their magic true, as well as science?
If not, Why not?
Tom

You tell me. If you are the one asserting it as so. Burden of proof of on you the asserter.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

1. I believe in evolution and I believe the earth is billions of years old. This is what I was taught and the
evidence is overwhelming to accept it.
2. I also believe the 7 day creation story from Genesis. It’s a beautiful story filled with incredible information.

My mind’s understanding of these things is in harmonious peace.

Does anyone else feel the same?
If not, do you think you could get there?

You can believe that a story is beautiful without thinking that it’s factually true.

 

[columbus]

You tell me. If you are the one asserting it as so. Burden of proof of on you the asserter.

I didn't assert anything. I asked you questions.
Notice the punctuation marks.
Tom

 

[Enoch07]

I didn't assert anything. I asked you questions.
Notice the punctuation marks.
Tom

Your question is nonsensical. So not sure how I can help you.

 

[columbus]

Your question is nonsensical. So not sure how I can help you.

You made this assertion:

I think Adam and Eve were literal people. And still I see nothing preventing the creation story and evolution from both being true.

*Eden could be a another universe or dimension entirely. See Multiverse Theory and Pocket Universe.

I asked you about it.
I will ask again. Why do you believe that, but not Harry Potter?
Tom