Evolution & Sin

[Cynic]

I am quite open-minded regarding the evolution-creation debate. I believe Scripture to be a trustworthy witness, but I am willing to accept that Gen 1-3 should not be read as a historical-scientific account in the Western tradition. However, with regard to taking on board some/all aspects of evolutionary theory, I have one BIG stumbling block (this will only make sense to Christians who are committed to the Bible as Word of God): if evolution, then how did sin come into the world?

It seems to me that, apart from teaching us that God is creator, Gen also tells us that mankind skewed up something that was good. It is they who brought corruption into creation. If man & woman were placed in an already corrupt world, how can they be held accountable for sin? But, evolution implies much death and destruction (inseparable from sin) before the appearance of humanity.

Is there an evolutionist believer out there who can square this circle for me?

G.

You can’t really fit evolution and the Story of Genesis together. They are incompatible (IMO), because they are explanations that highly contrast one another.

Neither good nor evil exists objectively.
The bad smell from a rotten egg does not exist objectively. Your brain has evolved to react to those molecules, there really is no smell. I would say similarly, our moral assessments are evolved mechanisms. The ability to percieve something as evil, is a response to something hostile. The values that are placed (i.e. bad smell, evil) are entirely subjective.

It's called a reification fallacy. Sin is a judgment; it came from our capacity to judge.

Just as Deut 32. 8 says, it comes from the capacity to judge.

Moral decisions involve reasoning, in conflict with emotional responses. "Temptation" is an emotional (and instinctive) response to a stimuli. The brain often does duel processing, where information is sent to both cognitive centers and emotional centers of the brain. Moral assessments involve both of these areas. In an extensive study, criminals were found to generally have less activity in the frontal lobe, where conscious thought takes place (I‘m sorry, but I read this a while ago and I forgot the source). This might show how cognition is significant in determining acceptable and inacceptible behavior. Most people attempt to reason when facing moral dilemma.

All traits have come about through the evolutionary process, due to situations in which such traits would have improved our survivability in a rapidly changing, hostile environment. What we are, is the outcome of evolution, the result of serendipitous events and a changing environment. The development of larger braincases, of both cognitive and creative capacity, would have allowed such concepts as sin to arise. Creativity, the ability to think abstractly, is a trait that increases survivability, given the ability to improvise in hostile environments.

Also, cohesion between organisms of similar and dissimilar species, improves survivability. Without moral behavior, there would be a lack in cohesiveness.

(Sorry if this was written sloppy)

Anyways, sin is just a concept of something, of breaking a code (God's laws). It's not exactly accurate, (IMO). We all make mistakes, but we can take advantage by using the learning process (i.e. cognition).

According to the bible, sin began when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. In evolution, there's no forbidden fruit, and the only thing setting laws is nature.

Oh, and death began since life first formed (and it's not in the consequence of breaking some law). There are fossil remains dating back before humans walked the earth.