Why say in one word what can be said in 100? My feelings exactly!
Jinx

O.K. You want an answer to the original question. The world was created AS IF it had evolved. Nobody believes that Adam was created as a baby. If you had asked a scientist how old Adam was 2 minutes after he was created he would have given you an answer based on science and measurements and come up with ?? years old. If you had cut down the trees that God created would they have had rings to prove that they are years old ? Why couldn't the entire universe have been created in the same manner.
God's plan included gold, oil, and the other elements. Science will tell you how long it takes to produce these things, but they can't tell you how long it actually took.
In short there is no conflict between evolution theory and creationist belief. It is just the question of what was created, and that is not covered in the good book.

danny

woohoo! Cori you opened a can of worms girl ... hehe .. but i agree with you ... its hard... i myself am a christian also.. and to get the concept of the way we're eating is strange ...

Kevin - HIDE YOUR BRAIN youre gonna make me and Cori all bothered LOL

First, there is neither scientific nor scriptural support for this assertion. This is a perfect example of the untenable mental compromises one makes when one attempts to harmonize religion and science. One might as well argue that the universe was created two seconds ago and our "memories of the past" were divinely implanted. Cute theory, but untestable and hence, meaningless.

Second, if this proposition were true, then the creationist position is destroyed: evolution would (still) be all one would need to explain nature, regardless of the details of creation.

Third, non-Scriptural creationism is as bad for religion as Evolution, because it must deny the scriptural account of creation to harmonize with established physical facts.

Cori's angst would thus continue.

Cori,
I read your original post on this issue, and some of the other replies.

One statement you made jumped out at me, because it is myth more than fact.

You said that meat consumption depletes the planet of resources and pollutes the environment. This myth was generated by vegetarians and many people even though not vegetarian, have caught on to it.

Here is a link that will provide you with facts and debunk these myths.


http://www.westonaprice.org/myths_t...etarianism.html

The Biblical story of creation is mostly allegorical. In fact, the first 5 chapters of the book of Genesis, were not written until 500 years after the remaining books of the Pentateuch were written. In other words, the author had committed to memory, the major portions of the Pentateuch before he started writing the creation story.

Does this mean God did not create everything? No it does not. The Bible wasn't intended to be a scientific text book and it shouldn’t be treated as such. It is the story of the relationship between God and man, and how man damaged that relationship. It is the story of how God in his infinite mercy, restores that relationship with man and draws man back to himself. Through Scripture, we learn in the 10 commandments, how to avoid those things which enslave us. We learn that the key to being one with God, is to love our neighbor.

Any belief system that is not rooted in love of God and neighbor, is a false religious system. Run fast and far from it.

The tendency to diminish the authority of certain scriptures is part of the so-called “cafeteria” style of some believers – just take what you want from scripture, and ignore those parts that are difficult to stomach. It would like doing the Atkins Diet without, say, counting the carbs in beer. I’d LOVE to be able to do that, but unfortunately, it wouldn’t work. It would be an untenable compromise to the diet.

The problem Cori and I have is that such accommodations seem dishonest to us. The Bible claims to be the Word of God, virtually the same as God itself. Does it say anywhere, "oh, by the way, this book is just an allegory"?

As a non-believer, I have little trouble with a God that is a metaphor for the highest and best aspirations of humankind, but the old guy raining down lightning bolts from the platinum throne is a bit much.



Especially if that neighbor has a well-armed, jealous spouse – one might get to be “one with God” much sooner than one might hope.



...and use a serpentine path and body armor - those bullets can be deadly.

You, JimR, frighten me. I guess "loving thy neighbor" includes burning my ancestors at the stake??? Interesting form of mercy... the bible might be the "word of God" in your eyes, but it is the mind and voice of MAN that twists and manipulates it into a tool to control others. Always has, always will. HHHMMMM, what if God is a woman?

As the saying goes "the mind is like an umbrella, it only works when open."

Blessed Be,

Shelly

>The problem Cori and I have is that such accommodations seem >dishonest to us. The Bible claims to be the Word of God, virtually the >same as God itself. [/COLOR] "Inspired Word of God," not virtually the >same as God himself.

Many claim that it is "The" direct word from God," but Judaism and mainstream Christianity have always considered it the "inspired" word of God.

Muslims consider the Koran as "The" word of God, meaning directly from God himself and must be interpreted as such. We see the problems with this thinking.

Shelly,
>You, JimR, frighten me. I guess "loving thy neighbor" includes burning >my ancestors at the stake???

Where did I ever say that?

Any belief system that is not rooted in love of God and neighbor, is a false religious system. (JimR)

Well said, JimR.

minnat3

Children! Play nice!

But really folks. Jim - I read your article. I don't agree. The "commune" farm idea is great, but those sorts of farms are few and far between. The factory farms deplete our agricultural resources and leave us with lakes of manure instead.

Shelly - Have you ever seen the movie Dogma? There's a line in there - something to the effect of how Christ hates all the horrible things that are carried out in his name. Me too.

Hi Gotbeer! Hi Luddy!

***and Cori again runs away from the mess she has made***

Cori,
you said;
>Scientifically speaking, producing meat depletes the earth and it's >resources. Not to mention the horrors of pollution and the meat >markets.

Even if this is true, it has to do with bad farming practices and not a reason why humans shouldn't be eating meat. The solution is to improve farming practices.

I have very little control over farming practices. I have every bit of control over what I put into my mouth.

John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The xians I know see little or no distinction between God and God's word. They feel that to betray or doubt one is equivalent to betraying or doubting the other.

They would urge you to flee from any belief system that does not exalt the Word, regardless of how nice it was to God and neighbor.

"inspired" in the context you used can mean two very different things: 1) "Loosely based on an idea by", or 2), "Filled with divine spirit". You appear to support the former = a looser relationship of scripture to reality, one that would allow for any convenient interpretation needed. The other explanation is not yet "mainstream", but given the changing demographics of xianity, it soon will be: fundamentalism is growing at rapid rates while your more liberal school is wasting away.

As for Jewish thought on the bible...see this link.



Touting "love thy neighbor" while ignoring the rather unloving behavior of believers is the source of our anxiety over xian hypocrisy. Pat Robertson is leading an aptly-named "prayer offensive" to unseat SCOTUS Justices by calling disease down upon them. Just can't see that as loving, sorry. Even though I know such prayers are empty efforts god-wise, in the human world they might "inspire" zealots toward violent measures.