Exploration and Emergence Institute 2003

Forum 6 - God and Evolution

"God is the creator of all things"
Commission on Creation of the American Scientific Affiliation

"The theory of evolution has become the central unifying concept of biology and is a critical component of many scientific disciplines"

National Academy of Science

Write briefly in the forum area whatever thoughts/ideas/stories these two quotes trigger in your mind (Institute Session 7; see Forum 7 for further discussion.)


Name:  Sylvia
Username:  sylacoop@aol.com
Subject:  Evolution
Date:  2003-07-24 10:19:58
Message Id:  6138
Comments:
"God is the center of all things!" says it all for me. I listen to other theories and indeed often find them interesting, but I still return to
my belief of God being the center of it all!
Name:  Regina
Username:  reginatoscani@hotmail.com
Subject:  Creation vs. evolution
Date:  2003-07-24 10:21:15
Message Id:  6139
Comments:
I need to believe in a God that was there before the world began, is here now, and will be there when the worlds ends. That does not exclude evolution however. God gave is "free will". I can imagine that God gave the natural world "free will" and we call it evolution. The evolution of man incorporates both types of free wills. Man can choose to pollute his world and this in turns affects the evolution (not only of man's evolution but the entire world's.
Name:  Wendy
Username:  simplyMarrvelous@yahoo.com
Subject:  Creation
Date:  2003-07-24 10:21:31
Message Id:  6140
Comments:
I believe in the creation theory.
It has been past onto me and I'm sharing this same info with the child.
I gives me a certain comfort level, a feeling of 'The world isn't left to chance', and my comfort group shares this befief in the Creation Theory.
Name:  Marita
Username:  Anonymous
Subject:  Evolution
Date:  2003-07-24 10:22:14
Message Id:  6141
Comments:
The theory of evolution can obviously account for many phenomena in nature. Other phenomena appear to be too complicated on the face of it to be explained by mere evolutionary processes alone. But given that all phenomena could be explained this way the possibility that a "Creator" may have set things up for evolution to take place is not necessarily ruled out. My problem always comes back to who made the Creator? and who made his Creator? , etc., etc. ....?
Name:  
Username:  Anonymous
Subject:  Evolution
Date:  2003-07-24 10:22:54
Message Id:  6142
Comments:
There's a theory called "dependent origination" which supposes that everything arises from interaction between all things, without anything beiing in control. The illusion of control comes from rules that seem to govern interactions. According to this theory, the rules are simply the sum of observations about the interactions. We understand much more about electricity today that people living three hundred or a thousand years ago did. But electricity happens because of interactions between things.
This theory of dependent origination is useful, as is the more modern theory of evolution, in promoting harmony between people and nature because it delineates the danger of trying to change or eliminate any of the variables that interact with each other.
Name:  Dawn
Username:  Anonymous
Subject:  Is, was, and always will be. . .
Date:  2003-07-24 10:23:00
Message Id:  6143
Comments:
I DO believe that God is the creator of ALL things. However, the scientific world does put much emphasis on evolution and its link to everything. I do think that people have evolved in their thinking and adaptability to live in certain areas-- I do not believe that man evolved from an animal into a higher order thinking man(even though man does sometimes act like an animal). I believe in the evolution in the sense of change emotionally, spiritually, and even physically to a point. Change is inevitable. Man is too fascinated by finding answers that change will occur evertime a "new" answer is found. The answer has never changed but we look for it anyway.How do the trees know what to do or how to grow--GOD. Why does the weather behave the way it does--GOD. Why do ants behave in a manner that appears disorganized-- GOD. God is, was, and always will be in charge and only the plants and animals are willing to accept this, while man is still looking for answers with evolution.
Name:  Sheila Michael
Username:  Anonymous
Subject:  Evolution
Date:  2003-07-24 10:23:02
Message Id:  6144
Comments:
Evolution brings to mind the movie, "Inherit the Wind", and the "Scopes Monkey Trial". Can you dispel evolution? Scientist do not look for approval in their behavior, they observe, discover and explore. There is room for traditional values and scientific discovery. ?Do you think about the things--you do think about"?
Name:  Lois
Username:  Anonymous
Subject:  Evolution
Date:  2003-07-24 10:23:34
Message Id:  6145
Comments:
God is the creator of all living ( both animals and humans), and he given man the responsibiltiy to rule over rule over his cration.This is my religious beliefs from the holy Scriptures.
Although man was made from the dust of the earth in his earlier stage, and born of a woman, I donot believe in the big boom theory that I evolved from some type animal(ape),or whatever. Debatable ! Yes!But I will settle my first theory.
Name:  marlene
Username:  marlene3k@aol.com
Subject:  evolution
Date:  2003-07-24 10:23:39
Message Id:  6146
Comments:
Evolution......is the one word that has been the cause for much debate. My understanding of of the word as it relates to science is to move beyond something based on various factors. It means moving towards change based on individual needs, and life styles.
Name:  Geraldine Brown
Username:  brownthankyou@aol.com
Subject:  Habits Of Mind
Date:  2003-07-24 10:24:23
Message Id:  6147
Comments:
The first comment, I do agree with based on my religious beleifs. The second comment, I beleive that the world is constantly changing, and because of that Scientist are doing lots of experimenting, and making tons and tons of observations some beleivable and some we may raise eyebrows about ,however it is changing the course of how we live and think.
Name:  Randal Holly
Username:  kr092389@aol.com
Subject:  Creationism versus Evolution
Date:  2003-07-24 10:24:24
Message Id:  6148
Comments:
I haven't yet made full subscription to either theories, and it has been thirty nine years. What I can admit is that over time I have continued to swing further away from the ideals of creationism. I simply have found that theory too reliant on principles that has wrecked more havoc on this planet than it perhaps has deserved.
Name:  Wendy
Username:  simplyMarrvelous@yahoo.com
Subject:  Evolution
Date:  2003-07-24 10:25:20
Message Id:  6149
Comments:
Ahhh, Evolution.

The theory is here. I choose not to believe in this theory inately.

My choice is to choose which segments I'll agree with.


Name:  
Username:  Anonymous
Subject:  
Date:  2003-07-24 10:27:51
Message Id:  6150
Comments:
God is the creator of all things; however man has decided to help thus the chaos and disorder.

Evolution, no way. Scientists can research from now until the end of time. The true is they have a plan therefore they plant they variables and set out to prove their theory. Only the honest ones will say they set things up so that the outcome will be what they want it to be. Nothing just happens, God is the creator with the master plan.


Name:  Anne Dalke
Username:  adalke@brynmawr.edu
Subject:  Refusing the Binary
Date:  2003-07-24 10:28:21
Message Id:  6152
Comments:

This feels a little like a set-up: an opposition, an argument that (in Regina's terms) really doesn't have to be a competition w/ one view winning out. As the Commission on Creation goes on to say, "God is continually creating." (Ps 104:29-30).

I believe in "God," and I "believe" in evolution. "God" for me means growth and change, exploration and emergence. As Sharon Burgmayer and I say on the home page of Science and Spirit, "the exploratory seeking that Quakers call 'continuing revelation,' the process of constantly 'testing' in a social context, against what others know, what one knows oneself, against new experience and new information...are activities that, ideally, can be practiced in both the religious and the intellectual realms."

There's no contest.


Name:  JK Johnston-Malin
Username:  malinb1@yahoo.com
Subject:  Evolution
Date:  2003-07-24 10:28:23
Message Id:  6153
Comments:
The first quote is a religious tenet of the Judao-Chrisitian view of how life on earth originated. It feels familiar and very reassuring. A deep part of me feels comfortable with it. It is not an emergent idea. Life comes from the Top down.

Evolution is a scientific guess or explanation of how life on earth originated. I think it addresses questions about the origin and variety of life in a way I can think about,question, suggest, and interact with. A part of me is very comfortable with it. It is an emergent idea. Life emminates from the bottom up. Novelty is part of the process. See what works, change or get rid of what does not.


Name:  Antoinette
Username:  tonisisco@aol.com
Subject:  Creation and ev.
Date:  2003-07-24 10:30:45
Message Id:  6154
Comments:
Although we have had many discussions about the theory that from randomness can develop order. I believe the scriptural account from Genesis, that says God created the heavens and the Earth. How the Earth looked when he created it, I do not know. I strongly believe that the reason we see similar paterns in plant, animal, and everrything else, is not a process of survival of the fittest, yet I believe God created it all and thing do change over time. Evolution is a story that is one way of explaining what we see. It is however a theory.
Name:  brian malin
Username:  malinb1@yahoo.com
Subject:  evolution
Date:  2003-07-24 10:42:51
Message Id:  6155
Comments:
The first quote on God basicly indicates that there was a startring point from which all things including behaviors begin.
the first quote on god basicly indicates that there was a starting point for all things including behaviors. After that the universe can operate on it's own. Evolution basicly talks to the details and doesn't worry as much on the very first initial starting point.


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