It really is easy to talk with an evolutionist. You just have to remember a few things.
1) Anyone who disagrees with evolution is wrong…period.
2) Anyone who disagrees with evolution is either uneducated or simply doesn’t understand how science works, even if they are a scientists. (and forget the fact how science works changes all the time, at least in today’s scientific world)
3) If you are not an evolutionary scientist, you can never, EVER say anything about evolution. (even though most of the people who say this are not evolutionary scientists)
4) If you believe in a literal Genesis creation of existence, you are a dope. (Overlook the fact BILLIONS upon BILLIONS upon BILLIONS of followers of God and Christ have believed this very thing from the very beginning as God instructed us. You know, like Moses…the guy who actually conversed with God. That guy.)
5) It’s ok to talk about Adam and Eve, their actions, fears, thoughts, etc., in other threads, but when evolution is mentioned, they weren’t real people. (ignore the fact you can’t have it both ways)
6) The word “fact” is subjective and able to be used in a variety of ways to fit a variety of arguments; however, no matter how it is being used, the evolutionist’s version always takes precedence, even if it contradicts a previous usage.
7) Arguments for proof of evolution are dismissed because no one disproved it, and should be pushed aside (even though this is how science is supposed to work)
8 ) If a fossil exists, it’s transitional…period.
9) Finally, when all else fails, when all is said and done, rules #1 and #2 apply to everything. (Regardless of the knowledge, education, advancement in their fields, etc., if someone disagrees, there are big ol’ dummies.)
If you simply remember you MUST agree, things will go smoothly. If not, you are a smart as a box of rocks.
1) If I ever gave you or Gebre the impression that you are wrong for no reason, then I apologize. My impression was to show you that the basis of disagreement is a flawed one. Until now, there is no valid scientific argument against evolution. Even the quote given by Dr. Carson, I've effectively shown its flawed nature.
2) That seems to be usually the case in my experience. Nevertheless, I never shy away from the fact that science changes all the time. Very true! Any scientist of their right mind would believe so. Any theory, evolution, gravity, atomic all are theories subject to change so long as people continue to provide a scientific basis.
3) Not at all! I wish that all people can learn and say something about evolution. The problem is, it seems that science education seems to be terrible in areas of the world. Sometimes scientists forget that what they teach is not a religion or a philosophy class, and they may inadvertently destroy religion in the process of their teaching. I think you proved to me how ignorant I am about your line of work. We shouldn't shy away from the fact that many of us are indeed ignorant, and I apologize if this was ever used by me as an insulting or offending point, and not as an informative one.
4) Well, how literal will you go? Do you believe just as Moses believed, that the world was created in 6 24-hour periods? Or as St. Irenaeus believed, 6 thousand-year periods (with the world ending in the year 6000 since Adam)? Or as St. Augustine believed, instantaneously? Are we going to believe that angels copulated with humans to give birth to Nephilim? Are these really necessary for our faith? Ya, you're not a heretic, and you're more than welcome to believe in literal accounts and be Orthodox. But to say that this is important for the Orthodox faith does not sound fair. But if I gave you the impression that you are a dope, I take that back and I apologize.
5) Well, I'm not one of those people who say that. I do think it's okay to believe Adam and Eve were in fact real people. Some people don't want to believe so, and I don't attack their beliefs, but I do kindly mention that Adam and Eve were given a grace no other animal was given, the grace of incorruption and immortality, the Image of God, as St. Athanasius taught. Thus, I'm quite happy with Adam and Eve being part of a long list of genealogy of Christ. But I believe what is important is that Christ is the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and the idea of being the "son of Adam" affirms at least He is fully human.
6) Perhaps, you have read some scientists' inconsistent use of the word "fact", just as one reads inconsistent use of the word "theory." I think time and again, people try to say theory explains fact, or more importantly, theory explains what is observed.
7) Like I mentioned in numbers 1 and 2, the scientific community welcomes any research that disproves on a scientific basis anything in particular with evolution. You are right, science works by trying to disprove something, hence why all these theories should be falsifiable. The idea of falsifiability means that you can figure out a way to show that this experiment yields different results or is flawed in some way. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, most of the time, evolutionary experiments have been unable to be disproven, thus increasing its credibility as a valid theory and eventually an observation of nature, or "fact." Sometimes some papers pertaining to evolutionary theory have in fact been disproven, but that doesn't nearly put a dent on the whole theory of evolution itself. Case in point: it was Smith, a fellow evolutionist, who disproved the Nebraska man being a "man" so to speak, and even the person that found the tooth criticized the artist who drew up the "Nebraska man", as he only claimed the tooth was ape in origin, and nothing further. It's an excellent proof that disagreements and disproving papers are welcome in the scientific community, and it is never pushed aside, so long as it is done correctly.
8 ) "Transitional" is relative. I am a transition from my ancestors to my offspring. It is just a term. The question is how does this fossil fit into the "evolutionary tree"? That's usually the studies done. And if there's DNA, that's even better! So, I don't understand the criticism here.
9) Well, I'm a dummy in so many things. I don't claim to know all things. Nevertheless, I seem to know enough about this subject that it just makes sense to me, and it makes sense in how it is applied in my field of study. And the more I delve into the study of evolution, especially through genetics, which is something I'm more and more interested in getting into in my field of medicine, the more I am convinced of evolutionary science. It's truly a remarkable and engineering feat our Lord God created, and I stand in awe at His wonders.
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Topic: Creationism, Evolution, and Orthodoxy (Read 1774435 times)