What's your Religion?

So I assume what you are saying is that she lacks faith? If that is your logic, why go to work to earn money for food, why fill my truck up with gas, why do ANYTHING that requires effort? If we have faith, God should take care of all of that for us right? I have no doubt that he can, but nowhere in the bible does it say that we don't have to work or take any responsibility for our well being, a lot of the disciples were fisherman for crying out loud. Why fish?
2 Thessalonians 3:10-11 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.
Jesus sent manna from heaven at one point for the people to eat, yet eventually even they turned their backs on him. Man always thinks we know better than God. He has given us the knowledge of science yet we use that knowledge to try and explain away God. It's sad really that he loves us so much but we continually think that we don't need him or that we know better than him.
My wife sees a cell and sees design, many other people see random chance. She doesn't lack faith in who God is and what he can do, that I can promise you.
By the way, I think it's a very noble thing that you do going with your wife to church. Not just because it is church but because you are doing something for your wife out of the kindness of your heart. That is severely lacking in our society today. You may sit and squirm or yawn or be bored out of your mind but at least she sees you doing something for her and that is a good thing.

 

Who is knocking science? Certainly not I! I am alive today because of medical science. I happily take advantage of medical science every day. I take medications on a daily basis. Without them, I would be dead in a matter of weeks. No contradiction there. In fact Christians have often been on the forefront of using technology. Scriptures (as well as other writings) were originally on scrolls. Christians were among the very first to use the codex as well as the printing press to print Bibles.

When Adam and Eve told God they didn't need him, the sentence of Death was passed (Adam and Eve had been warned this was the penalty so it was not a capricious act) and death became part of human life. That was not how things were originally, but is a result of man's disobedience. Until the time God decides to act, death will continue to be a part of human life. If I am sick, I go to the doctor. When the day comes that there is nothing that can be done, I will make the most of the time I have left and be confident in the promise of the resurrection. So to answer your question, I want the best medical care I can get, but when the time comes, I want my creator because he can give me life back...no scientist has ever been able to prevent the eventuality of death or return someone to life after they have died (CPR and defibrillators excepted - I am talking actually gone). And I don't thump the Bible, I read it. Something that I would encourage anyone, even a devout atheist, to do, if for no other reason than to have the facts.

Proven science and faith in God can coexist quite well. The speed of light, speed of sound, mass of different elements, can all be quantified and are scientific fact. The interpretation of fossils is highly subjective and is subject to wild change throughout time and has even at times been shown to be fraudulent (Piltdown man anyone?).

 

The Genesis account you refer to regarding light and light sources has been beat to death. The earth would have likely had a dense cloud layer during its early formation, so diffused light would have been visible, but the sources of that light would not have been discernible. By "Day 4", the luminaries would have been discernible as distinct entities. The word for light used for "Day1" was "ohr" meaning light in a general sense. The word for light used in "Day 4" was ma'ohr which is light sources. So light in general could be seen on "Day 1" but by "Day 4" the actual source of the light could be seen.

The Bible does not claim to be a science text book, so you will not find a dissertation on the theory of relativity, or string theory. What we do find is a letter from a loving creator who was wronged by the first humans that he created but still left the door opened for their descendants to regain a relationship with him.

 

Nope. We did not always have computers. Once upon a time, some silicon, gold and steal got together and decided to change into a computer so that humans could quadruple their work load while sitting at a desk and getting fat and die of coronary artery disease. One day, very soon, they will take over the world and will worship their creator - oh wait, that's not possible, because they will eventually believe that they just sprang into being because just the right conditions happened for them to evolve

Sorry, couldn't resist that one.

Really though, man has the ability to create (a quality I believe was endowed to them by their creator - we were created in his image). But the example of a computer is perfect! The computer did not design itself nor did it just spring into existence on its own. It had a designer (or designers).

Yes, we change. Better nutrition has resulted in the human race growing in size, but at the end of it a man is still a man not Wolverine, Professor X or Cyclops.

 

...the feelings and intentions are mutual

 

I was raised in a presbitarian (assemblys of god) curch. I believe there is a heaven and hell and there is a God and a devil. i believe the earth was created and all that good stuff. But i feel like i only believe these things because thats how i was raised. I lost 8 close family members in 6.5 years. that will really challenge your faith. after my mom died it was pretty much the last straw for me.

 

I'm pretty sure this is why most people have faith. They were raised that way by their parents, and they never knew any different. Now the thought of their belief system being incorrect scares them. No amount of evidence or data can cause them to have doubt in something they have believed since they were born.

 

That can work both ways. There are individuals that once had faith in God but now do not and some who were atheist but now believe in God.

 

I know many people (myself included) who were raised in a religious household, and are now devout atheists. I cannot say I know anyone who understood science and evolution, and is now religious.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/František_Vyskočil

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110824125710AATnUJR

Not too hard to find examples.

 

I do. He fits your description exactly. I work with him. He's quite interesting.....and knowledgable about creation, evolution, and science, which I see as invaluable to be able to understand what we truly believe.

 

Sorry, missed this one until just now. Yes, there are variations in size between animals. However it is laughable to say that something the size of an elephant mutated into something the size of a house cat and then morphed back into something the size of a horse. You don't breed a Dachshund with a Mastiff.

Selective breeding does work. Traits can be bred into animals in this manner, but these are not "mutations" but the enhancement of already existent traits in an already existing animal and they are not the creation of an entirely new species. Never said there was not variety within a kind of animal. Let's take your illustration one step further: If the dogs represent the life form that is going to change, who does the breeder represent?

 

I don't know.... None of it just adds up to me anymore. Ever since I began to question religion, it started to not make sense and not add up.

God used to show himself, intervene and talk with people. But only those in the very beginning of the Bible, or at the very beginning of time. He gets the world started, talks to Adam and Eve, then disappears for a while until he chooses a random person to talk to (Jesus), gets him to preach his ways, then disappears. The world is left to run on autopilot. Now, he's not going to show himself, but we're supposed to live according to his way. We're only left with this book that describes the people in the past that did and did not live according to his way, and we're supposed to read it, interpret it and live our life according to it.

Now, I don't mean any offense whatsoever, but if any one of you church goers met someone saying he talks to god the same way Jesus did, and went around trying to preach just like Jesus did, you'd probably think he has a few screws loose and steer clear of him and he'd ultimately be psychologically evaluated.

 

I was referring to people I have actually met, being friends or family.

 

So you believe that immediate changes can be made in a species that belong to the same family and have the same general physical characteristics, but you don't believe those physical characteristics can be changed throughout the course of time out of necessity to adapt to the environment and so on ???

 

I have met some personally also - just wanted to provide some documentation so that it was not just my word on it. Also thought that since one of them was a renowned scientist it might show that it is not just uneducated individuals that feel this way.

 

You do realize that many diseases that humans have come from genetic mutations? Down syndrome, klinfelters, Hemophilia, etc. Mutations absolutely occur.

 

Adaptation yes - an animal gets larger a color becomes more dominant, etc. But not a change from a dog to a cat.

 

I don't agree with this.... The reason for all those things, is due to many years of mathematicians trying to explain every event in terms of numbers. There's a name for people that try to relate everything to numbers and math, I forget the term. Not everything can be, but most of it can, and that is how the laws of science were developed.

 

He believes in evolution because evidence supports it. I respect that.

He believes in God because a professor told him to read the Bible. He offers no evidence otherwise to support it. That is no different than anyone else who believes in God.