What's your Religion?

But the Earth and the heavens were in fact made in one day according to the Bible. Then in the following 5 days God added animals, humans, plants, etc.

 

Again, with a day not referring to a literal 24 hour period of time, but an indeterminate period of time.

http://www.godandscience.org/youngearth/yom_with_number.pdf

 

Docbrown, Thanks again for your contributions to this thread. I am curios if you ever struggle with your faith. You seem to have strong convictions about your religion,. Is this something you were brought up with, or something you found on your own? Personally, I don't understand how a person cant question or have doubts.

 

Glad to be a part of the conversation - I have enjoyed it. As for struggling with my faith, well, it is more of a struggle to work on doing what is right. I wish I could say that when someone cuts me off in traffic that I didn't get mad and think or say something I shouldn't or a dozen other things that I should have done and didn't or shouldn't have done and did.

I was raised in a religious household in one of the mainstream religions, but saw a great deal of hypocrisy. Later in life I had the opportunity to sit down with someone that I respect and have them show me what the Bible actually said -without all of the theological baggage and give, give, give 'til it hurts money grubbing that is so common today.

That said, I do have a deep respect and faith in God and the Bible. From time to time I have to adjust my views as something new comes to light, but the basic teachings that I have discussed have not changed in a number of years. Faith is not something that we just have, it is something that is built. Hebrews 11:1 says " 1Now faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not." (Douay). Some see animals, plants and humans as examples of evolution. I see them as evidence of a creator that cares enough to give us the ability to taste, see in color and really enjoy life. We could have been put here as mere automatons eating algae and groping about in the dark, but we were not.

I do not claim to know it all. Indeed, the longer I am alive and the more I learn, the more I realize that I do not know. But in this one thing I am convinced - there is a creator, he cares dearly for mankind, he wants what is best for us and will act in our behalf. When he does this is up to him - I intend to be waiting patiently for him or hope to be brought back to life in the resurrection if I do not make it until then.

 

And this is another example of why I don't believe. Both of you appear to be very religious and are talking about the same thing. And yet, you say opposite things.

One says the 6 day period was literally 6 24-hr periods, while the other one says a day was an indeterminate amount of time.

 

The link cited in my post showed how ideas can be lost in translation. Something as simple as a "the" or an "a" in the original language can alter the meaning if not translated correctly. Just because two people disagree does not mean that both are wrong. Evolutionists disagree on details of how life "evolved" - does that mean that you will discard that theory on those grounds?

 

It's a difference in interpretation that is how one views the words. There are terms that describe it; exegesis and eisegesis. With exegesis, you examine the words in light of other examples throughout the text.

With eisegesis, you come with a worldview and interpret the text in light of that view. I believe the day-age theory is a case of the later. They try to interpret it based on their own beliefs ("It can't be a 24 hour period because we know it took longer").

I believe that you should read it as it was written and how early believers would have interpreted it. There are other words that can connote a long period of time which were not used in this passage. The view of long ages representing the days is recent (17th century). Prior to that time, creation days were always viewed as a literal day.

But despite our differences in what "day" means in the Genesis account, we probably both believe very similarly in God's purpose and the necessity of our redemption through Jesus.

I wouldn't let a disagreement between two believers disuade you.

 

Thought I would head this one off by saying that I doubt anyone here thinks this guy is right - either in his prediction or otherwise.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/18/deferred-doomsday-due-friday-or-not/?test=faces

 

I have zero faith in any of the doomsday predictions.

 

So do you reject any science that attempts to put an age on the world that is more than say 6000 years? What is your belief of the age of the earth?

One of our pot stirrers, Hoosiertaco attempts to use science to claim that there is solid proof that the earth is only 4500 years old somehow because of an estimate of how Niagra Falls has eroded. He's been absent on this for some time after openly .

 

He's still posting in the Evolution vs Creation thread:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/of...-creationism-vs-evolution-67.html#post3868724

I believe in a young earth. I don't necessarily reject their methods for dating, I just think some of the assumptions are wrong. For example, I understand the science of radiometric decay and how they measure the halflife age of a rock by comparing the ratio of decayed material vs parent material. Their assumption is that all of the child element was originally wholly the parent material.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgYDE-mW7Nw

 

Lol? Damn the regular Flo beats the hell outta that one.

 

religion does nothing but lead to war. religion is mad made. God is the real deal

 

what really irks me is that i actually work with a guy who thinks the world is only 6,000 years old????? are you serious!?!?!?!?!

 

I am athiest but was raised as a Deciple of Christ. I am glad I deconverted. I felt a great sense of freedom and a weight off my shoulders. My whole family is christian though so this leads to family conflict unfortunately. I wish they would respect my decision but only my mom does

 

So if I understand you right, you are basically saying that you DO believe in the Big Bang (or something very similar) and the scientific explaination of how stars, planets, etc form but that your god created that bang. Am I correct or misunderstanding?

 

I agree. I tried to set a boundary to basically agree to disagree but my brother who has become much more of a Jesus freak over the past year keeps trying to show me reasons why God exists or why intelligent design is right or this or that.I however do not ever start a conversation trying to show him how evolution is right or any other religious type topic. Just wish the respect I show would be reciprocated a little.

 

Just out of curiosity, what are his reasons for both?

 

I was raised southern Baptist and am now Atheist. I generally let things go but if my mom or any other family member challenges me on my beliefs I will lay into them too about the absurdity of the bible, the previous gods and religions christianity is based upon and so forth. I never initiate an argument but I'll finish one with logic and facts.