6 Days Or Billions Of Years.....?

Oz

Oz

edb's hubby
Joined
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Just lately we've been disscussing with one of our friends, the theory of Evolution or the theory that God created the world. She is very religious and believes that God created everything, but personally I believe in the whole 'Big Bang' and Darwins theory of evolution.


I thought this might create an interesting topic for us all, so, what are your opinions? 😱 😱
 
well i dont believe in god and i dont really believe stuff about the big bang but the big bang is probally more realist!
 
OK, you don't believe that God created us, and you don't believe in the big bang/evolution theory, I'm just interested in knowing how you think we did all get to be here?

And you can't say you're here because your parents created you. 😛 😉
 
I believe in God, and I believe he created the earth, the universe, and everything in it. What I don't know is *how* he did it, but there are a few things about it I believe:

1) God uses natural law. That means I don't think it was just a matter of saying some words and, poof, there was the world. Was there a Big Bang? Maybe. But to me, it doesn't really matter how. A scientific explanation doesn't negate the existence of God. I believe there is order in the universe because God is a God of order.

2) The scripturial reference to "Days" doesn't neccessarily mean 24 human hours. I believe it was used to denote a phase of time. Whether it was a thousand years or a million years, it's irrelevent, except from a scientific standpoint.

The existence of man is a little more complicated. Again, I believe God uses natural means, but I don't believe in evolution, for reasons that are difficult to explain. However, I believe the each of us is a literal offspring of God, and are created in his own image. Again, I don't know exactly how it happened, but I do believe that God used natural means to achieve it.
 
Yup, I'm not at all religious, and have never believed in God. I've always believed in the theory of evolution, it just makes sense to me.
 
I believe in God, and I believe he created the earth, the universe, and everything in it. What I don't know is *how* he did it, but there are a few things about it I believe:

1) God uses natural law. That means I don't think it was just a matter of saying some words and, poof, there was the world. Was there a Big Bang? Maybe. But to me, it doesn't really matter how. A scientific explanation doesn't negate the existence of God. I believe there is order in the universe because God is a God of order.

2) The scripturial reference to "Days" doesn't neccessarily mean 24 human hours. I believe it was used to denote a phase of time. Whether it was a thousand years or a million years, it's irrelevent, except from a scientific standpoint.

The existence of man is a little more complicated. Again, I believe God uses natural means, but I don't believe in evolution, for reasons that are difficult to explain. However, I believe the each of us is a literal offspring of God, and are created in his own image. Again, I don't know exactly how it happened, but I do believe that God used natural means to achieve it.
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very wise words, though I dont believe in God

In something beyond yes, but I won't go to church for him/her/it/them/whatever!

So Billions of years!
 
I know that sometimes your teachers are wrong, and when school teaches us about the Big Bang and evolution, they're basically telling us God doesn't exist. I did, at one point (when I was younger) believe in God; I didn't know anything else and didn't have much of an opinion on anything. But now, with everything I've learned and all that I know, science is the only thing that's ever been able to prove it all to me; or at least make some kind of sense. I don't have formulas or theories or explanations that I could give you myself, but I've seen enough and learned enough to form a solid opinion. And sometimes it may just be nice to have faith, but really, how do you create the universe and let some people slip away without believing?
 
I went to a Catholic school and the sisters told us that God created earth, but in science, it was the big bang theory.

But I still believe that God created earth.

I guess this question will never be solve.
 
I went to a Catholic school and was a Catholic for 9 years, but ever since I've been at a public school (4 years now), and heard all different viewpoints, I've strayed from the Catholic religion. I don't know if I don't believe in God.. I mean, I guess I believe in a higher being of some sorts.. but I do believe in the Big Bang and evolution theory.. it makes sense, and there's pretty much proof of it. We did it last year in World History, and it made so much more sense to me than how the Catholic religion says the world was made, and how we came to be.
 
As a geologist I feel I'm entitled to comment on this topic 😀

The Earth is 4.6 Billions years old - of that there is no question. The evidence comes from many sources and fits into everything else discovered in the univer, solar system and on Earth. Anyone want to discuss this further - feel free to PM me 🙂

Evolution is now scientific fact - there is no other mechanism for deriving the vast array of creatures that exist and have existed on this planet. You may read about how scientists don't believe in Darwinian evolution (otherwise known as phylitic gradulism) but that's because they prefer punctuated equalibrium (a haitus of change followed by a rapid change) as the main mechanism. Both of these are evolution, but they differ on the detail. Genetiscist and biologists now need to clear up the molecular mechanism involved. They've not done too bad considering DNA hasn't been known about for that long yet!

To be honest, I am sick and tired of creationalists claiming the Earth is a few thousand years old and we were created by God. One can argue over what started the Big Bang (God is the favoured choice for many prominent scientists, such as Richard Faynmen), but the fact is; the Earth is 4.6 Billion years old. Every piece of evidence that creationalists use to argue their case is flawed or they ignore basic geological precepts (usually bescause they've never studied the subject!).

If you would like to know more on geological dating click here. </ quick plug 🙂>

But heres a quick list of things that have to happen over the geological timescale:
o Metamorphism of rocks - takes millions of years for the chemical reactions to occur in the solid state
o Diagenesis of sediment - sediment to rock takes time (except for limestones, which can lithify in a matter of years)
o Plate tectonics - the UK was once at the south pole, we've joined up with the US, crossed the equator, then split from the US - that has to take time
o Magnetic reversals - there have been around 300 magnetic field reversals (thats when the Earths magnetic field switches ploarity) since the Mid-Jurassic. Thats an avergae of one every 300,000 years. If the Earth were only a 1000 years old, that would be one every 33 years! Anyone known the earth's field to reverse?

Here endeth the geology lesson 😉
 
I believe in things that can actually be proven. Yes, I'm a witch, but as a witch I have the choice of believing in a higher being or just believing in nature and science, which is a big deal. I am a firm believer in the big bang theory and Darwin and I would like to know, from the religous types who believe that god created everything, where they think that dinosaurs fit in? I don't think there is any references in the Bible about them...
 
I'm lucky in that I'm confident of my religious status. I'm Jewish in the cultural sense, but I don't believe in God. Please don't take offense, but the idea of a higher being seems ridiculous to me. Maybe there is some supernatural stuff out there, I'd l ike to believe that, but I'm a firm believer in science. I believe in the big bang theory and evolution because it just makes so much sense and explains a lot of things. 🙂
 
awww rdjon you said everything i was going to. I once asked a vicar a question which was how could 6 billion people and all the animals re-popluate the entire world after Noah and his ark. His reply was to have faith in the lord or something. My grandfather always said that religion was created at a time of ignorance of science and was used by people to control the population. He also said it has caused so much trouble for example recently, ireland and Osama bin Laden, and we will be better off with out it. Although i have no problem with peoples belief as long as they dont go to the extremes and try to force it on other people.
 
Catdog, i definitely agree with you and rdjon. Religious people do not seem to realise evolution is a fact! I watched a programme about how mammals came about in the first place and it was from water creatures, highly fascinating. Never believed in god, please don't anybody take offence but i find explaining the universe due to one higher being incredibly ignorant.
 
Okay. I am not religious, however I am jewish and do believe in God.

When people say that we evolved from apes, that is totally wrong scientifically.

We did not evolve from apes. We just have a common ancestor with the apes, and somewhere down the line we evolved from them (the common link/ancestor, not ape).

People who say this Earth is only around 1000 years of age are ignorant and don't look at the facts. God created Science, and he gave it to us as one of the assets we can use to explain things around us.
God is not against Science, He does accept it. However, I personally do think it is wrong to say that God does not exist and that the universe was made by the "big-bang" theory. Okay, so who made the universe? That is something we will never know, nor do we have proof as of now that God exists. But to say that 95% of the Earth suffers mass dillusions about some sort of higher power out there is an understatement.

Do I believe in the"BIG-BANG"? No. There just isn't enough evidence supporting it. Do I believe in evolution? Yes. Those who took Biology and learned about Evolution know that there are many things supporting it.
Earth was created by God, however, Science does still exist.

There are so many evidences of Evolution.
Fossils are one. By studying fossils, scientists can compare the remains of ancient organisms with organisms living today to see whether or not organic evolution has occured (species evolving)
Geologic evolution is two. Tectonic plates, theories of pangea, deposition of sediments, calculating the age of fossils via carbon dating all support this.
Correlation is three. This is different layers of rock that show different ages of specimens of life perserved in sediment. Correlation by the comparison of rock layers can produce fair dating of fossils.

That is all there is to do with rocks and such.
Don't forget about living things.
There are so many things that support evolution, like anatomical similarities which show us structural similarities and differences among living things.
For example, if you take a look at the embryos of FISH, CHICKEN, PIG, and HUMAN, you will notice that there are similiarities between them and how they start out which suggest they do have a common ancestor.

I know I am getting off topic here, but I just want to show that my point is here that God could have created Earth and the universe in 6 days, BUT the Earth and the universe could be billions of years old forming in the process. They could coincide together.

Okay enough of the science lesson, I think Diminished 9th and rdjon said it good. That 6 days doesn't have to be neccesarily 24 hours time.
And that God created Science, meaning evolution does not always have to be the answer.
 
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