Theists: What is your stance on evolution?

[Pat Mustard]

Back when I was still a Christian I knew very little about evolution because other Christians have done a good job at convincing me it wasn't worth the time to look into. I find it interesting that even the Catholic Church accepts Evolution as a fact, but of course they put God at the front of it as being the cause for everything and the events of evolution just being the explanation even though this greatly contradicts their bible. But at least they're willing to acknowledge evolution to an extent. That's progress right?

A long time ago I watched a debunk video at a church that mentioned that dinosaurs are briefly mentioned three times in the bible. I cannot remember where, but they noted three examples of dinosaurs, which are probably seldom descriptions of random beasts they just believe are dinosaurs. But there are certain Christians that believe dinosaurs lived at the same time as man and were killed off by man after the Fall of Man in Eden.

Hi T.J. 
Like you, I learned nothing of evolution from Christians. I only heard of it in grade school. My mother taught me how to be a critical thinker, so I questioned it even then. Most of the scriptures I know of that mention what could be dinosaurs are in the Book of Job. Chapters 40 and 41 reference a Behemoth and a Leviathan (Job 40:15, 41:1). There are also a few others sprinkled in Psalm 104 and Revelation 13. Just finished reading a book called Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design. Experts explain each perspective and its subsequent theory, then each theorist responds, followed by a rejoinder by the original theorist. Definitely worth a read to gain an understanding of each theory and to see how science and scripture can be complementary.

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Young Earth Creationism doesn't work because you need vast amounts of time for various physical processes to have occurred during. Trying to get them to work quickly requires violating the fundamental forces of the universe and/or a deity that's a liar.

Old Earth Creationism doesn't work because humans appear on the scene only recently. Trying to create them at some dim time in the past and hold them static over geological time without a single fossil gets ridiculous. More so when you try and explain away all those pesky similarities we share with the chimps and our other primate cousins. The entire fossil record ends up a nasty joke and the less said about genetic phylogeny the better.

Intelligent Design doesn't work because it's just creationism of one form or another wearing a fake moustache and suffers the same flaws.

Theistic Evolution doesn't work because it requires a god that ignores millions of years of barbarity and suffering before finally doing anything about it, and then only for a few paleolithic goat herders in the Sinai Penninsula.

There's an interesting book on each of these theories called Four Views on Creation, Evolution and Intelligent Design. Each theorist offers his or her perspective, followed by responses from each of the opposing theorists, followed by a rejoinder. The format of the book makes it a provoking read. It explains the nuances of each theory and allows the reader to understand how they each became popular enough to become "a thing." Unreservedly, science and scripture can work in tandem. You should check it out.

Your mother did an awful job then, because all you are is a regurgitator of long debunked bullshit.