Nation's Top Christian Geneticist Defends God and Evolution

aepling »

Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:43 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

To those who believe that God "could have created everything in 5 minutes", I agree, but I have to ask why would He? Why would God deliberately violate the very physical laws he created to control the universe? He has all the time in the world anyway. I have always felt that given a choice between a miraculous solution or a "natural" solution to a problem, He would prefer the natural one, to one that requires a "supernatural" force. People are different. They prefer a miracle to a natural explanation. Whats the difference to God? He created and is responsible for them all, and is still in control. Dr. Francis Collins is "right on" in his beliefs.

Cheisa »

Fri May 29, 2009 9:59 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

Drj, I don't understand why you think that for God to do creation "right" He had to do it fast. What do we know of God's plan and His reason for doing what He does? If God in His infinite wisdom decides that life should be created over billions of years, them that must be the best way, God's way. Who are we to set God's timetable?

Additionally, what a billion years to God Who is eternal? He doesn't deal on our limited concept of time. Maybe a billion years is the "day" they talk about in Genesis. Only God knows.

Collins has this concept of God and science exactly right. He recognizes God in science and doesn't set up a straw man to stand opposed to faith. He considers science good and therefore, the work of God that lets us understand His creation better. It is unfortunate that some christians pigeonhole themselves where they can't accept God and science. It's a false choice, God or science. When we realize that the lesson of Genesis is that God is the Creator, the details are irrelevant. Genesis was never meant to describe how God created the universe, only that He did.

dvyfacs »

Sun Jun 01, 2008 6:40 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

The queston as I see it, is not could God have created the world in 5 minutes or 144 hours? but does the evidence that we have point to Him doing that? I also believe He could have ceated the world in 5 minutes, but we have no evidence that He did. Whether we believe that He created the world in six 24 hour days rests on our interpretation of what the word "day" means in this chapter. The Hebrew word "yom" is used in several different ways in the Old Testament. I personally have a little difficulty understanding the word "yom" to mean a 24 hour day before the account says the sun was created, since we define a 24 hour day in terms of the rotation of the earth in relationship toward the sun. The Genesis account relates the creation of the sun and the moon as occuring on the fourth "day." I believe and accept it as true, I just don't think it is speaking of cosmologcial creative events occuring in 24 hour periods. It is telling about the "who?" and the "why?" of creation.
There is a lot of fossil evidence that points toward some sort of old earth explanation, be it old earth creationism, staged creation or theistic evolution. Of course, God could have left these clues as a distraction or red herring, but that doesn't seem to fit with a God of truth that we read of in Scripture. He is powerful enough to have done it, but does the totality Biblical and scientific evidence point in that direction?

DRJ »

Mon Dec 10, 2007 7:07 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 1

In order to fully appreciate a question like, "Is science against creationism (or God)?', we must consider the Scriptures. There are many Scriptures that place faith in God against man's ideas, such as science.) We are in the world, but not of the world. The Spirit and the flesh are constantly warring. It is not for man to know the times or epochs of God (things that only God knows and are not significantly linked to our faith). Does it matter if the world was created in 6 literal days of 24 hours each? It only matters to God that we believe He can and did do just that! If we can wink at such a profound statement (that, requires ultimate faith), then won't we be more likely to wink at other profound statements in the Bible like "He is not here for He has risen from the dead, like He said"? Quite simply, if God can create anything at all, why can't He create the whole world in 144 hours? I believe He could have done it in five minutes! Is anything too difficult for God? Are not all things possible with God? What we should wonder about is how a man can call himself a believer in God, and at the same time feel that God needs billions of years to do the job right. Isn't that a blurring of the line between faith in God and the need for acceptance within the scientific community? All that can be accomplished is the further confusing of young minds as to the omnipotence of the Creator. It's like saying, "Sure little Johnny, God is great and God is good, but He's not THAT GREAT!" Is He?