Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 65 (9164 total)
1 online now:
Newest Member: ChatGPT
Post Volume: Total: 916,902 Year: 4,159/9,624 Month: 1,030/974 Week: 357/286 Day: 0/13 Hour: 0/0


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   Must Reads
Aussie
Member
Posts: 275
From: FL USA
Joined: 10-02-2006


Message 25 of 27 (507562)
05-06-2009 10:40 AM
Reply to: Message 22 by InGodITrust
05-05-2009 4:09 AM


Re: Hey Devil's Advocate and Percy
Hi InGodITrust,
My sincere congratulations and best wishes to you as you begin your endeavor to educate yourself in this debate.
I guess I have to say I'm disappointed to be learning here that there are no arguments against evolution that scientists find credible, so no books to explain any. For some reason I had been under the impression that a percentage of the scientific community disputed evolution. Guess I may check out one of the creationist books, or just do some reading about it on the web, and here on this forum.
I began exactly the way in which you are beginning now. I was raised in the church, and had no doubt as to the existence of God, and had never entertained the possibility that evolution might be true. But I became hungry to learn more about evolution because I felt this would help make my faith stronger, and also help me share the faith with others. I had already memorized a huge section of creationist arguments, and could keep a discussion going for ages on WHY evolution was false...but only among christians. Whenever I talked with an "Evolutionist" *gasp*, I found my arguments rang a little more hollow than they did in Bible study groups.
Quite by accident, I came across a Biology textbook, and I decided to do what you are doing right now--learn more. This is a good and worthwhile undertaking for you. Within a couple hours of reading, I started getting a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach, and found myself thinking, "Gee, this doesn't sound as absurd as AIG or ICR make it out to be."
These few hours were the first tentative, wobbly steps that I took in a fantastic and truly fulfilling journey of discovery, and I will never forget them. I have been forced to confront many issues, and new knowledge has opened my heart and mind to a beautiful, complex world. You are doing the right thing; I don't think you will regret it.
Maybe you have picked up on a recurrent theme here in this thread so far: Don't take ANYONE'S word for ANYTHING. Neither your creationist books, nor anyone here are infallible. They serve to simply guide you in your own study; but they do a very good job at it. It is hard to go wrong if you insist on learning, and become able to defend the WHY of any proposition for yourself. But I must tell you that the more I actually learned, the sillier the creationists' literature sounded, so don't be surprised if that happens.
One last thing too...please don't take any newfound knowledge you might gain as an attack on your faith. Take it step by step, piece by piece, and you will do well. If you give yourself time, reading and comparing both the creationist books, and also the books from the evolutionary perspective that have been offered here, this could become a really enjoyable ride.
Good Luck!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 22 by InGodITrust, posted 05-05-2009 4:09 AM InGodITrust has not replied

  
Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024