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Author Topic:   Is Evolution the Work of Satan?
Phat
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Posts: 18298
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


Message 4 of 104 (589259)
11-01-2010 9:37 AM
Reply to: Message 3 by Larni
11-01-2010 9:01 AM


Is Reality Written In Stone?
Stephen Push writes:
Do Christian believers in evolution see Satan playing a large role in the evolutionary process? Or is the natural evil of evolution, contrary to Ayala’s view, a reason to reject the idea of an omniscient, omnipotent, and benevolent God?
I see no reason not to believe in evolution, and also see it as occurring naturally and without any supernatural lobbying of either power.
Faith and Belief should, in my opinion, be entirely open to speculation. I was just thinking about the characteristics of God the other day. Is it logical for God to intervene in my daily request lists? I dont say that God is incapable of turning a building into a rabbit or turning me into a pencil. Just because, however, that God is hypothetically capable of such atom rearranging displays, why should God do them? Why should God make me wealthy? (and why should He make the third world wealthy either, by the way.) My point? Why should God interfere in natural processes rather than let them take their course?
We humans learn from our mistakes. I sincerely hope that we collectively do not have to learn the hard way about many facts and realities that lay on our horizon. To believe in an involved Creator is, as my friend jar suggests, catering to a fantasy and believing in a God that WE imagined and created. On the other hand, if one is to believe in God at all, why believe in a God who is not at all able to altar the course of our fallible decisions and desires? Thus, I believe that God makes us aware of higher altruistic perception, but never forces it on us.
Larni writes:
If one accepts that Yahweh created everything (including allowing original sin into the world by foolishly leaving sin as an option) one must accept that every thing happens exactly as he planned.
In that case I certainly hope that He planned on helping me learn how to cope.

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Phat
Member
Posts: 18298
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


Message 6 of 104 (589269)
11-01-2010 11:03 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Stephen Push
11-01-2010 5:47 AM


Could It Beeeee?
Stephen Push writes:
Another response to the problem of natural evil was suggested by St. Augustine of Hippo. He reasoned that God must permit evil to exist so that free will can exist. In his view, moral evil exists because of human free will and natural evil exists because of Satan’s free will.
Do Christian believers in evolution see Satan playing a large role in the evolutionary process? Or is the natural evil of evolution, contrary to Ayala’s view, a reason to reject the idea of an omniscient, omnipotent, and benevolent God?
This is my dogma and tentative conclusion on Satan:
1) God initially created a freewill Lucifer. Lucifer was a super-cool Archangel. Somehow, (probably fore knowingly) this arch angel had a desire to break away from the Boss. God never directly created this act of rebellion yet allowed for its manifestation. Some thus say that God created evil, citing Isaiah. Others, such as myself, would argue that God simply allowed for the possibility of evil, and that we humans have been aping the initial rebel for eons now. We are responsible for our choice to rebel, but in fairness, often don't understand why we shouldn't rebel.
Satan would never be the cause of evolution nor of alternative thought processes which formulated the theory. I could actually believe that God wants people to think, thus controversy always exists.

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Phat
Member
Posts: 18298
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


Message 8 of 104 (589274)
11-01-2010 11:14 AM
Reply to: Message 7 by jar
11-01-2010 11:10 AM


Human Copouts
Why is the idea of evolution such a threat for fundamentalists?
Can we evolve to where we have to address the uncomfortable challenges of our future, or will we as a species forever prefer beliefs which provide excuses and cop outs to our social responsibility?

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Replies to this message:
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Phat
Member
Posts: 18298
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


(1)
Message 69 of 104 (591209)
11-12-2010 1:05 PM
Reply to: Message 12 by ringo
11-01-2010 12:45 PM


Re: Human Copouts
This video explains why there is such a pressure to conform to ideas that are popular, though not necessarily correct.
StephenPush writes:
Having been raised as Roman Catholic I have little patience for the "beyond human understanding" response. The priests and nuns would engage their students in what appeared to be a rational discussion of the Faith, but whenever we asked a question they couldn't answer, they would say, "It's a mystery." That has always struck me as a cop out. Of course, we will never understand everything, but why stop trying?
Why even expect conformity?
Edited by Phat, : add

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