After spending time in prayer about this, I am getting tired of the legalistic portion of the church universal, that is those who call themselves Christian, but continue to think that in a legalistic act of sanctimony, that they think that God will not help someone based on whether they support Intelligent Design or Evolution.
As a follower of Christ, I believe in the inerrancy of scripture. However, as Christ used parables to teach Old Testament truths of loving your neighbor to the Jewish nation 2000 years ago, I often look at the creation story as just that, a parable describing to early man how he did it (figuring that early man didn't have the knowledge at that time to understand what he did.).
As a scientist, I follow the facts, and reason out how things work or came into being. I search for truth in what God created.
As both a follower and a scientist, I look at science as trying to determine how God did what he did (the why comes from the Bible or the Spirit), it is a search for truth. He provides the insight to us when it is appropriate and paves the way to discovery. Using the Bible, tradition, experience, and reason; I journey down the narrow path.
So as someone who has read about evolution, I realize that there are some holes in the theory, like the common ancestor that would suggest that we as humans arose from apes. However, the rest of the theory looks sound, so scientists continue to work on the holes to be filled in. That's why I go back and forth on ID. Now to me it seems that this is part philosophy. Should we be trying to determine how God did it (science) and not just say that God did it (religion)?
One of the problems with ID that I have, is the lack of peer reviewed papers. Of course, there is a problem with getting papers reviewed, because most of the scientists think it is somebody that is not doing science, but religion. So instead of giving the ID scientists a fair shot and critique the problems with ID theory they just throw the whole thing out.
However, I think that this debate is nothing but taking the focus off of what is important; loving God and loving your neighbor. To me, Christ didn't go to the cross to redeem me of my sins so that I could cram my ideology (disguised as religion) down the throat of the rest of the country. He died for my sins so that I could go out and make disciples. He showed us how to do that with the feeding of the 5000, the woman at the well, and the woman caught in adultery. Heal the person, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, and feed the hungry. From there, people will listen and you can tell them why they are in the condition they are in and where the answer is found.
While I know that God hates sin and that as ancient Israel would wander away from God. He would allow nations and natural disasters to come against them, however, He was always there when they would call on Him and repent. If throwing the Dover, PA board of education out, because they supported ID, is a vote against God (and I seriously doubt that) then God may allow a major disaster to occur, but wasn't that when the nation of Israel repented in the OT and God helped them? So to say that if something happens to Dover, PA (natural disaster, terrorist attack), that they shouldn't bother to call on God because they turned their back on Him, to me, is just flat out wrong.
So for that my CFC contribution that would go to the 700 Club will come to an end. I'll find another Christian charity to give money to.
1 comment:
Right on, Jeffrey....
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