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r/Christianity•
jp4JC

Slippery Slope of Theistic Evolution

Personally, I believe God could have created the world and universe in any way He chose. There are many interesting arguments for both sides of the old earth vs literal 7 days. But one argument I dislike is this: "If you read the creation story as just a story and not history, what's stopping you from reading the rest of the Bible as parable and not reality?" Is it possible that just because it is in the Bible doesn't mean it actually happened (ex: the parable of the Good Samaritan, who didn't actually exist but was just a story to make a point)? But then again, no one introduces Genesis as parable, but rather it flows with Israel's history. Anyway, I believe the Bible is true and useful and God's holy word, but I acknowledge there are things such as hyperbole, parable, and figurative language. Let us all handle the word of truth correctly.2 Timothy 2:15

Posted Mar 7, 2020, 10:39 AM UTC

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EarthWolf_MoonOwlKnow Christ, Know Satan :latin-cross:•

I believe God could have created the Earth and the universe any way he chose

Definitely, I think it’s also a good argument to consider that God could have created the universe 2 seconds ago and just made it very convincingly old (giving us memories and whatnot). In this way the argument of old vs young earth or evolution vs creation pointless arguments. So long as you accept that God could have done it however he wanted to, then your faith in God is not in jeopardy

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jp4JCOP•

Whoa

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IntrovertIdentityJohn 12:32•

Do you believe that the bread and wine at the communion table becomes Christ’s true body and Christ’s true blood? Or do you think Jesus was being figurative in John 6?

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aaronis1•

The very next thing Jesus says in John 6 is an explanation that physical things aren't profitable and that He was speaking spiritually.

John 6

63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

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IntrovertIdentityJohn 12:32•

He also said “my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”

The point I’m making is that verses some read as literal, others view as figurative.

You don’t believe that the bread and wine at the communion table are Christ’s true body and blood. Okay.

I don’t believe the universe is 6000 years old. That’s okay too.

(And no: I’m not Catholic.)

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aaronis1•

That's not okay. That means you don't believe the Bible.

Jesus tells us we need to believe in the books Moses wrote.

John 5

46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

Paul tells us he believes all the law and the prophets.

Acts 24

14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:

Peter decries those who take a naturalistic viewpoint of the world, denying creation and the history in the Bible.

2 Peter 3

1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: 2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: 3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

The Gospels proclaim in Jesus's genealogy that He is descended from Adam.

Luke 3

38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

The Epistles unanimously declare Adam to be a real person.

Romans 5

14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Jude 1

14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

There is no room in the Bible for evolution.

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ascp1988•

For everything that Genesis teaches. It does not teach a how to account on creation. Otherwise their would be a lot more data. Instead, it's text is to teach you creations purpose.

Think of it this way. As westerners when asked about how a car works. We would tell someone about the engine or combustion. When an easterner is asked they respond it gets me from point a to point b. (This is an example not literal)

Both are true, buy we read genesis with a 'western lens'

That being said, I believe God made creation and everything in it. Exactly how he did, I'm not sure as the detail of genesis doesn't give enough

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aaronis1•

The Bible teaches you to interpret it literally.

The Bible uses words to indicate metaphors such as "like" and "as" and also specifically states when a parable is occurring:

Genesis 25

And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

Luke 15

3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

This indicates a system where the author is expected to be taken literally until He says he is not being literal. The author has the capacity, knowledge, and willingness to tell us when He is being literal and when He is not.

Your alternative is the fact that the only places you are guaranteed to take the Bible literally is when God says He is being metaphorical-or are some of the metaphors metaphorical and they cancel out and become just literal? Which parables are literal and which are metaphorical? Do you see the ridiculousness of a system where an authority outside the authority of the words of the text itself decides the meaning of scripture?

Your alternative is that instead of God saying when He is literal or not is that a man is the authority that decides when God is being literal and when He isn't. Don't dare to put words in God's mouth that He decided not to say.

Deuteronomy 4

2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

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junction182736•

Most of the time, unlike the Samaritan parable, you aren't given any clues as to what is metaphor and what is real. They're interwoven into the narrative in such a way that what could be seen as fictional becomes necessary for the continuation of the story.

The flood story is a great example of this. We have numerous reasons to see it as fiction, yet it's not considered as such by many Christians. Is it a parable or metaphor, or not for the believer?

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