Faith

Pope: Humanity Is Not Product of Random Evolution

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI has marked the holiest night of the year for Christians by preaching that humanity isn’t a random product of evolution.

Benedict emphasized the Biblical account of creation in his Easter Vigil homily, saying it was wrong to think at some point “in some tiny corner of the cosmos there evolved randomly some species of living being capable of reasoning and of trying to find rationality within creation, or to bring rationality into it.”

He said: “If man were merely a random product of evolution in some place on the margins of the universe, then his life would make no sense or might even be a chance of nature.“ He said ”creative, divine reason” was present during the origin of life.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI is marking the holiest night of the year for Christians with an Easter vigil service in St. Peter’s Basilica during which he will baptize six people.

Benedict began Saturday night’s ceremony by lighting a candle that symbolizes the resurrection of Christ, which the faithful mark on Easter Sunday.

After he walked down a darkened central aisle of St. Peter’s in silence, the hundreds of faithful in the pews shared the flame from candle to candle until the basilica twinkled and the lights came on.

This year, students of the Legion of Christ, the conservative order undergoing a major Vatican-mandated overhaul, provided the liturgical service. The Vatican took over the Legion last May 1 after confirming its founder was a pedophile.

Comments (229)

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  • skoz14
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:57am

    ROFL!!! i cannot believe that their are still creationists, keep living in ignorance.

    Report Post »  
    • mr.goodvibe
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 9:41am

      As someone who grew uo Caholic and makes their living by putting together facts, I have always been confused about both creationism and the “ theory” ( not proven ) of evolution. It stands to reason that animals will adapt to their enviroments thus causing physical changes to their bodies. Example look at africans, theyre bodie produce much more melanin as a response to the intense sun making them darker and this trait is passed genetically fron one generation to the next. Europeans make less melanin and have a white complexion that is passed from generation to generation. Yet both share the same DNA and can mate and have offspring. A fiteen year study of all races showed that we all share a common ancestors mitochondrial DNA. That kind of makes the case for Adam and Eve. 400 hundred years ago the greatest scientists beleived the earth was flat. If we evolved from primates and share most closely our DNA with chimps, why have they not evolved to human or some form like it. The point is there is no answer that without a doubt gives us an answer. But I do whole heartedly beleive that no matter what beleif system we embrace that if we have good morals and do not succumb to those things we instinctively know are bad, use the inherently human trait of empathy and lead a good life, that we pass wisdom on to your offspring and use common sense that whether or not God is there, life did have meaning and was good and hopefully we left the human condition just a little bit better for the next generation. Stop squabbling over religion. Even if you are an atheist, the ten commandments are a common sense moral compass. Evolution is still a theory, you need to have faith in what you cannot see or touch to beleive in God so just be good and be good to others regardlees.

      Report Post » mr.goodvibe  
    • Non-sequitur
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 11:02am

      “theory” ( not proven )”

      Stopped reading right there as you are obviously ignorant of scientific terminology and have not made the slightest effort to learn it.

      Report Post »  
    • TonyDarrington
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 2:01pm

      The “monkeys” humans evolved from are not the same monkeys we have around today. Monkeys have changed just as much as humans have in the time since the two lines split. A monkey did not give birth to a human baby. 2 geographically isolated groups of apes changed over time. The question is why are humans the only animals to get the big brains capable of reason and language?

      Report Post » TonyDarrington  
  • teddrunk
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:41am

    Hey Pope. You act like the head of the Catholic Church once a year. Once a year you get up and announce a truism, but the rest of the year you allow Catholics to continue to be members yet support infanticide? Once a year you speak out as a leader of a Christian church should, but the rest of the year you allow YOUR priest to either be molesters of children, or be Communists, or both? Pope, don’t bother saying anything until you get some credibility.

    Report Post »  
  • RRFlyer
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:40am

    I don’t see why this is news??? That the Pope believes God is the Creator? Isn’t that understood?

    Or do Christian leaders now think it’s politically correct to even believe in God?

    Report Post »  
  • Ghostrider
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:31am

    Hey BOBODU, YOU are proof of Creation. If you get off your nonsense reasoning for evolution and think, you would clearly see Creation is the Truth. If we came from monkeys, why are there monkeys, if we crawled out of the ocean, why are there still fish, how did the first fish out of the water breath? Why do we not see half humans and half monkeys, oir fish, or horses, or birds? If evolution was real, why do we not see any evidence of it? Why is the fossil record a lie? Why do we see trees standing upright through severl layers of fossil records? Why are liberals so incredibly stupid? How can any man believe he came from a piece of dust in the cosmos? Where did that dust come from? Why is it that evolution is a religion to you liberals?

    Report Post »  
    • BOMUSTGO
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 9:16am

      Don’t confuse the Libs with the facts.Truth is not their agenda.

      Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
  • LBNJ
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:27am

    God Bless Our Pope and God Bless all Christians! And God bless all who do not believe… that they will see your light and welcome our Lord Jesus into their hearts.

    Report Post »  
  • BubbaCoop
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:16am

    Seems to me he’s hedging his bets. “Don’t believe evolution, but don’t believe the Bible means what it says either.”
    Right…because as the Pope, he wouldn’t want people to actually believe the Bible.

    Report Post »  
  • BOMUSTGO
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:09am

    Please explain how Biblical prophecy is so accurate. It predicted which nations will come against Israel in the last days (It also predicted Israel will be a Nation again) The nations that are predicted to come against her are all islamic.This was centuries before there was islam.(Psalms 83,Zech chapter 12 and 14.Eze chapter 38,Amos Chapters 1,2.) Also the book of Revelation speaks of the King of the East (China) with a 200 million man army and they will march across a dried Euphrates river.China can field such an army and Turkey has built a dam where they can shut off the flow of the euphrates river.We are living in a time when news headlines read like scripture. A One world government is another thing the Bible speaks clearly on.

    Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
    • bobodu
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:23pm

      Of course all the nations will rise up against Israel. The Jews invent a “God” ( people do this all the time) and write a book telling everyone how great they are. Soon, they actually start to believe their own BS and walk around doing as they please, with a grandiose carte blanche from a God they created. This upsets the neighboring countries like a crack house in suburbia. But it won’t end well for Israel because The Flying Spaghetti Monster is a real as Santa.

      Report Post »  
  • eflow504
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:07am

    Louisiana (1989)
    In yet another manifestation of the Virgin Mary, between 8,000 and 10,000 people flocked to a clearing in rural Tickfaw, Louisiana, where they had been told the Virgin would appear. As in other such instances, some of the viewers claimed they saw strange lights emanating from the sun; some said they saw Jesus, Mary and Joseph; and a few claimed they had received messages from the Virgin.

    According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the crowd was drawn to the site because word had spread that a local man, Alfredo Raimondo, had been asked by the Virgin in February to sponsor a Mass in honor of St. Joseph. Raimondo explained that the Virgin was especially pleased because so many people from the area had visited Medjugorje, where apparitions of the Virgin have appeared for years.

    Among the faithful at Tickfaw were two women and a boy who said they saw the Virgin. One of the women said they had received a message they were asked not to reveal, an experience which is common at such manifestations.

    A priest from New Orleans spent five hours at the site hearing confessions: “Some people said it had been 10, 20, 30 years since they had been to confession. Some people had tears running down their faces.” The county sheriff’s deputy remarked that the event was the first time in 12 years of directing traffic that nobody had complained to him, and noted that “This is the nicest, most well-behaved group of people”.
    i went here in 1996 and saw with my own eyes the sun blink on and off after everyone praying the Rosary. right after we all were finished Alfredo looked up and said God wants to give you all a gift for being here today. i am telling you i stood there in shock.. God is real you can believe it or not it’s called free will

    Report Post »  
    • Thun
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 11:55am

      After dabbling in the paranormal, I heard about a phenomenen known as 11:11, some kind of portal to the spirit world. So on 1/11/11 at 11:11 pm, after everyone went to bed, I turned off the TV and the only sound I could hear was the ticking of a wall clock in my living room. Using my computer microphone and Windows Sound Recorder, I started recording the quiet in my home. I was shocked at what I heard when I listened the next day! The whole 20 minute recording was dripping with EVP’s but when I heard a voice say, “My name is Lucifer and I have reserved a place for you and your wife down here,” my heart almost stopped beating! At this point I started to get mad and went downstairs to have a cigar and in my mind I started cursing at Lucifer telling him he’d never get my soul, I’d repent first. After my cigar, I listened to the very next segment of the recording and heard Lucifer say, “Why do you insult me Ralph, you won‘t be insulting me when you’re down here serving me.” A few days later I called my old parish and asked the priest if I could come back to the church I’ had abandoned 45 years ago and would he convalidate my marriage. Then I made a good confession, the first one in over 45 years. I pray the Rosary every day now. This all happened just a few months ago and I used to say, “show me proof and I’ll believe.” I’m a believer now! If anyone would like to hear the proof I have recorded, I’d be more than happy to share it with you. These are just a few of the recordings I have, most of them are unfit to publish. Listen closely with headphones.

      http://www.youtube.com/user/Rocco94683?feature=mhsn

      Report Post »  
  • Ialmostforgot
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:05am

    THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Quick, go tell the others! There is intelligence on Earth!
    BOBODU, You are God’s idea!

    Report Post »  
  • BOMUSTGO
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:52am

    You will stand before him one day and you will be speechless.

    Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
    • bobodu
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:04am

      Gonna be impossible for you!!!

      Report Post »  
    • BOMUSTGO
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 9:10am

      You won’t be totally speechless, as you will declare that he is Lord (That means, he is the Almighty). .The shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep know their shepherd. You are either a sheep or a goat…Are those horns on your head????

      Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
  • Pilgrim Bill
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:52am

    Happy Easter every one. Did you notice the last line of the story and why was it imprtant to bring it up today?
    This year, students of the Legion of Christ, the conservative order undergoing a major Vatican-mandated overhaul, provided the liturgical service. The Vatican took over the Legion last May 1 after confirming its founder was a pedophile.

    Report Post »  
  • rexriley
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:42am

    The belief in a mystical magical creator merely shows how far mankind HASN’T evolved.

    Report Post » rexriley  
    • Dale
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:07pm

      rexriley’

      “The belief in a mystical magical creator merely shows how far mankind HASN’T evolved.”
      —————————–
      I can hardly wait to see what you become.

      Report Post » Dale  
  • BOMUSTGO
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:59am

    Proof of a Creator? I can only speak from my many experiences with a relationship with the Creator.He has given me a Vision back in 1982 while in High School,I heard his audible voice speak to me while stationed in Okinawa.My wife has seen a vision of me being protected while I was in the first Gulf War.My wife was suffering from gull stones and an angel came to her side of the bed and she saw him reach inside her stomach with his hand and the Angel pulled his hand out and began to grind the stone to powder.She was completely healed.I don’t follow man-made religion! It’s all about Relationship!! Until you find him, and are filled with His Spirit you will be forever learning and never come to the knowledge of truth.Find him! Anyone who has burrowed a tomb for three days needs to be followed.

    Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
  • dthej
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:49am

    BOBADO – look around you, isn’t what you see evidence enough of creation? Either one looks at the trees, seas and animals and views it as something created or you beleive it just came to be by chance without a creator as it’s originator. In everything, we as humans do is a result of some form of creation, could it be then that there is one above us who has created you?
    This goes back to what you don’t see must not be, so to those who say this I ask you, did you see you before you came to be? You didn‘t yet you beleive you exist don’t you?
    Like all believers who were once non-believers, ask God with sincerity if it was he who created you, I guarantee he’ll provide your answer.
    As to your statement about the church saying there may be life on other planets but not in the bible…there are many things not mentioned in the bible and not relevant to salvation but that doesn‘t mean it isn’t so, just that it isn’t mentioned.

    Report Post »  
    • bobodu
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:02am

      Oh…boogity boogity boogity….
      I believe if you bounce a penny enough times..it will eventually land on it’s edge.
      Is that not miraculous????? How could it not be that the wondrous Hand of God caused this??
      Surely that is proof enough!

      Report Post »  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 9:27am

      You also surely believe that if you put a million monkeys in front of typewriters for millions of years they will eventually produce the works of Shakespeare. I, on the other hand, believe those monkeys will produce merely multitudinous variations of garbage before smearing their poop on every page.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • Bearfoot
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 10:54am

      Islesfordian,

      Perfect! I laughed out loud. Good show!

      Report Post » Bearfoot  
    • bobodu
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:13pm

      Of course I believe in the monkeys. You MAY have heard of the laws of probability.
      Just as it was probable that FOX would fire Glenn Beck for chasing away sponsors and leaving behind NOTHING but a few hard core whackos.

      Report Post »  
  • BOMUSTGO
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:44am

    Go ahead and believe you came from a monkey. No missing link has ever been found.Archeologists have tried to make a primitive man out of finding one peice of bone, only to find that it came from a pig,and another time, a bone was from a man who suffered from arthritis.They want so desperately to find a missing link they will go to great lengths to do away with the possibility that there IS a CREATOR.Try looking at the web site “Ooparts” Out of place archaeology.It is an awesome site showing things that science does not want us to know.

    Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
  • BOMUSTGO
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:38am

    OOPARTS
    (out of place artifacts)
    &
    ANCIENT HIGH TECHNOLOGY
    –Evidence of Noah’s Flood?

    Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
  • Nobamazone
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:34am

    big deal, the Catholics have bowed to “scientific theory”, this happened long ago when they did not want to appear “anti-science” and introduced (or reinforced, not sure which) the insane idea that God would use evolution to create man. How can anyone who claims to believe in the God of the bible, who performed many miracles, (who can cause a bush to burn but not be consumed, who can part the Red Sea, and give us the gift of His son through a virgin birth -who also goes on to perform miracles way outside of the human realm) think that He would use something as ridiculous as evolution to create mankind?? Seriously, why would He do that? Why would he need too? Evolution is one of the biggest lies that satan has used to convince humans that there is no God and that we need no God, unfortunately, the Catholics fell for it. Rather than stand firm on the bible and Gods word, they bowed to the lie and declared that God used evolution.

    Report Post » Nobamazone  
    • slyswine
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:44am

      Nothing but unsupported assertions of truth sir. You have to first demonstrate that a God does exist before you can even get to talking about the Bible as any source of truth. Please do this or I ask why should anyone consider what the Bible says to be true or authoritative?

      Report Post »  
    • Nobamazone
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:04am

      prove He doesn’t exist, if you want me to prove He does exist, then you prove He does not.
      Of course neither of us can do this
      What we CAN do is take the evidence found and see if it fits into the “evolution” world view or the “creation” world view. You are sadly mistaken if you think that someone who holds the evolution worldview is not also letting their “religious” view color their findings. Atheists are religious too, their religion just happens to be “atheism”. Atheist have orchestrated many evolution lies and presented them as truth, only to be quickly dis-proven by others, since the beginning of the evolution lie. I am not aware of any such “truths” being presented by scientists claiming to believe in creation, if you know of some please let me know, I will check it out.

      Report Post » Nobamazone  
    • BOMUSTGO
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:16am

      The bible says, “Don’t cast your pearls before SWINE!”

      Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
    • Rice Water
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:35am

      We have evidence of a God’s ridiculousness in the verifiable existence of earwax, incontinence, and dermoid tumors. If I believed in ID, I would actively seek any alternative to the idea that an all-powerful, all-knowing being included hemmerhoids in His Divine Plan.

      Report Post » Rice Water  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 9:23am

      Rice water, you are ignoring the biblical narrative that points to this world being divergent from its original perfection. Things are not as they are supposed to be. That basic intuition is the basis for all moral philosophy everywhere. Only someone who belives in a RIGHT condition could complain of a WRONG one or question why it was. The Bible teaches that things were good but then corruption entered the scene.

      The Bible‘s witness to the human condition isn’t simply “Sh*t happens” but more precisely, “Sh*t happens because of human Sin in the beginning”

      YOUR solution can only logically be, “Sh*t happens, and there’s nothing wrong with sh*t”.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • Bearfoot
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 10:49am

      Nobamazone,

      You sir, are making a lot of sense.
      The proof of the existence of our Creator is in our ability to use reason and logic in determining why and how the physical universe around us is so well designed.
      A designed and well engineered product always, always need a creator. Logic!

      Report Post » Bearfoot  
    • Non-sequitur
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 10:59am

      “A designed and well engineered product always, always need a creator. Logic!”

      Life isn’t very well designed. Because it isn’t. A designer, for instance, wouldn’t have created the human eye the way it is. There simply is no evidence of design at all. A gradual evolution makes a lot more sense.

      But as was said before, don’t cast your pearls of knowledge before swine who will ignore it anyway. Nobody here is going to be swayed by mountains of evidence for evolution and will, for fear of their own mortality or of some supernatural bogeyman from a storybook, rather cuddle up to their religion because it gives comfort which science does not.

      Report Post »  
    • Bearfoot
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 11:14am

      Non-sequitur,
      Are you actually saying a well designed and engineered product does NOT need a creator?

      Report Post » Bearfoot  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 11:22am

      “A designer, for instance, wouldn’t have created the human eye the way it is.”

      That is not a factual statement. You are only expressing an opinion that ANOTHER design would have been preferable. But you don‘t know what the parameters are for God’s intention of the human eye. Besides, even if God could have or should have designed it BETTER, it still stands that the eye could not have evolved as functional as it is unless it were designed.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • Bearfoot
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 11:30am

      I wonder how Non-sequitur would have designed the eye? Since he is so smart, maybe he could have done it better.

      Report Post » Bearfoot  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 11:39am

      Here are examples of things deliberately poorly designed.

      You have heard of the phrase “planned obsolescence”. Manufacturers today often plan for parts to give out earlier than before so that the customer is forced to buy a new one. Who would design Microsoft Windows the way it was? Bill gates would, and he’s a billionare.

      Our government is another example of a deliberate “poor” design. It is inefficient and anti-democratice in many ways. take the Senate. It seems designed to be an obstruction. How can governmnet be efficient weith such a body? Who would design such a structure? But that is the point. Efficiency was not a desired factor among the Founding Fathers for an efficient government would soon efficiently rob they people of their freedom. Thus a government was needed, but only an inefficient and relatively crippled one.

      Might God not have had the same considerations in mind when he created us in frail bodies? If we were built indestructable and omnipotent what would we be like when we turned to sin? Devils, springs to mind.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • WhiteFang
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 12:10pm

      We were originally designed/created to be perfect, to be obedient to our Creator. But as we all know, Adam decided he knew better than God, and started down his own pathway. We see the result all around us, imperfection! The flaw in all of us is the result of our sin, it is not God’s fault.

      But our God will fix it through His Son.
      Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

      5 And the One seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new.” Also, he says: “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”

      Report Post » WhiteFang  
    • TonyDarrington
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 1:11pm

      The problem with mammal eyes is that the “rods and cones” sensors are at the lowest later of the retina. The layers above contain all of the wiring that connects the sensors to the optic nerve. The light has to shine through the wires to get to the sensors. It makes no sense to design something that way. It evolved from more primitive eyes, and the vision they do provide is better than the primitive eye provided, and way better than no eyes at all. So the fact that the wires are in front makes no difference from an evolutionary standpoint. If you want another quirk of “design,” look up the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Especially as it applies to the giraffe.

      Report Post » TonyDarrington  
    • YellowFin
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 1:45pm

      TonyDarrington
      The problem with mammal eyes is that the “rods and cones” sensors are at the lowest later of the retina.

      Now Tony has a problem, with the way some eyes in mammals are designed.
      Of course some mammals use their eyes for different reasons and requirements. Not all animals have need of a universally designed eye. They hunt and function differently according to their kind. Some see well in the dark, others can see long distances. Humans, if they are blessed with good genes, have no complaints with the way God designed them.

      Report Post » YellowFin  
    • TonyDarrington
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 1:54pm

      Uh, Yellowfin….Humans are mammals, our eyes are the same. Mammals are one subset of animals. Mammal fetuses develop in a uterus, supplied by a placenta. This is one of the things that distinguishes a mammal from another animal (reptile).

      Report Post » TonyDarrington  
    • YellowFin
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 1:58pm

      Islesfordian
      Here are examples of things deliberately poorly designed.

      Another poorly designed product is vacuum cleaners! Why do I have to buy my wife a new vacuum cleaner nearly every year? They are definitely designed to fail. And don’t talk to me about Dyson. They stink also. AArrgghh.

      Report Post » YellowFin  
    • YellowFin
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 2:08pm

      Uh, Tony, mammals are animals like dogs, cats, cows, deer, etc. Humans are different in that they can reason on things and come to logical conclusions. We were created to be above dogs and cats, to be superior, to be in God’s image. Humans and animals are different from one another in that we have different needs and capabilities. The eyes of each species are appropriate for each.

      Do I really have to explain this????

      Report Post » YellowFin  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 3:26pm

      Tony’s basic problem is that God made us out of the dirt (however THAT is interpreted) and nothing made out of that primitive substance can possess the superior engeneering capability of things made out of angel fluff. I understand why these walking dirtbags, which is what we are according to Genesis (in more ways that one), can look, to the “superior” mind, like they were just thrown together, but i have played around in the mud before, making dams and castles and stuff, but I have never been able to make something that could calculate the number of Pi, build a cathedral or write a sonnet, which God apparently did.

      One can only imagine what we will be like when we can change these clay jars in for angelic vessels.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • TonyDarrington
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 3:59pm

      I think it is more noble to come from a monkey than a puddle of mud.

      Report Post » TonyDarrington  
    • YellowFin
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 4:10pm

      Tony,

      Are monkeys noble? Do you really want to claim them as your ancestors?

      I quote Islefordian who said, below in another string;
      “You also surely believe that if you put a million monkeys in front of typewriters for millions of years they will eventually produce the works of Shakespeare. I, on the other hand, believe those monkeys will produce merely multitudinous variations of garbage before smearing their poop on every page.”

      I submit, God made us to be noble and dignified. It is man who degraded himself.

      Report Post » YellowFin  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 4:26pm

      “I think it is more noble to come from a monkey than a puddle of mud.”

      And where did those monkey come from? Where did all life originate according to evolutionists? Isn’t it some primordial soup, as they call it? Much, sludge, slime: it’s all the same thing. And God made us out of it. that fact doesn‘t prevent us from seeing God’s handiwork in it because hundreds of scientists working for decades still haven’t been able to create the smallest organism from dead matter, and they haev working models of life to study. If they can’t reverse engeneer the very life in front of them how do you suppose it originally came to be except by a superior intellect?

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • slyswine
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 5:16pm

      http://talkorigins.org/origins/faqs.html – @NOBAMAZONE. But it won‘t matter what evidence is presented to evolution deniers because they will always push back the goal posts and assert that the evidence either doesn’t indicate what it really does or that it’s not evidence at all. Classic God of the gaps arguments. Evolution does happen, it makes testable predictions that can be verified (and they are), and it has nothing to do with abiogenesis, cosmology, or any other field of science, and most importantly, it says nothing about a God. If you accept evolution, it doesn’t mean you have to deny God. And you can be an atheist and not accept evolution (although there aren’t many, Raëlians for example). Also, Answers in Genesis is headed by Ken Ham and is very much anti-science. I have looked at the site from time to time and they explicitly state that anything that conflicts with scripture is to be discounted, so I don’t think anyone should be parading them around as a source of good information.

      Report Post »  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:30pm

      “Evolution does happen, it makes testable predictions that can be verified (and they are),”

      Slyswine, could you adentify some of these “testable predictions” made by evolutionary theory which have been verified?

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • Rice Water
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 12:36am

      Isles, who created the conditions that allowed the world to diverge from perfection? Any mid-level bureaucrat could’ve designed Creation better.

      Report Post » Rice Water  
  • BMMiller1975
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 5:27am

    @SLYSWINE: The Pope does not deny the possibility of evolution being used by God to create man, but what he is saying is that if that is the case there is nothing random about it. In fact, random chance is directly opposed to the existence of science. Science was created by men of faith, based on the belief that 1) There is one God; 2) That God created the universe and all things within it; 3) The universe and all things within it are governed by a set of unchanging laws He established; 4) God desires man to know the Truth, and therefore has given man reason that man might, through observation of the world around him, be able to discern the truth; and 5) the means of distinguishing between the truth and a lie is to test the assumption – what is true will still be true after testing, what is not will fall apart during testing.

    For science to exist, there cannot be anything random otherwise there would be no point to conducting experiments as you could never be certain – no matter how tightly you controlled the variables – of getting the same result. For instance, in our universe today if you toss a six sided die and you control all of the variables (height and angle at which the die is released, amount of force applied upon release, air pressure, angle at which the die strikes the surface, etc. etc.) you can always be sure you’ll get the exact same result. Even when not controlling all of the variables you know that you will never get any result other than a 1,2,3,4,5, or 6. Anything that appears random in our universe is actually operating according to several complex variables acting together or else is behaving according to a set of rules we have not yet understood correctly.

    However, in a random chance universe were you to roll that same die you could get a 1,2,3,4,5, or 6 – or you might get a 20, or a -5, or the die might disappear altogether. The results would be random and entirely unpredictable no matter how tightly you attempted to control the variables there would always be this element of randomness to the result, thereby making the experimentation pointless.

    Thus, any supposedly scientific theory which rests as squarely upon random elements as evolution does is a contradiction of everything science requires to function and therefore entirely illogical. Furthermore, the fact that 95% of our DNA might match another species does not prove that we are descended from that species or even closely related to it, anymore than the fact that 95% of the brush strokes and paints used to create The Mona Lisa also match those used in La Belle Ferroniere prove that the Mona Lisa descended from La Belle Ferroniere. What it does suggest is that they have the same origin – the same creator.

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    • Rice Water
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 5:58am

      Analogies…truly The Devil has never invented a more useful tool.

      Science absolutely acknowledges random chance. The goal of any experiment is to show that the result occurs at a different rate than would be expected from mere chance. Anyone who has taken an undergraduate-level statistics class can back me up on this.

      And again, “pure chance” is not the driving force of evolutionary theory. Creationists like to use the analogy (there’s that word again!) of the components of a watch randomly finding their ways together in the vast cosmos to form a fully-functioning mechanism. Watch assembly is not subject to gravity; molecular assembly is.

      Report Post » Rice Water  
    • slyswine
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:29am

      @BMMILLER- You may be correct that early scientists believed as you say they did. I won’t deny that many scientists even today believe in a God, be it the Christian God or whatever. But amongst almost all biologists today, and certainly many others in other fields of study, personal belief in a deity generally plays little role in conducting research aimed at finding the truth. They can attribute it to a God, or they may well accept that by all accounts, the process in fact most likely involves nothing more than results of the physical laws of nature acting upon matter. They can hold a Deist view and say a God set up the laws as such and no longer actively participates in the process. Whatever personal views one may have, the facts bear out an entirely natural process. And still even if we do find evidence that evolution is wrong, that doesn’t mean we can attribute it to a God. I just think many people are misinformed about evolution and try to straw man the arguments to the point of claiming it denies God. It never has and most likely never will, because as most concepts of God put his existence outside the known universe, science can‘t even begin to attempt to discover it’s source. What science can do is test and verify the validity of God claims, dealing with things like prayer and other so called miracles. And these tests have been done, and the results show about what we would expect from chance. Bottom line, I want people to believe as they wish, I do not think we should force any belief system on anyone. But with the evidence overwhelmingly in favor of evolution as the best explanation for the diversity of life on this planet, it’s disheartening that so many smart, reasonable people have a twisted and in many cases a flat out scary view of this basic truth.

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    • Nobamazone
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:45am

      sly, please provide links to this so called “evidence” of evolution, I want actual links please because you can darn sure bet that I will give you links back. Evolution never has been, nor never will be, proven. It is a lie that even Darwin himself said would be DIS-proven if ever irreducible complexity was proven, and it has been.

      Report Post » Nobamazone  
    • Rice Water
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:17am

      Nobamazone: Gravity is a theory. Relativity is a theory. Evolution is also a theory. Please, put your money where your mouth is and “prove” irreducible complexity.

      Report Post » Rice Water  
    • Nobamazone
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 2:08pm

      start here sly
      http://www.allaboutthejourney.org/irreducible-complexity.htm
      http://www.answersingenesis.org/e-mail/archive/AnswersWeekly/2009/1010.html
      http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/aid/v4/n1/end-of-irreducible-complexity
      how about some of Darwin’s own words
      ““If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down” (Origin of Species, 1859, p. 158).
      Keeping in mind, when Darwin proposed his theory, scientists thought that the cell was about as basic as you got when it came to building blocks and scientists had no idea what would later be found with sophisticated devices that can see smaller and smaller components of the cell. We know better now, we can see that they are very complex indeed, so complex that they could not occur by chance. It is true that we see micro-evolution all the time, but it is a loss of information (even if it does make a significant likelihood that the organism will survive, like a virus for example) it is still ALWAYS a loss of information, never a gain. I too used to believe the theory of evolution, it is what I was taught. Several years ago I started to question it and have found that the evidence that exists fits the creation worldview much better than the evolutionary worldview (which has to keep making up other theories to justify the ones that science can now prove incorrect). Humans and all of nature are not evolving, we are DEvolving.
      Evidence is found in all area’s of science, evidence that points to a creator, not a random chance thing, life is too complex, much too complex for chance.

      Report Post » Nobamazone  
    • slyswine
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 3:09pm

      @NOBAMAZONE – I looked at the links that you provided, thanks. Honestly though, I have heard this all before. I have to ask, do you honestly deny evolution because you think it denies God, or do you really think there is no evidence for evolution from one species to another. I know no matter what I provide to counter your arguments that you are stubborn (maybe I am as well) and will continue to believe as you do. The whole notion of intelligent design is an argument from ignorance, and uses bad inductive reasoning. If you don’t see this, please watch this video (please watch and respond here what you think of it) http://youtu.be/OP-ENz2Lr7M

      This video very convincingly dismantles the notion of intelligent design. At least IMHO. Have a good one

      Report Post »  
    • slyswine
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 3:13pm

      @NOBAMAZONE – Also check this out: http://www.millerandlevine.com/km/evol/design2/article.html

      Report Post »  
  • slyswine
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 5:01am

    Can anyone actually provide hard evidence to support the claim of divine creation of humans? I’ve been studying evolution for a while now and it seems pretty clear when presented with the evidence. Evolution doesn’t need or require a God, but it certainly doesn‘t try to say that there isn’t one. A good introductory book on this subject can be found here:

    http://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0143116649/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303635601&sr=8-1

    Very informative and easy to understand. Hits on the biggest arguments and evidence to support the theory of evolution.

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    • BOMUSTGO
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:46am

      There is no evidence.Evolution is taught as science fact when it is science fiction!

      Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
    • Nobamazone
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:06am

      amen bo!
      I used to believe the evolution lie, till I stared to really look into it myself! Then I got out right pi$$ed that I had been lied too!

      Report Post » Nobamazone  
    • BubbaCoop
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:31am

      I think I‘ll start by taking God’s Word about what happened in the past. Science is based on observation. Evolution is essentially a religious BELIEF about the past. It’s have never been observed. To call it a fact is simply dishonest.
      http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/hasnt-evolution-been-proven

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    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:59am

      Without a Creator intentionally ordering evolution it simply doesn’t work mathematically. The complexity required for life to come into being, and for various necessary biological parts to “eveolve” is to great for it to be done gradually or through trial and error. Life simply has to be planned and its ingredients have to come about simultaneously for it to work. Read “Darwin’s Black Box” for an idea of just how complex life is and how much evolution by chance mutation simply can’t explain its development.

      Go read any evolutionary textbook and you will see language that inplies intentionality or purpose in nature. Intuitively scientists know that mere chance could not do it even with the incantation of “millions of years”.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • TonyDarrington
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 12:37pm

      Evolution happens every time an egg and a sperm meet, it could further be argued that it happens every time a cell divides. When DNA replicates, it is never a 100% exact copy there are always errors. Those errors change protein structure and alter the protein’s function. Sometimes the error makes no difference. Sometimes it makes the protein work better. Usually, the protein is rendered non-functional and whatever it did does not happen anymore. That is the basis of “genetic” diseases. A protein that is supposed to do something, doesn’t do it anymore and the organism is “sick.” When the protein does something a little better, it helps the organism survive a little better and pass that altered protein to its offspring- evolution. Just because you don‘t understand something doesn’t make it not true.

      Report Post » TonyDarrington  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 3:14pm

      “When DNA replicates, it is never a 100% exact copy there are always errors. Those errors change protein structure and alter the protein’s function. Sometimes the error makes no difference. Sometimes it makes the protein work better.”

      That is pure fiction. No functional additions to our DNA have ever beeen witnessed to happen naturally.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • TonyDarrington
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 3:54pm

      Yes, they call it cancer. This is not the place to explain DNA replication and protein translation/ function. Do some reading, let your curiosity be your guide.

      Report Post » TonyDarrington  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 4:20pm

      Gee, Tony, the last time I checked cancer was not described as being functional. In fact cancer is usually considered a terminal phase of ecll “development”.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 4:20pm

      Cell development, I meant.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • slyswine
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 5:01pm

      To all evolution deniers, your arguments are baseless and unsupported by any credible evidence. I’m sure you all are aware of this website: http://talkorigins.org/origins/faqs.html

      There is a wealth of good information here that refutes your childish arguments. The claims about design are demonstrably false and logically invalid and unsound. If you had only ever seen ponds that were designed by man and one day came across a pond that was naturally formed, you would assume that it was designed, and you would be wrong. The same applies to all things that occur naturally, but are mistakenly credited to design. It is bad inductive reasoning to look at something that is obviously designed by us, and then think that plants, animals, and whatever else must also be designed. It’s an appeal to ignorance and about as unscientific as you could possibly get. And as someone pointed out elsewhere, just because you don‘t understand the evidence and process doesn’t mean it’s not true. Personal incredulity at it’s finest.

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  • anutter
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 3:20am

    Proof there is a God and we are special. Look out your window.

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    • bobodu
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:38am

      And that proves what? Ya gotta come up with SOMETHING more logical than “Just look around you at the wonders!!” People said the same thing about steam engines and light bulbs…..sheesh.

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    • ecso828
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:44am

      Bo….. Your comparison is actually an argument that God did create the wonders of the world. Or, are you implying that steam engines and the light bulb created themselves through evolution? No? The steam engine and the light bulb had a creator? Ok…. Then so did life, which is far more complex than any steam engine, lightbulb, or super computer.

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    • BubbaCoop
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:28am

      “ People said the same thing about steam engines and light bulbs”

      Interesting comment, since anyone would look at those things and understand it is SELF-EVIDENT that they are designed.

      Report Post »  
    • bobodu
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:52am

      Of course they were designed.
      By your logic, Heron and Edison were equal to God.

      Report Post »  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 9:09am

      “By your logic, Heron and Edison were equal to God.”

      That is a foolish and illogical conclusion. To say something shares a characteristic with another does
      make them the same. Our creativity is derivative because we do not create the materials we fashion into new creations, whereas God creates things out of nothing and then continues to fashion them. But since we are created in God’s image it is not incorrect to say that we possess Godlike traits in our ability to create.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • bobodu
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 11:21am

      Oh….. GOD created plastic !!!
      Praise be to the Polymer Ghost.

      Report Post »  
    • RRFlyer
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 12:10pm

      Anyone who relies on logic to prove the existence of God will never find that proof.

      Report Post »  
    • bobodu
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:08pm

      “Anyone who relies on logic to prove the existence of God will never find that proof.”

      +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

      Right…of course…Thank you!!
      One has to believe in hearsay and stories. All of which were written by man….
      Anyone parted a sea or walked on water lately??

      Report Post »  
    • anutter
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:45pm

      Logically human beings don’t make sense. One of a kind out of trillions of species of life that had ever existed on Earth. That would either make us special or freaks of nature. Nature is too perfect for freaks. Unless of course, the dinosaurs used their millions of years of evolution (over our what, our couple hundred thousand?) to build spaceships and leave this planet before the monkeys came and destroyed it.

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  • Chet Hempstead
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 2:36am

    There are thousands of kinds of dogs, but only two kinds of elephants. It seems to me that evolution guided by a being of infinite intelligence should go faster than evolution guided by mere humans working through trial and error, but somehow it doesn’t seem to work that way.

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    • JN
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 2:56am

      You’re basing that on two assumptions:
      Animals are progressing to produce more kinds
      An infinite being cares how many different types of a beetle there are.

      The fact is that we have more types of dogs because, as you said, people took dogs and breeded them endlessly. Elephants have been left alone in certain habitats, and that is why there are only a few different kinds (i’m unsure how many). The scientific community has already confirmed that all creatures have a wide variety of genes that can be tapped into, and humans simply exploited the many genes of dogs. They could easily do the same to elephants.

      Report Post » JN  
    • bobodu
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:32am

      Guess Chet has seen a mammoth or mastodon bone. People find them all the time a couple miles over in a peat bog.

      Report Post »  
    • Non-sequitur
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 10:54am

      “An infinite being cares how many different types of a beetle there are.”

      Odd that people still believe that an infinite being would care about humans.

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    • Chet Hempstead
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 1:18pm

      Elephants have been left alone in certain habitats, and that is why there are only a few different kinds (i’m unsure how many).
      No they haven’t. Not since there have been humans they haven’t. If anyone has ever needed to evolve fast, it’s the poor elephants.

      Guess Chet has seen a mammoth or mastodon bone.
      Okay you got me that’s two more kinds of elephants just ten or twenty thousand years ago. That’s much faster than evolution actually directed by intelligence which you can see happening in just a few generations.

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  • jmbogstad
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 2:17am

    Surely God gave us the ability to do things like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhDPHb2RXI4
    Never gonna see a grounhog with this much inginuity.

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  • Magen_daveed7
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 1:59am

    I agree God created and creates it all however neither evolution nor science disprove the bible or God but only someones theological interpretation.

    The things spoken about in Genesis 1 that God did in an instant mentally/Spiritually is still unraveling in the progress of time and Genesis 2:1-3 from the point of view of the physical has not yet happened. Now Adam was the start of a new segment of time called the Adamic age (of which the bible deals with) within a much older segment of time that could be millions or billions of years old. Time is actually insignificant to the God. Genesis 6 speaks about Adam’s offspring (called the Sons of God) being mixed with the humanoid evolved creatures that were here through their daughters. Adam’s offspring introduced language and objectivity to the purely subjective and emotional world of the animal. Adam is the missing link that science has yet to find because of his origin as an angelic genes that were placed in a physical body his bones dissolved after death and so did his descendants that were giant. Not all were physical giants though but some mental and spiritual giants.

    Report Post » Thomas  
    • riseandshine
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 2:42am

      uhh…ok

      Report Post » riseandshine  
    • JN
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 2:52am

      Have you read the New Testament? Jesus, Paul, and others refer to the creation account in a literal sense. There’s no basis for what you are positing here

      Report Post » JN  
    • BubbaCoop
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:25am

      You’re definitely not reading Genesis exigetically. Rather, you’re bringing your own assumptions to your reading. Genesis is clear that Adam was the first man. There was no other race. All are One Blood, otherwise Christ’s sacrifice does NOT cover all people. You should really do some better research. I’d start with Answers in Genesis.

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    • Hisemiester
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 10:44am

      Jeezh, What Bible did you get that out of? Would you like to share with the rest of us? Title, Author, you know the usual stuff.
      Story is similar in Genesis in my bibles but totally different. I have several bibles. None read as you have posted.

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    • Candertwin
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 12:59pm

      This kind of thinking isn’t in the bible. It comes out of other contexts in which the bible was written. It sounds controversial at times, but the bible is a collection of writings written by man. Someone (or many people) in the early middle ages decided to take the important collections of writings and form the bible. The bible was put together to refute another version of the bible that someone else put together. Many believed it had heresies within and did not exemplify the full faith. (known as the gospel of Thomas, and had been rejected as the “true” teaching of Jesus Christ). The new testament, as we understand it today, was put together (along with the old testament) and accepted as the Christian faith. As a Catholic, the Bible is only a part of the faith, not the foundation. The foundation is the teaching of our Savior Jesus Christ and the ultimate Truth and Goodness as we know it to be God.

      Report Post »  
  • thepatriotdave
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 1:36am

    Today I was in a large group of Christians at an event I attended. We has 4 couples at each round-table. At one point I asked if anyone at the table had given-up anything for Lent, and all I got was blank stares. After I explained Lent one of the people at our table started asking people at the other tables that surrounded us. I think his goal was to somehow that I made it all up?! We found a total of 3 people that knew what Lent was, and I was astounded. Have Christian religions fallen down that far in the modern-day onslaught of a anti-faith media, or is it something else?

    I know Lent is a big part of the Catholic Church teachings, but I thought all Christian religions teach about Lent. Can someone straighten me out, please.

    Take the “best choice for POTUS” Poll – Extended to Midnight Tuesday..
    http://www.AmericasTeaPartyNews.com

    Report Post » thepatriotdave  
    • JN
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 2:50am

      Yeah, most denominations don’t practice lent, especially protestant and “new” faith churches. Lent is pretty much exclusively Catholic

      Report Post » JN  
    • BOMUSTGO
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:28am

      Lent, is not aBiblical teaching at all. It’s the stuff that gets collected in your bellybutton…It is another vain man made teaching.

      Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
    • WillyGoode
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:50am

      Great Lent & Pascha are at the center of the Eastern Orthodox church. Find an Orthodox Christian and they will have NO problem telling you what Great Lent is and what Pascha (Easter) means.

      Report Post »  
    • BOMUSTGO
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:18am

      My Mother-IN-Law used to be Catholic, as was I, as a girl, she used to clean the rectory where the priests lived. She said there were lots of used condoms under the bed.Some priest on priest or priest on nun activity going on…

      BOMUSTGO  
    • BOMUSTGO
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:35am

      Many Christian holidays are pagan. Easter comes from the goddess .” Ishstar.” It is Passover that we should observe. Leviticus chapter 23 outlines the true Holidays. They are a “Holy Convocation.” This means they are rehearsels of things to come. Christ was born on the Feast of Tabernacles (In Oct Nov on Biblical calendar) He fulfilled the Passover as he is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, He arose from the dead on the feast of first fruits, as he is the first fruits of the resurrection (believers will one day be resurrected). His Spirit was poured out on Pentecost commemorating the giving of the LAW. Now by his Spirit, we have his commandments written on the fleshy tables of our hearts. The Resurrection will occurr on the feast of Trumpets (Ross Ha shanah). He will return to the Earth on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).He will rededicate the desecrated Temple (see Dan 9:27) on Hanukkah (Hanukkah means rededication).The Messiah is in the process of fulfilling all the Biblical feast days.

      Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:50am

      Those churches that preserve the liturgical caledar as the basis for their worship maintain the practice of Lent. Among the Protestant fold Anglican and Lutheran churches do. But even in some Anglican cchurches the observance of Lent varies depending upon how Protestant/Evangelical they are. The Evangelical resistance to Lent is based in an interpretation of Jesus’ command not to fast and show your piety “before men” as applying not just to personal acts but to corporate ones. The older and more catholic churches do not interpret Jesus’ command that way.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • TonyDarrington
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 12:17pm

      You need Faith alone to love and worship God. Catholics confuse things with all of the rites and rituals. It shouldn’t take years of study to learn how to worship. Give me Faith and a Bible.

      Report Post » TonyDarrington  
    • Mandors
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 1:12pm

      It’s very surprising to see such bigotry on this website. The act of personal sacrifice and reflection for forty days to commemorate and acknowledge the forty days Jesus spent in the desert, leading up to his crucifixion, is something many Christians, not just Catholics are returning to. There has been a renewed interest in Lent in many non-Catholic denominations which is understandable considering the materialism of our culture and present state of our society.

      While I would not dissuade anyone from finding their faith, I would be very leery of the specter of the sin of pride in the having ultimate confidence that one alone can pick up the bible (which one) and fully appreciate God’s message. History is replete with misinterpretations by the arrogant and ignorant that have led to tragedy.

      Report Post » Mandors  
    • TonyDarrington
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 1:39pm

      Perhaps I oversimplified a bit too much. I didn’t mean that there is no place for a pastor or Church. I meant that works and deeds don’t grant grace. God grants Grace as He deems. Our only responsibility is Faith alone. God does not grant grace and then revoke it because you did not get confirmed, or sacrifice for 40 days, or put $20 in the basket. But then return it because you confessed to the priest and said a prayer, only to revoke it again at some later point for a transgression. Those are scare tactics to drive butts into the pews.God does not revoke grace. But, God only grants Grace to those who are worthy, and for them, leading a good life does not require threats of God’s wrath. Faith alone.

      Report Post » TonyDarrington  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 3:12pm

      Santification, or holiness, is not an act of grace that the Lord just gives you. You have to co-operate with the Spirit, working out your salvation in fear and trembling. You can’t just sit on your Justified butt all your life and expect to grow in holiness. Lent is a seasonal spiritual training ground that helps you to focus on those perishable things that tie the soul down and draw us from God.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • TonyDarrington
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 4:05pm

      Why does religion have to involve fear, trembling, and suffering. Is that how God really wants us to live our lives? God will grant grace to whomever He chooses to. Faith alone, not acts by mortals. Works based grace is what leads to animal sacrifice and other silly rites and rituals.

      Report Post » TonyDarrington  
    • MrBigBillyB
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 6:24pm

      @mandors,

      I must wholeheartedly disagree with your statement that man alone cannot rightly interpret the Bible himself. History is replete with evidences of arrogant church leaders doing the interpretation for the masses and leading to tragedy. What are these church leaders if not men themselves?

      Report Post »  
  • drattastic
    Posted on April 24, 2011 at 1:33am

    Damn right !

    Report Post » drattastic  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 1:36am

      Indeed!

      We are wonderfully and fearfully created, made by the hands of our Creator in his image and likeness.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • GONESURFING
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 2:34am

      We Christians know that. I’m not Catholic, but I appreciate it when the Pope take a stand for God. May God bless him.

      Report Post » GONESURFING  
    • Robert-CA
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 2:42am

      Amen !!!!!!!!!!!!

      Report Post » Robert-CA  
    • Polwatcher
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:24am

      Amen, Bro…

      Report Post »  
    • BOMUSTGO
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:26am

      Only Commies,Socialists,and Liberals are products of Evilution!

      Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
    • bobodu
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:28am

      Show me the slightest bit of proof for Creationism. You have tales and fables, but no proof. Even the Church has admitted to the possibility of life on other planets. Won’t find that in the Bible…save for some weird drug soaked dreams.

      Report Post »  
    • Mannax
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:14am

      Being pagan, I find it interesting that many Christian holidays were based around existing pagan holidays that predated Christianity. That being said, I find no reason to try to bash Christianity or take it away. Being American, I understand that this country was founded upon the Christian beliefs and with the exception of one letter where making sure that there was a separation so that the government would not try to rule the church as happened in England, there is no reference to separating the two, in fact there is even more evidence to support that they believed that there should be more Biblical references in the Constitution because they believed that it would bolster that sacred document.

      /Yes, I am a pagan.
      //Yes, I will support anyone’s right to worship as they see fit so long as they are not harming another.
      ///It is not our place to judge another’s soul, that will happen eventually.
      //// <== I love that key.

      Report Post »  
    • Islesfordian
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:31am

      Just a quibble Blaze, but I am sure the Pope never used the word “humanity” as a synonym for Man or Mankind. Humanity properly refers to the human NATURE, not to the RACE. I am sure it has become vogue to misuse it today because of a feminist desire to avoid the dominant masculine in the proper terms.

      Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • SeasonOfReason
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 9:14am

      I think you all would change your minds if you only looked at the evidence for the fact of evolution.

      Report Post » GodHatesFigs  
    • RRFlyer
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 9:29am

      everyone who condemns Christianity because some holidays began as Pagan holidays miss the whole point of CHristianity. God is about changing evil for good. Many men in the Bible were murders and non believers and God used them for His good. Paul arrested Christians and led them to their deaths, yet God turned him into the greatest evangelist ever.
      I am proud that God can use people or things or days with fault and change it for His purpose.
      Read the Bible and you will see it is full of examples

      Report Post »  
    • Professional Infidel
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 9:45am

      Whats left to say!! it is what it is. all the rest is, Nothing (without GOD).

      Report Post »  
    • Candertwin
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 12:41pm

      The “proof” for creationism, if you want to call it proof, is LANGUAGE. Seriously, think about it. If you study anthropology, you will realize that all humans (****-sapiens) had a language out of which a culture could develop. These cultures left behind archeological evidence which can be studied in a scientific manner and puts context to these discovered cultures. Keep in mind communication is not the same as language. There is no such thing as a partial language. An animal either has it, or it doesn’t. So far as we know it, humans are the only creatures we know of that have language. All human cultures throughout history had a full language will full syntax and grammar ect. Language either exists or it does not. Languages can evolve within themselves, but there is no evidence that basic communication can evolve into a language. If the latter were the case, then you could find evidence of a “half” language or a “partial” language. These do not exist. Only full languages exist, and archeological evidence may suggest that it developed all at once corresponding to the appearance of humans on this Earth.
      There were animals and creatures, then all of a sudden “poof” humans with language. I think both evolution and creationism can apply. Creatures could have evolved to a point where humans were created. Evolution… maybe. Creationism… probably. Will humans ever know for sure?

      Report Post »  
    • Snidely
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 1:46pm

      Actually, Season, I think you would change your mind if you honestly looked at the so-called “facts of evolution”. I say that because I, too, was once a fervent believer in evolution. It wasn’t until I actually looked more deeply at what science wanted me to believe that I found that evolution is just smoke and mirrors. Anyone can inherently recognize design. We don’t assume that Stonehenge or the statues on Easter Island were a result of wind and water erosion. We recognize that they were put there. Same with life. Anyone that looks at life with an open mind realizes the intelligence it takes to design complex systems. You do have an open mind, don’t you?

      Report Post » Snidely  
    • SeasonOfReason
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:53pm

      Ah, proof from design. I’m not buying it. I have looked at all the facts and come to the conclusion that evolution is fact.

      Report Post » GodHatesFigs  
    • Dale
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:56pm

      bobodu;

      “Show me the slightest bit of proof for Creationism. You have tales and fables, but no proof. Even the Church has admitted to the possibility of life on other planets. Won’t find that in the Bible…save for some weird drug soaked dreams.”
      ————————————————
      I can’t provide proof to your satisfaction, however perhaps turn about is in order – prove that there was no creation. Oh, I didn’t think you could.

      Report Post » Dale  
    • Dale
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 6:58pm

      SeasonOfReason;

      “Ah, proof from design. I’m not buying it. I have looked at all the facts and come to the conclusion that evolution is fact.”
      ————————
      Your facts are might thin. Show me ONE example of a species evolving into a higher species. I’ll wait.

      Report Post » Dale  
    • SeasonOfReason
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:34pm

      Dale
      Every living thing on this earth has evolved from a “lower” species.

      Report Post » GodHatesFigs  
    • Dale
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 7:44pm

      SeasonOfReason;

      “Every living thing on this earth has evolved from a “lower” species.”
      ————————————
      That’s your OPINION, but where is your PROOF. That’s what I asked for. You made the statement, now put up or shut up. YOU HAVE NOT PROOF, because there is none; but I’ll give you one more chance. What PROOF do you have – surely science in the last 100 or so years has found ONE example, sure, I’ll humor you, things evolve but NOT from one species to a HIGHER species. Let’s see you PROOF. I’ve fed up with you know-it-alls who know nothing!

      Report Post » Dale  
    • SeasonOfReason
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:46pm

      Dale
      You can read your own post, you did not ask me for proof. But, there is evidence out there. Fossil evidence, genetic evidence, geologic evidence. Give me just a little time and I’ll be more specific.

      Report Post » GodHatesFigs  
    • Dale
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:52pm

      SeasonOfReason;

      “Ah, proof from design. I’m not buying it. I have looked at all the facts and come to the conclusion that evolution is fact.”
      ————————
      Your facts are might thin. Show me ONE example of a species evolving into a higher species. I’ll wait.
      _______________
      As you can see from my first post: I did ask for PROOF. BTW, good luck on your search: I thought you would have done that before you came to the conclusion that we evolved from some lower form. I hope your future ‘PROOF’ is more compelling!

      Report Post » Dale  
    • SeasonOfReason
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:58pm

      Are we looking at the same thing? You asked me for an example of a species evolving into a “higher” species, not for any proof. I replied by saying all species have evolved from a “lower” species. For a more specific example, the evolution of reptiles (dinosaurs) to birds. There is fossil record to back this up.

      Report Post » GodHatesFigs  
    • Dale
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 9:16pm

      SeasonOfReason;

      Good try, you said every living thing evolved from a lower species. I simply asked you to PROVE your statement. A word of advice: it can’t be done! That is why evolution is called a theory. You have accepted it as fact (you said so). Fossil evidence is not proof. How do you know that reptiles (dinosaurs) evolved into birds? Are birds a higher life form than reptiles? IF anything evolved, perhaps birds evolved into reptiles, can you say one way or the other? If so I’d like to know which, and how you determined that it happened that way. I think your FACTS are, at least questionable.

      Report Post » Dale  
    • SeasonOfReason
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 9:33pm

      There is a nested hierarchy of species. You can tell which way the evolution goes. This could be proven wrong, but it has not yet. Fossil evidence is not proof, but it is part of a larger body of evidence, which taken as a whole, have led me to the conclusion that evolution is fact.

      Report Post » GodHatesFigs  
    • Dale
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 9:38pm

      reason;

      I return to my question, provide ONE example of a species evolving into a higher species. YOU CANNOT! I question as FACT a THEORY that cannot explain or prove such a sequence. I question your wisdom in doing so. I certainly would not believe that I can from a (the popular choice) monkey without knowing that such a thing could actually happen. You do, enough said. Good luck to you.

      Report Post » Dale  
    • SeasonOfReason
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 10:09pm

      Reptile (dinosaurs) to birds, reptiles to mammals

      Report Post » GodHatesFigs  
    • TonyDarrington
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 10:16pm

      Season, you can’t explain science to people who inherently reject science. A person has to have a clear understanding of anthropology and DNA/ protein to really appreciate evolution. The ID people don’t, and never will. The power of God is a great explanation for the unexplainable. Let the ID folks have it. To the ID folks I say, you can have any belief you want, but don’t disparage me for having a curious mind and understanding things in a way that you choose not to.

      Report Post » TonyDarrington  
    • freeus
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 1:31am

      Thank you Pope Benedict for your important Easter message. A blessed Easter to you and all.

      Report Post »  
    • Ammagicman
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 6:57am

      If God created the universe and all that is within it, if he set down the laws by which it operates, which I believe is true, then why do so many consider evolution to be outside of God’s control and plan? Evolution is the word we use to describe man’s understanding of how God created life, an imperfect understanding I will grant you, but the best we imperfect human’s have divined which follows the laws of the universe, God’s laws.

      Report Post »  
    • mtorres20
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 9:44am

      We are all product of Loving Caring Creator. Liberals Socialist and Communist included. The reason they don‘t believe is that since the creator isn’t giving them anything free they don’t want to believe in him they forgot they breathing free air, walking as free man because of Judean Christian doctrine that broke the Slavery issue in the 19th Century yes thank you British Empire and American Religious Fanatics…..who were called Fanatics because they believed that every human life was special…those same fanatics were the ones who advocated for the right of womans equality and protection of children from inhuman treatment. They were as hated then as Pro Lifer are now but in the end they were Right.

      Report Post » mtorres20  
    • USAMama
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 10:59am

      Ammagicman

      The reason Christians do not believe evolution is because it is not supported by the Bible. The Bible is very clear that Adam was made in Gods own image and we do NOT believe God is a monkey! God breathed life into Adam and Adam lived that same day, not as a monkey but as a man. Were the other animals created first, yes, but Adam was clearly made individually and given dominion over all other living things. Never were we equal.

      Report Post » USAMama  
    • MrBigBillyB
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 3:34pm

      A note to all those supporting evolution in this thread.

      The reason that evolution cannot be true is because, if it is true, then one of the following HAS to be true. There cannot be any other option.

      If evolution is true, then either:

      A. A non-Homosapien (human) gave birth to a Homosapien (human)
      or
      B A non- Homosapien (human) changed into a Homosapien (human)

      Those are the only options. There can’t be anything else. Either something non-human gave birth to a human, (which we know does not happen) or a non-human was walking along one second, and the next nano-second he was a human. No matter how many years you want to give the evolutionary process, there HAS to be some point where either one or the other has happened. And no scientest in the world would ever say that either proposition was true, and thus evolution cannot be true.

      Report Post »  
    • SeasonOfReason
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 3:56pm

      @MrBigBillyB
      Wow. I never thought of it that way. You make a very compelling argument. PRAISE AHURA MAZDA! (that was your point right?)

      Report Post » GodHatesFigs  
    • MrBigBillyB
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 4:31pm

      @Season

      Not sure what point you are attempting to make. Are you making an effort at mocking me?

      I was simply pointing out the fallacy of evolution of which you seem to be a proponent. If you do indeed claim evolution as fact (as may proponents do) than can you please tell me which method is true? Did a non-human give birth to a human, or did a non-human “become” human at some point in it’s lifetime? I would like to know where you stand specifically.

      Thanks.

      Report Post »  
    • schmite123oh
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 4:40pm

      Thanks Big Willy! Your statement was more presentable than mine usually is. I always ask evolutionists to explain evolution objectively all the way back to the first organism, since if you go back far enough there had to be an original living organism and every time they affirm the same conclusion, apparently we all came from slime on a rock. Anyways, creatinism has an answer for everything, GOD has an answer for everything, Like you said Truth is truth, we defend truth with contradiction. And most importantly truth has NO agenda, and i see evolutionists as having a major Agenda in mind. GOD is truth, therefore no agenda.

      Report Post »  
    • MrBigBillyB
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 6:16pm

      Maybe @Season has checked out for today. But if not, the silence is deafening.

      Report Post »  
    • SeasonOfReason
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 7:49am

      @MrBigBillyB
      Sorry, I didn’t think you were that serious. The answer is A. And sorry if I offended you, I was just having a little fun.

      Report Post » GodHatesFigs  
    • MrBigBillyB
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 12:00pm

      @Season,

      Not offended at all, It’s always hard to read intent, so I try not to make assumptions.

      Thanks for your response. I find it odd to think that someone supporting a “scientific” position would ever claim that two creatures of a specific “kind” would give birth to something not of it’s kind. For example, two dogs (regardless of breed) would not mate and give birth to anything other than a dog. Not even Darwin ever claimed as much.

      Report Post »  
    • SeasonOfReason
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 2:18pm

      It‘s not like Ray Comfort’s crocoduck. The process is gradual. So, when I answered “A”, it was only because it was the best choice.

      Report Post » GodHatesFigs  
    • SeasonOfReason
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 2:22pm

      By the way, thanks for at least having an adult conversation with me on the subject. It doesn’t happen too often in theblaze comment sections.

      Report Post » GodHatesFigs  
    • MrBigBillyB
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 4:47pm

      @Season

      Regarding the “adult discussion”, you are welcome. I try to avoid condecention and name calling that I do see here at times in these forums. I am always interested in an honest debate.

      Regardless of how gradual you want to make it, there has to come a point in time where something that is non-human gives birth to something that is human (based on your choice of “A”.) You are saying, at some point whatever previous creature that did not posess the trait that makes us “human” (or Homosapien if you like) gave birth to a creature that did posess whatever trait makes us Human and not that previous creature. Two non-humans cannot ever reproduce and create a human. No matter how gradual you say it is, it comes down to a single generation. One non-human, the next human. No Biologist would ever back up that claim.

      I will always readily admit that Evolution occurs. But it only occurs in a Micro- sense. In other words, I can breed two dissimilar dogs and breed certain characteristics in and out so that I have a new breed of dog. That is readily apparent with our understandings of genetics. However no matter how many dogs I breed over however many generations you want to choose at the end of the day, I will always have a dog. Macro-evolution, as the idea of lower forms evolving into higher forms suggests, is false, and could never be proven as fact.

      Report Post »  
    • SeasonOfReason
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 5:53pm

      I do understand your concerns regarding evolution. Gradual changes do happen over time. Dogs were wolves in the past. My aunt was born with 6 fingers on each hand. When you take in to account the amount of time there has been life on this planet even gradual changes can amount substantial differences between “kinds.” I don’t know if you are familiar with talkorigins dot org but it has a lot of information regarding evolution. If you haven’t gone there it is really worth checking out, I am by no means an evolutionary expert. By the way, what I meant by “adult conversation” was just an open exchange of ideas without many assumptions, name calling, etc. (I think you get it).

      Report Post » GodHatesFigs  
    • MrBigBillyB
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 6:59pm

      @Season

      Your Aunt’s 6th finger was not evolution, but rather a mutation. As I have said, you can make it as gradual as you want. At some point, according to your belief, a non-homosapien had to give birth to a homosapien. It is simply not possible. You attempt to blur the line by saying it’s a gradual, but it cannot be blurred. Either something is a homosapien, or it is not. It is the law of the excluded middle. You cannot be both homosapien and non-homosapien.

      Report Post »  
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