Can Evolution Fit into Christianity?
Thesis:
Evolution versus Christianity has long been a topic of debate inside and outside the scientific community. Christianity believes that God created the world, the universe and everything in them. It believes that God takes an ever-present, active part in this world. Evolution states that over long periods of time the world changed. Bit by bit, change by change, the world was created and life began. As a scientist and a Christian, I will look at whether or not it is possible to fit evolution into my religion. Can these two controversial subjects be meshed or is the difference between them too great?
What is Christianity?
The Christian religion believes that God created the earth and the only way to get to heaven is through Jesus Christ, God's son. A person must ask Jesus to come into his or her heart to live and forgive all of their sins. The main concern throughout this paper deals with the first statement in this paragraph, how the earth began. In Genesis 1:1 it states, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."1 Then it continues on to tell how he created it. Christians believe that God is ever present in this world. He is always here, watching what happens and responding when someone asks. Christians also believe that God is all knowing and therefore he has foreseen how a person's life will go and what decisions he or she will make.
What is Evolution?
As a person begins to study the topic of evolution, it becomes apparent that everyone has their own perception as to what evolution is. Some people talk of evolution as if it were Darwinism or natural selection. Others think it is the primordial soup and the big bang. Some people simply compare an ape ...
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4Johnson, E. Phillip, Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, 1997.
3Moran, Laurence. (January 22, 1993) What is Evolution? Retrieved October 30, 2003 from, http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolution-definition.html
10 National Academy of Sciences (2001) Science and Creationism [Electronic version]. Retrieved October 29, 2003 from, http://bob.nap.edu/html/creationism/conclusion.html
6Redelings, Benjamin. Evolution and Christianity [Electronic version]. Retrieved October 29, 2003 from, http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~bredelin/Topics/Evolution/
12Weiner, Jonathan, The Beak of the Finch, Vintage Books, New York, 1994.
8Woodward, Thomas, Doubts about Darwin, A History of Intelligent Design. Baker
Books, Grand Rapids, 2003.
11Wright, Richard T., Biology Through the Eyes of Faith. HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco, 2003.
On December 23, 1814, Andrew Jackson rode his way into history. His victory over the British on that day made him into a national hero. Jackson used this popularity to ensure his victory over John Quincy Adams in the election of 1828. But who was the real "Old Hickory?" Was Andrew Jackson the courageous, honor bound "man of the people", or, as his opponents liked to think, was he a hot tempered, poorly educated farm boy? This essay will present both sides of the case and try to reach a conclusion.
Andrew Jackson has been described as a great hero of his time and a man who was atrocious and would destroy the Union. Andrew Jackson accomplished a great number of things during his life but some of his actions were quite questionable. Looking from the present to the past gives insight into areas where the events can be examined more objectively. However, it is vital when examining past events to keep in mind the mindsets of the past. People had a different point of view and a different perspective than the current one. This must be kept in the forward part of the mind to understand the actions of those in the past. This paper will serve as a guide into the life of Andrew Jackson, his trials and tribulations, decisions and contradictions. From the beginning of his life, he was headstrong and that would lead him straight into the history books.
As soon as Andrew Jackson came into office, he fired 10% of the government’s employees, mainly from the post office, and placed his own supporters into the vacated posts. This may not have been a problem if he replaced these workers with people who were qualified, but the vast majority of Andrew Jackson’s appointments were incompetent. Thus, the government became bloated and less efficient. Andrew Jackson development of a special system to reward his cronies with government jobs without formal training, demonstrates that Andrew Jackson should be remembered as
On the night of March 2, 1991, Rodney King and two of his friends decided to go "cruising around looking for some girls." After a few drinks, the three men began cruising around the streets of Los Angeles. At about midnight, King was driving at speeds of up to 115 miles an hour on the freeway. Two California Highway Patrol officers clocked King's car, and began to pursue him. This, however, was not going to stop King. After a 7.8-mile pursuit on freeways and city streets, King was forced to pull over because another vehicle was blocking the street.
It all begun one year before (March 3, 1991) when Rodney King and two friends were detected to be speeding in the 210 freeway in Los Angeles. He was driving under the influence of alcohol. King, scared because he was already in probation, went on a high speed chase. Eventually King was surrounded by police cars and had no ch...
On the night of August 11, 1965 the Watts community of Los Angeles County went up in flames. A riot broke out and lasted until the seventeenth of August. After residents witnessed a Los Angeles police officer using excessive force while arresting an African American male. Along with this male, the police officers also arrested his brother and mother. Twenty-seven years later in 1992 a riot known as both the Rodney King riots and the LA riots broke out. Both share the similar circumstances as to why the riots started. Before each riot there was some kind of tension between police officers and the African American people of Los Angeles. In both cases African Americans were still dealing with high unemployment rates, substandard housing, and inadequate schools. Add these three problems with policemen having a heavy hand and a riot will happen. Many of the primary sources I will you in this analysis for the Watts and the LA riots can be found in newspaper articles written at the time of these events. First-hand accounts from people living during the riots are also used.
Andrew Jackson is one of the most controversial presidents. Many regard him as a war hero, the father of the Democratic Party, an inspiring leader, and a spokesman for the common man. While there is plenty to praise about the seventh president, his legacy is tarnished by his racism, disregard for the law of the land, cruelty towards the Native Americans, and ruthless temper. Jackson was an intriguing man who was multi-faceted. One must not look at a singular dimension, and cast judgment on him as a whole. To accurately evaluate one of the most complex presidents, it is crucial to observe Jackson from all possible angles. Prior lifestyle, hardships in life, political ideology, lifestyle of the time, political developments, and his character
In the late 12th century the Romanesque period of style morphed into the Gothic period of style. The Romanesque period was characterized by the following: thick walls, barrel/round arches, supporting groin vaults, and thick buttresses (Calkins 1998, 110). The Gothic period was characterized by the following: thin walls, pointed arches, stained glass, and flying buttresses (Icher 1998, 20-30). During the early medieval years, the use of thick walls in building a church or cathedral was not only to create a stable monumental building but to help protect the building during wars or battles. Building thick stone walls also helped protect the building from “incendiarism” which tended to happen frequently when older wooden churches were under attack (Fitchen 1981, 42-6). The seemingly smooth transition between the two periods can easily be seen with the change of using barrel arches to using pointed arches in cathedral architecture. By transitioning from barrel arches to pointed arches, cathedral builders were able to create greater support for cathedral roofs while conserving stone, reducing the sizes of buttresses and walls, and they also created a new meaning to what churches symbolized.
The Gothic Art movement was not just a style of art but an extremely influential period containing its own complex history. The term is used to describe buildings and objects whose forms are based upon a range of characteristics from the middle of the 12th to the end of the 15th century. Gothic style was a development of the Romanesque yet it was Renaissance humanists who first used it as a disparaging term to describe what they saw as the barbaric architecture. With Gothic art being viewed through so many different perspectives it is deemed quite difficult to appropriately define what Gothic means in postmodern society today. It provided a new focus for the representation of nature and one major area within Gothic Art that distinguishes it from the ordinary is the symbolic elements used to create the art and in particular their infamous architecture. One of the greatest architectural landmarks known to Gothic art referred to as the Chartres Cathedral along some of the most exquisite sculptural & painted pieces in the world showed clearly the beauty and symbolism the Gothic Age had to offer the rest of the world.
After Sir Charles Darwin had introduced his original theory about the origins of species and evolution, humanity’s faith in God that remained undisputed for hundreds of years had reeled. The former unity fractured into the evolutionists, who believed that life as we see it today had developed from smaller and more primitive organisms, and creationists, who kept believing that life in all its diversity was created by a higher entity. Each side introduced substantial arguments to support their claims, but at the same time the counter-arguments of each opponent are also credible. Therefore, the debates between the evolutionists and the creationists seem to be far from ending. And though their arguments are completely opposite, they can co-exist or even complement each other.
The Romanesque and Gothic architecture period both occurred during the Middle Ages with the Gothic period taking place during the later half. Gothic and Romanesque architecture were related in many ways, but they also contrasted in style too. Over time, masons began to test the waters and push the limits. They thought of new ways to add lighting and ways to allow more height to the building without it being to heavy and weak. Many of the reasons for the change in styles had a lot to do with society and the changes it faced. There was a greater intensity occurring in piety and literature. The Gothic style embodied this new urban society. Romanesque and Gothic shared similar characteristics, but Gothic architecture was a greater departure from its previous predecessor.
While the theory of evolution is very commonly accepted amongst most scholars and intellectuals, when the scientific facts used to 'support' it are closely examined, it becomes apparent that it is merely that: a theory. Inaccurate information, misguided philosophers, and in some cases, just plain ignorance, have all contributed to this 'scientific religion' that does nothing but lead people away from the true nature of our existence, the Genesis creation. The creation 'story' is much more than just a story, it is a scientifically provable fact, and one that should be treated as more than just a parable or story, as the Word of God is pure and the absolute truth.
I do not wish to change anyone’s beliefs about Creation or Evolution, but wrote this in defense for people who tell me I am wrong unless I believe exactly what they do. This paper is short, incomplete, and is not in-depth. I am willing to provide more information, and hear arguments from your side of the story if you find this paper unacceptable.
Public administration as a field of study and as a practice has continually evolved with American society. The United States has survived and thrived through major cultural shifts, varying degrees of economic climates, and both civil and world wars. Through out all these changes in our country, one thing has always remained the same, the fact that we are an ever evolving and always changing nation. Theories and forms of practice of public administration have also evolved parallel with the history of the United States. There have been numerous events in American history have lead to changes in society and the practice of public administration has both led and followed in the adaptation process of such monumental changes.
Evolution is an unproven theory forced into the minds of youths through the public school system. Some argue evolution as the only true answer in the world of science; yet ignorantly chose to ignore the countless gaps of unsolved information. Evolution is a religion taught as science, leaving many students, such as myself, to follow along with this bizarre theory in order to achieve the grade I desire.