Can Evolution Fit into Christianity?

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Recommended: The balance of the relationship between religion and science

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.

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