Evolution is not a proven theory. Widely accepted, yes. Proven, no.
And it actually presents some insurmountable theological difficulties that you can not reconcile with the Bible. Was there death before the fall into sin? The Bible says no, and bases other doctrines on that fact. (death entered the world through one man's sin, and eternal life comes through one Man's perfect obedience.... etc.)
Genesis 1 is not written as poetry. It is historical narrative. When God says "there was evening and there was morning, the first day...." that's what he means. Why question it?
For me, the question is "who am I going to believe." Either I accept that the Bible, in it's entirety is true, or I can start chopping it up and accepting what I like and leaving what I don't. If I start leaving some parts out, or adjusting them to fit what men have said, then it is no longer the standard for truth. Science is. Or scientific theories. Or human opinion. I will not put my faith in any of those. For me, that's part of believing in God. I believe he is who has revealed himself to be in his Word, and I believe that everything he has said in his Word is true and trustworthy. That's why I personally can not accept theistic evolution.
Was there death before the Fall? Well, we know that for mankind there wasn't death before the Fall. What about other animals? I reckon that we are special, which is why there was no death for us. Animals? It's only logical that they died. Look at fossils. They were alive and now they're not LOOOOONG before the Fall happened.
Can someone tell me how evolution is yet to be proved? By us mutating into X-Men? Doesn't work like that. I had a big problem accepting evolution until I understood what it was actually about. I don't think it could have happened at all without God, but I can see how it happens today and has happened over the last few million years. OK, so one brand-new life form has evolved in the last 200 years only, and that was a hybrid grass. But look at bacteria. Whole new species can evolve in a lab in mere years. Without humans tinkering with the genome. It's adaption. I think that God did give us evolution so we could adapt to the world that we created (which is different to the world God created for us, because we've messed it up a fair bit). I think that is a gift of love. He could have made us static and unable to cope outside of Eden. No, my God loves the world so much that He ensured we'd survive until at least His Son arrived, and allowing evolution seems to me like the best way.
BTW, I'm often curious about how far back time-wise I could go and still be viable with another "human". I wonder if I went back to the time of Noah whether I would be able to have children with the people then, or if we've changed (evolved) too much. Which means that either we're not human or they weren't, which is a whole 'nother exciting thing to consider!
I think the problem - at least in my humble opinion - is that evolution is taught in schools as being the goo to human kind, as opposed to simple adaptation to ones environment. I know that until the other thread, I flatly refused anything to do with evolution, because I know I didn't come from a monkey or any other animal. BUT I can understand that environmental factors do impact on us - you put it really well LZ, about it being God's love that allows us to adapt rather than being made for the only place on Earth that we'll never find by ourselves.
I had a whole big 'discussion' with DH a while ago, based on the premise that Adam and Eve wouldn't have had belly buttons, as they were created and not born attached to an umbilical cord. I raised my own theory that they also wouldn't have required a 'back passage' while they were in Eden and therefore perfect, because that is used to rid the body of waste products. And if your body is perfect, and you're only eating perfect foods in perfect portions - what waste would there be?
It's interesting to wonder about how different Adam & Eve were to what we are now - our bodies seem capable of functioning with tonsils, appendix, gall bladder and even spleen in some cases, but Jehovah would have created them with a purpose, they wouldn't have just been superfluous. So I wonder what their designed function was in the beginning?
I think there's a huge difference between evolution and adaptation.
I don't know if I've said this elsewhere on BB, but evolution involves pain, death, survival of the fittest. My bible records God as saying things were good at the end of each day. So with evolution, at the end of that 'day' where somehow life evolves from molecular form to a cow, for example, with all the struggles, mutations and violence along the way...and then God says that it is good, as in perfect. I'm not sure about that really.
While I think it can be beneficial to think on these things, to try and have a better understanding of our faiths, I try to be careful not to get too hung up on these things. For me, as a Christian, the most important thing is love, to love others and love God, and I've seen too many people get really grotty at each other because they get bogged down in these matters. So while I find it interesting, and I know of people who have found their lives significantly changed when their beliefs on creation/evolution changed, I don't base my faith on evolution vs 7 day creation. I believe God created, and while I have my own personal view that I consider to be not entirely uneducated, I don't claim to have inside knowledge any further than what my holy book teaches.
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