Posted on 05/10/2007 11:59:08 PM PDT by neverdem
WASHINGTON -- In a nation where 91 percent of citizens profess to believe in God, it's a safe bet we won't see an atheist in the White House anytime soon.
But what about a president who doesn't believe in Darwin? And are Darwin and God mutually exclusive?
These are the questions that (still) trouble men's souls. And still cause trouble for presidential candidates forced unfairly to essentially choose between God and science.
In the "gotcha" question of the first GOP debate, journalist Jim VandeHei, relaying a citizen's question, asked John McCain: "Do you believe in evolution?"
A natural response might have been, "Well, that depends on how you define evolution.'' It would seem that Clintonian nuance is off the boards for now. Instead, McCain gambled and said -- no doubt with fear and trembling in his political heart -- "Yes.''
Next VandeHei asked: Is there anyone on the stage who doesn't believe in evolution? Three raised their hands -- Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado.
As debate audiences were pondering the meaning of Darwin in the Oval Office, McCain asked permission to elaborate. McCain then added: "I believe in evolution. But I also believe, when I hike the Grand Canyon and see it at sunset, that the hand of God is there also.''
Note to George Tenet: This is what you call a slam dunk. McCain was able to acknowledge both science and religion -- evolutionary theory and creationism -- and make them mutually exclusive. Some may call that "fence-straddling'' or "having it both ways,'' but political observers call it "Bingo!'
The others weren't so fortunate. Like little boys called to the front of the class for public humiliation, Huckabee, Tancredo and Brownback immediately became targets of ridicule by...
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
Darwin and God go together like day and night. You can’t believe both God and Darwin, you are either a believer or an atheist.
I don’t like the phrase “believe in _____”. I’d prefer “believe that ____”
That said, I plead with you, my Republican friends in the struggle for free markets and limited government, I plead with you to educate your base so they stop making us all look silly by association.
I know it’s not polite to tell people that they’re wrong to think the earth is less than 10,000 years old, and it’s even worse to tell their kids, but you’ve got to do it. It’s either tough love or the Republican party is going to be the joke of the 21st century.
Who proved that faith and reason are mutually exclusive? The Vatican has no problem with evolution.
The Vatican has no problem with evolution.
Then they don’t believe in their own Bible, the Bible and evolution don’t mix very well.
I do know that I would never vote for someone who publicly acknowledged belief in Creationism or ID. Electing irrational people is not rational.
If you can not believe in evolution that you can not believe that your God is omnipotent. My God is omnipotent. He created humans by means of evolution. My God is more powerful than your God.
Romans 8
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
He created humans by means of evolution
What God do you worship? Sun God? I guess you don’t believe in your Bible either.
IIRC from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, the Roman Catholic Church doesn't teach a literal interpretation of the Bible because it's can't be reconciled with reason and a large amount of facts. It doesn't mean that there is no Creator.
That should be: "IIRC from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, the Roman Catholic Church doesn't teach a literal interpretation of the Bible because it can't be reconciled with reason and a large amount of facts."
My high school didn't tolerate such errors in English usage.
Kudos to Huckabee, Brownback, and Tancredo for being brave enough to declare that they don’t believe in [Macro]evolution.
It take it you are biblical literalist. Which bible is that you are giving your faith to? Is the the King James Bible? Is the the Bible with the Catholic imprimata? Or maybe you use an original Hebrew bible? Or have you given yourself to one of original Greek versions? The Latin versions? The Aramaic versions? If you are not reading the originals how did you come to trust the specific translation you are reading?
Have you ever studied the history of the compilation of books into what your particular Bible? Do you know how the included books were accepted and what books were rejected? Do you know why they were accepted or rejected?
With so many choices of Bibles out there, just how does one choose one to believe. The one that you believe literally, word for word?
That stated, you shouldn't be embarrassed about Creationists being Republicans any more than you should be embarrassed about Christians being Republicans.
Are you going to recognize that there is a religious aspect to your objection, because from a secular point of view, the origin of the universe and life is almost a moot point, especially for politicians.
Not all Christians are Creationists.
And the last time I checked, there weren’t thousands of scientists running around making observations and constructing mathematical models to account for them in order to find out whether Jesus was or was not our Lord and personal Savior.
Taking a look into the mirror....
This could be a bit overly harsh.
The Bible is pretty clear that Macroevolution, as it is considered today, was not used to create either the universe or life. For one, the orders are not the same. For the universe part, Earth was made before either the Sun or the stars, and light existed before the Sun or stars, contrary to Macroevolutionary dogma. For the life part, birds were created before land animals, while Macroevolutionary dogma argues that birds are descended from land dinosaurs. Then there wasn't death before the Fall, while Macroevolutionary opinion has plenty of death--indeed, the advancement of life is driven and directed by death in that belief--long before the arrival of any of the Homo species, much less Homo erectus, Homo sapiens neanderthalis (or Homo neanderthalis), and Homo sapiens sapiens (or Homo sapiens).
You can be a Macroevolutionist, but Macroevolution is NOT compatible with what the Bible states as the Creation of the world, universe, and life. And the Bible is what Christians use as what God said. For the Roman Catholics, the words of some old man in the Vatican hold about as much weight as Joe Smoe on the local street around where you live.
It stated that being embarrassed by Creationist Republicans is about the same as being embarrassed by Christian Republicans. Chiefly, you shouldn't be embarrassed by either of them.
The Bible is pretty clear that Macroevolution, as it is considered today, was not used to create either the universe or life. For one, the orders are not the same. For the universe part, Earth was made before either the Sun or the stars, and light existed before the Sun or stars, contrary to Macroevolutionary dogma. For the life part, birds were created before land animals, while Macroevolutionary dogma argues that birds are descended from land dinosaurs. Then there wasn't death before the Fall, while Macroevolutionary opinion has plenty of death--indeed, the advancement of life is driven and directed by death in that belief--long before the arrival of any of the Homo species, much less Homo erectus, Homo sapiens neanderthalis (or Homo neanderthalis), and Homo sapiens sapiens (or Homo sapiens).
ping.
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