Stem Cell Research

I consider myself pro-religion and all, but who's to say creationism and evolution / stem cell research / abortion and such can't coexist? Evolution and "playing God" could only exist with the driving force of a higher being behind it. If given the ability by the Lord to save lives, I say let's try it. The whole idea that people die when they are supposed to die is not very Catholic to me, keeping people alive and healthy is important.

 

To my understanding, evolution and religion in fact cannot co-exist. There is evidence that evolution has happened over millions of years whereas the Bible has the Earth at only 6,000 years. You really can't say "oh well I like both!" It's one or the other.

 

Well, not every Christian takes the Bible literally.

 

Well, yeah, because they WANT them to co-exist.

 

Yeah but, as far as I know it's only a literal interpretation that isn't compatible with also believing in evolution.

When it comes to believing that the planet was literally created in a week a few thousand years ago, that contradicts quite a lot.

 

I always love how people interpret the good things literally and the bad things/things that make no sense not literally.

 

Why shouldn't they? If someone reads the Bible and at least has the sense to do the good things and disregard the bad things that were clearly written in the spirit of 2000 year old values, that's just pragmatism.

 

It is better than nothing I guess. But ideally, in my opinion, they would read it and think to themselves that it doesn't make sense and accept the fact that the Bible is just a book filled with good moral stories.

Or take it literally and not believe in science.

 

Plenty of people do do that, unless you are actually just talking about fundamentalists.

 

I know, but not enough (ideally).

 

It probably is a country thing because here there are a lot less people who are really fundamentalist, whereas there seem to be a lot in the USA, or a lot who are actually vocal about it.

 

Extremists and fundamentalists are always the loudest and most appealing, especially for the media.

 

The theory of evolution does not conflict with the account of Genesis.
The theory of albiogenesis completely destroys genesis.
Also, The likelihood of the human race surviving from an initial population of 2 is astronomically low; we should all be deformed from inbreeding.

However, its moot because Genesis has already been destroyed with evidence, and also basic common sense. Our ancestors have already been traced back by DNA, and we're all from Africa.
And you can't fit the entire world's worth of animals on a single boat. The flood account is demonstrably false.

 

Like I tried saying, but I guess I didn't expand enough on, religion, for me, is a basis for morals. I do not read the Bible literally. I do not believe in the story of Adam and Eve. I do not believe in Noah's Arc. With that being said, I do believe in the true morals of these parables. I am a Catholic primarily to better my daily behavior and attitude, I don't spend my time believing that a 700 year old man built a ship and got two of every animal on board with him and his family. One must look past the simplified meaning of the stories, whether they believe it or not, and look at the message the story is trying to convey. Not doing so either makes someone a fundamentalist on one side of it, or, often times, very opposed and simple-minded to religion in general, but either way it is a very extremist view.

 

Yes.

At least, that's what I was taught. Not that I'm a Christian anymore myself.