From: u9264442@cc.uow.edu.au (Andrew William Easton)
Newsgroups: aus.religion
Subject: Re: Creation-Evolution-What's the point?
Date: 31 Aug 92 02:13:23 GMT
Organization: University Of Wollongong

lhccjeh@lure.latrobe.edu.au writes:

>All this chatter about creation vs evolution is certainly using up bandwidth.
>I for one though can't really see what the problem is.

Well being the guy who started all this, I suppose I had better try to explain.

>There seems to be    camps, each with a particular basis of belief that
>precludes acceptance of any arguments from another camp [or basis of belief].
>We have those that believe solely in evolution- No God needed.
>We have those that believe in God, and that He created the world, but that
>the events in Genesis are simply a "poetical" way of describing things.
>These two camps can at least co-exist as far as evolution and creationism
>are concerned.
>The we have those who believe that the events depicted in the Bible accounts
>are the literal truth. This camp will never be able to fit in with
>an evolutionary argument.

My original point was that even if the biblical account is the literal truth,
evolution appears to agree with it totally. I recieved some mail this morning
pointing out that I was wrong on this point (shame he didn't post it, I'm not
the only one under this mistaken impression it appears - or did you all just 
believe it because I said so?). To the point, originally I would have fitted
into this camp, but also pointed out that evolution agrees with the bible, so
the argument is pointless. Now I don't know - maybe I should move to the first
camp.

>Of course, there is also the camp that doesn't believe God created the world
>at all :-) and for this camp all the arguments are just exercises in 
>words.
>Which camp is right (if any?) simply cannot be proven as to do so would
>require a change in the basis of belief of the other camp(s) that didn't
>hold to that belief.
>Now I guess some of you out there just like to have a natter, and are not
>really ;-) trying to convince or convert anyone. Maybe some of you are.

I was trying to be converted, by asking for definite evidence that rules out
any chance of one of the arguments happening as it was written. Having read
the relevant chapters of Genesis more closely, I noticed that light was
created 2 or 3 days before the sun. Now I ask "Where did the light come from
for those 2 or 3 days?". Looks like I had better apply for a place in the
first camp.

>Whatever, don't you think it could be more fruitful to discuss themes that
>do not rely so strongly on the fundamentals so to speak?
>That way we may get to hear views that we are able to consider (and discard,
>if appropriate) without thinking that our very basis of belief is under
>attack. You see the truth doesn't need defence. So if your belief, is the 
>truth, don't worry yourself about defending it. It is safe.

Fair enough. At the time, I wasn't so sure what I believed in, so I needed to
find the truth.

>Just some thoughts...

>In Christ,


>James.

I agree. at the start, it was a useful thread for those (like me) experiencing
serious doubt in what they believed. All the arguments I have read recently
however, have all been said before (with the exception of the one mailed to me
this morning, which anyone can figure out through _careful_ reading of
Genesis), and it's starting to get useless. I have never understood the term
'bandwidth', or how it can be wasted (isn't it virtually infinite?).

Anyway, I'm not suggesting that we end and forget about this thread, put
please make sure your argument has not been said before if you are going to
post it. 

The Bearded One..... 

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