But let’s get back to the “wrestling with human evolution” which you are claiming to do.
My biggest problem was the identification of humanity with a biological species and a genetic inheritance. Of course racist and eugenics types don’t have a problem with this. What about you? Any problems with this idea of human beings as biological organisms and a genetic code, or is it just the source of this genetic code which you are obsessed with?
And what about the issue of random mutation only? Or is that not an issue when you simply refuse to look at the evidence for evolution altogether and pretend that an ancient necromancer making golems of dust and bone is the only answer, because all the data God sends us from the earth and sky are just lies?
And while we are talking about God lying, how about that issue God saying that the Adam and Eve would die on the day they eat the fruit. Do you believe the claim of the serpent that God was lying then too?
The lack of convincing lab tests is my main objection to accept evolution as a fact. I can’t remember (but maybe I missed it) that scientists could create a new species in the lab. Secondly, nowadays enough computer power (driven by human software intelligence) is available to emulate evolution on the screen as a valid theory, not even that.
Sure, but it was the best example I could think off.
Adam is named first because it is declared: “the book of the generations of Adam”, but his final death is declared nearly last in Genesis 5. I have listed each of the statements declaring the total years of each person sequentially.
It’s rather difficult to watch millions of years of evolution in the lab since humans have only had laboratories for a few centuries.
For the biologist, the experiments have already been run, and the data is sitting all around us. It is found in the distribution of species across the globe, the distribution of characteristics in those species, the written record of ancestry found in genomes, and the wonderful and diverse species of the past as seen in fossils.
I have no problem to accept from whatever organism I am made off.
I just understand the Scriptures different than you and in case of doubt I prefer the Scriptures above the beliefs of scientists who are divided on this issue. In the end my understanding of the Scriptures prevails.
Randomness is great for diversity within a species.
The only one who was lying was the serpent.
God did not say, you shall die instantly.
And following [3:22] I understand that as:
3a. missing the chance to live forever - or
3b. losing their immortality.
And if you eat arsenic you will not die instantly. LOL oh brother!
God said, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Apparently you do think God lied and the serpent told the truth. You just lie about what God said.
No, purely random sources like damage from radiation or carcinogens is not good at all. That is why our cells repair 99+% of such damage quite efficiently. The failure to do so tends to lead to cancer.
Now bacteria will use variations from radiation in a rather curious way. They put patches over the damaged areas in order to protect the damaged DNA from their own DNA repair mechanisms. But then this gives them some control over what damage to keep and what damage to get rid of. But all the higher forms of life have developed a much better way of introducing variation into the genome. It is called sexual reproduction.
Scientists are not divided on evolution. People studying science so they can manufacture rhetoric in support of creationism are not scientists. Science is the scientific method.
So you like the idea of humanity defined by genetics? That way if somebody doesn’t fit your genetic criterion then they are just animals right?
Evolution is an extremely well supported and useful explanation for the myriad of observations we make in biology. In science, theories are just as important as facts.
When we observe evolution in the lab or in carefully monitored wild settings, we see that species change orders of magnitude faster than would be needed to explain the changes in the fossil record. So what we observe in the lab is strong evidence that evolution as a mechanism is more than adequate to explain all of the evidence we have for common descent.
Speciation has been observed. We’ve also observed every every gradation on the continuum from a single, uniform population to somewhat different population within a species to subspecies to closely related species that can still hybridize to closely related species that can’t hybridize. Where in this continuum do you see the barrier to speciation?
We emulate evolution in software all the time. We don’t emulate evolution completely, of course, because we don’t have remotely enough computer power or knowledge of biology to do that. So what exactly are you talking about here?
Sure. A classic reference on this specific issue – observed rates of evolution compared to the rates of long-term change – is “Rates of Evolution: Effects of Time and Temporal Scaling”, Philip Gingerich, Science, 222:159 (1983). Here’s the key figure:
Panel B is the relevant one. It shows the rate of morphological change as a function of the time period over which the change is seen. The points on the left side (the boxes) are from experiments, which have a time scale of a few years. In those experiments, change occurs far faster than historical change seen in fossils.
I believe that the Bible clearly points towards Adam and Eve just being two out of many humans already there. The reason why is because of Genesis 4. Scripture mentions that Cain killed Abel and then was afraid that others would kill him. The only others could be his mother and father mentioned scripture or other people not mentioned in scripture.
I believe it’s others not mentioned because the end of the chapter mentions them coming together and Seth being born and she mentions she has another offending to replace him. To me that replacement attitude means there was not another replacement. No other kids. It also mentions Cain found a wife.
So for me with that said I believe that everyone evolved, including Adam and Eve, from primitive ancestors.
Sin could not exist if there was no law. The law was about the fruit. Adam and Eve broke it.
I can’t tell if this is a repost, or what. I’m having glitches. If this was already typed, or is being edited I really can’t tell.
This is a very good point Mi. I would like to take it one step further for those who believe in an old earth.
Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (Gen 3:23-24)
The YEC assume that no time passes between 3:24 and 4:1. But I suggest that 14.7 billion years passes between these chapters. Eden is clearly not on Earth, for there has been death on Earth since its formation. Also, there are no Cherubims with flaming swords on Earth. Food for thought.
