Which is one reason why creationists are so opposed to evolution.
We live in a world of pain and suffering; I don’t see why that excludes God; plus, I fear that your rejection of evolution is not really based on any evidence, but rather is a panic that evolution some how makes the God of the bible look bad; but that is not a good reason to reject the evidence, rather it is a good reason to re-evaluate are interpretations. A literal interpretation in light of evolution, is obviously wrong, and contradicts the findings of science. Secondly, why does one assume that we must interpret genesis as wholly literal? Plus I think that Evolution makes God more humane, rather then a God that suddenly curses an earth where at first nothing dies, and then everything degenerates into suffering. I deduce from genesis, that at the very most, Adam and Eve at firsts where not subject to suffering, as we perceive it today, but animals were.
Animals do not suffer from spiritual and psychological trauma like we do; so pain and suffering in animals is allot different, and therefore is not evil, not to mention necessary, if they are to function and survive in an "ordered and divinely inspired universe”. I do not think pain in human beings is evil either, and is there for our survival; also inorder for us fully enjoy our sensory experience, we must be able to “feel” which inevitably, in a logical world made for our bennifit and salvation, leads to pain. As well as that, pain is a teacher which invokes a sense of value for our lives; which is good.
When Adam and Eve rejected God, there was nowhere else to go, and nothing else to be, but like the animals (which are subject to suffering and pain); the only difference is, we feel the pain of animals in a very personal way because we are personal beings. I think we allways had pain, but after the fall we may have lost are ability to deal with it, or maybe our pain increased. The death that we experienced had to have been spirtual, and we can see in many places in the bible where the author uses objects in the real world to express something of a spiritual nature; maybe because this is the only way we as the audience can best understand it with out experiencing it our selves.
Of course, what sets us apart from the animals, is the fact that we are like God; we have the ability to say “I Am”; we are not “it” like an animal. If we reject the very thing that makes us human, then we have chosen to be nothing more then animals, (dominating each other and being uncaring about each others well being). Thats when we cut our selves of from our destiny; but in reality we are not animals, we are destined to be in an eternal relationship with God.
We are to see the face of God; where as an animal will never see the face of God, and that is why an animal is thought not to have a soul. So of course it’s a great sin to act indifferently and selfishly like an animal, if you have a soul; we have no right to be like the animals; and therefore it is right that we suffer when we try to be, and it is inevitable that this should be the case; otherwise what is there to turn us away from sin if reason cannot enter our minds and hearts? This is what I believe is meant by the "fall”; the bible is full of imagery such as “worshiping the beast”, this is to become a slave to the impulses and evil perveted desires of the imagination, rather then be a servant to God.
God has freed us from our genes, and has given us the free-will to choose between him, and eternal unhappiness; obviously one would be a fool to knowingly choose eternal unhappiness. The animals and the evolution are there to teach us how “not” to act, and of course you are appalled by their nature, because it is not of Gods nature, and you are not an animal; you are meant for so much more! This is one good reason i can see for God using evolution; because its like a metaphore for us to see.
The unfolding of our world in such a mechanical way, is reflective of a divine order; as such that it allows us to make discoveries about its order, and where everything comes from. Accepting evolution actually makes it easier to prove the existence of God. Neither do I see that the purpose of evolution is to bring about pain and suffering; but rather is a mechanism that has brought about “sensory perception”(which are necessary and Good), as well as biological organisms. In an ordered reality, why be discontinuous by just placing creatures, out of the blue, on the earth. Evolution makes sense with the rest of the natural order. This evidently unfolds over time. What doesn’t make sense is when somebody says that such a thing can come about without the involvement of God. It’s not that the mechanism isn’t natural; it’s the idea that nature can explain the things that have developed as a result of the mechanism. Such things reflect a reality with a purpose.
Back to regularly scheduled creation-evolution thread #1378932679213761230697