To What Extent Do Christians on This Board Accept Science?

[ConScience]

I'd like your thoughts on how to get more people answering the poll.

To Shiloh's point, it may be skewed at the moment, because it may have an abnormal percentage of non-theist respondents.

If we open this up to a wider audience on this forum, non-theists will tend to zero, and Christians will tend to infinity.

We'll be able to see the trends (I'm tracking it over time).

All ideas are gratefully received.

[nebula]

Incidentally, can everyone see the results? The first question is obviously NOT pointless, because there are at lest TWO different opinions on the subject.

Yeah, I wish the ones that answered "not completely" would explain what they mean by that.

[ConScience]

I'd like your thoughts on how to get more people answering the poll.

To Shiloh's point, it may be skewed at the moment, because it may have an abnormal percentage of non-theist respondents.

If we open this up to a wider audience on this forum, non-theists will tend to zero, and Christians will tend to infinity.

We'll be able to see the trends (I'm tracking it over time).

All ideas are gratefully received.

Too late, Nick

[thechristian]

I did not answer the questions because I have very definite opinions on each of the questions. One thing I know is that science is a gift from God and he has endowed man with the ability to invent, create and question. However, science is not always infalible as God is, therefore whether I believe the theories of man are not important, it is whether or not science coincides with the teaching that is given within the scriptures. If you are to believe what is in the scripture you would have to believe that the Earth is the center of the universe because it was created and light was simply produced by God as a means for light and to support life. If you are reading from the scripture you must also understand that by the dating of scripture the Earth is less than 10000 years old, and if you are reading scripture you know that evolution is not even a possibitity as the bible clearly says God made all living things what they are they did not evolve into something else. This is how it should be looked at.

Part 1

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God Created the Heavens and the Earth. 2) The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water.

then

Genesis 3: Then God said, "Let there be light and there was light."

Therefore the Earth is the reason for light.

Part 2

Reading the bible and counting up the years you would know how long ago these time were but would you be correct, you would probably find that if you are literal about the timing of the bible that the Earth is very young indeed.

Part 3:

Genesis 24: Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind, and it was so.

Genesis 26: Let Us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creating thing that creeps on the earth.

[ConScience]

I did not answer the questions because I have very definite opinions on each of the questions.

Thanks for sharing your opinions - they are valued!

I'd love for you to weigh in on the poll, though, because it helps me keep tabs on number (approximately).

Thanks so much,

ConScience

[Guest shiloh357]

The first question is pointless. No one in mainstream Christianity holds to a geocentric view with the possible exception of some weirdo eccentric, fringe group. Even feeling the need to ask such a ridiculous question implies a lot about about the perceived intelligence of Christians. It is just the whole "belief in God" = "belief in a pink unicorn" nonsense all over again.

Furthermore, there is no way to get an accurate result as the question was asked to Christians, but there is no way to know for sure that only Christians are responding to the poll, unless everyone who votes indicates such. So, if atheists respond to the poll, it skews the results.

A good second point, Shiloh. Are these polls anonymous? If not, I could do a scan of respondents and (manually) deduct the scores.

As to the first point, it has NOTHING to do with intelligence. It's about your philosophical (or spiritual) perspective. I think there are GOOD, SENSIBLE, INTELLIGENT reasons for opposing a heliocentric world view. ANd they all have to do with belief about frames of reference and interpretation of scripture. Having said that, please don't ask me to defend them, because my heart wouldn't be in it.

Incidentally, can everyone see the results? The first question is obviously NOT pointless, because there are at lest TWO different opinions on the subject.

The first question IS pointless because no one accepts geocentrism in our day and age. Geocentrism is not the product of philosophical or spiritual perspective and certainly has nothing to do with interpretation of Scripture. To claim otherwise is purely absurd. Geocentrism was part of the science that existed at a partcular time. Geocentricism was not a church doctrine and is not espoused in the Bible, despite claims to the contrary.

The poll is anonymous. Unless people tell you how they voted, you won't know who voted for what.

[ConScience]

The first question IS pointless because no one accepts geocentrism in our day and age. Geocentrism is not the product of philosophical or spiritual perspective and certainly has nothing to do with interpretation of Scripture. To claim otherwise is purely absurd. Geocentrism was part of the science that existed at a partcular time. Geocentricism was not a church doctrine and is not espoused in the Bible, despite claims to the contrary.

The poll is anonymous. Unless people tell you how they voted, you won't know who voted for what.

Re: first question pointless. The Christian said:

If you are to believe what is in the scripture you would have to believe that the Earth is the center of the universe because it was created and light was simply produced by God as a means for light and to support life. If you are reading from the scripture you must also understand that by the dating of scripture the Earth is less than 10000 years old, and if you are reading scripture you know that evolution is not even a possibitity as the bible clearly says God made all living things what they are they did not evolve into something else. This is how it should be looked at.

(Emphasis mine)

You said no one accepts geocentrism in our day and age, but they do (though, of course, I don't hold with their view).

Edited October 26, 2009 by ConScience

[Guest shiloh357]

The first question IS pointless because no one accepts geocentrism in our day and age. Geocentrism is not the product of philosophical or spiritual perspective and certainly has nothing to do with interpretation of Scripture. To claim otherwise is purely absurd. Geocentrism was part of the science that existed at a partcular time. Geocentricism was not a church doctrine and is not espoused in the Bible, despite claims to the contrary.

The poll is anonymous. Unless people tell you how they voted, you won't know who voted for what.

Re: first question pointless. The Christian said:

If you are to believe what is in the scripture you would have to believe that the Earth is the center of the universe because it was created and light was simply produced by God as a means for light and to support life. If you are reading from the scripture you must also understand that by the dating of scripture the Earth is less than 10000 years old, and if you are reading scripture you know that evolution is not even a possibitity as the bible clearly says God made all living things what they are they did not evolve into something else. This is how it should be looked at.

(Emphasis mine)

You said no one accepts geocentrism in our day and age, but they do (though, of course, I don't hold with their view).

If you recall, I made it clear in my initial reply that I was speaking in generalities. I would assume an intelligent person would catch that. No one (generally speaking) in our day and age, accepts geocentricism. I cannot and did not claim that there is no single individual alive today that holds such a view.

Geocentricism has always been a scientific position that (mostly out of ignorance) was read into the Bible. It finds its origins in ancient Greece and even in ancient China long before Christianity even came into existence. It was a belief held by Aristotle and Ptolemy.

By the time the church came around, geocentricism was the "science" of that time period. So, it is rather ridiculous to claim that geocentricism is based on interpretation of Scripture.

[ConScience]

As to the first point, it has NOTHING to do with intelligence. It's about your philosophical (or spiritual) perspective. I think there are GOOD, SENSIBLE, INTELLIGENT reasons for opposing a heliocentric world view. ANd they all have to do with belief about frames of reference and interpretation of scripture. Having said that, please don't ask me to defend them, because my heart wouldn't be in it.

Incidentally, can everyone see the results? The first question is obviously NOT pointless, because there are at lest TWO different opinions on the subject.

I like your poll

Not trivial at all.

Thanks, Agua!

[spiritman]

Wow! I never realized, the varying views on here