Questions for evolution believers

[Still Alive]

5 minutes ago, Eli1 said:

Sounds like @Still Alive knows what he's talking about in relation to context, historical flow and cultural customs on region at the time. 

Aw shucks! 

My singular strength here is that even at the age of 70 I remember in public school and college I was the one that would ask the "stupid questions" and, after class, people would come up to me and say, "I'm glad you asked that because I was wondering the same thing but was afraid to ask."

Of course, peppered in all of that were some truly stupid questions I did ask. 

[Eli1]

19 minutes ago, Still Alive said:

Aw shucks! 

My singular strength here is that even at the age of 70 I remember in public school and college I was the one that would ask the "stupid questions" and, after class, people would come up to me and say, "I'm glad you asked that because I was wondering the same thing but was afraid to ask."

Of course, peppered in all of that were some truly stupid questions I did ask. 

I mean this is why i don't limit myself in ways to reach God. 
God gave us senses didn't He? Well, that's what i have to reach Christ. 

People 2000 years ago were so lucky to have Him in their midst and touch Him and hear Him and didn't even appreciate Him fully. 

I wish i could touch Him now. 

Edited November 6, 2023 by Eli1

[Still Alive]

30 minutes ago, Eli1 said:

I mean this is why i don't limit myself in ways to reach God. 
God gave us senses didn't He? Well, that's what i have to reach Christ. 

People 2000 years ago were so lucky to have Him in their midst and touch Him and hear Him and didn't even appreciate Him fully. 

I wish i could touch Him now. 

Give it time...

My friend said, in Sunday School yesterday, when we were discussing the class members (including my wife) who LITERALLY heard the voice of God in their presence at one time or another, "I REALLY need to hear God's voice."  I said to him, in front of the class, "Do you still believe?" He said "yes". I said, than you don't 'really' need to hear His voice." He knew what I was implying and at dinner at his house last night he discussed it with us further. He was really glad I made that point. 

My wife and I have bonefide miracles in our lives. I've never heard His voice, but he changed my mind at a specific turning point in the late 80's. And it changed my life. 

For us he is VERY real. 

We will all see Him soon enough. 

[Eli1]

1 hour ago, Still Alive said:

Give it time...

My friend said, in Sunday School yesterday, when we were discussing the class members (including my wife) who LITERALLY heard the voice of God in their presence at one time or another, "I REALLY need to hear God's voice."  I said to him, in front of the class, "Do you still believe?" He said "yes". I said, than you don't 'really' need to hear His voice." He knew what I was implying and at dinner at his house last night he discussed it with us further. He was really glad I made that point. 

My wife and I have bonefide miracles in our lives. I've never heard His voice, but he changed my mind at a specific turning point in the late 80's. And it changed my life. 

For us he is VERY real. 

We will all see Him soon enough. 

Amen brother. It's so good to see that you appreciate miracles too. They are one of my favorite things in the Bible. To me they show that we are not alone here and God is with us and He will intercede according to His will and a lot of times as a response to our prayers. I also believe that prayer is a powerful thing which connects us to Him so we can feel His presence. 

I have also personally experienced two miracles myself, one involving sight and the other involving smell. It changed my life forever. 

Edited November 6, 2023 by Eli1

[RV_Wizard]

I was going to start another thread, but since the title of this is "Questions..." (plural) there is no preclusion to asking another question.  Premise; DNA is considered the blueprint for life.  Commonalities in DNA are used to claim common descent.  Question; if different life forms were created in the same environment at the same time using the same elements and the same blueprint for life by the same Creator, wouldn't there necessarily be similarities in the DNA?  Couldn't the same arguments for common descent indicate a common Creator?  How would animals with similar characteristics NOT have similarities in their DNA for those characteristics?

 

[FJK]

6 minutes ago, RV_Wizard said:

How would animals with similar characteristics NOT have similarities in their DNA for those characteristics?

DNA is nothing but a blueprint around which life is formed, the same way a skyscraper or a house, although different structures, are both formed around their individual blueprints.

But what is life?  Not what it is observed as doing, but what is it?

That's where God comes in and is where science cannot go.

[RV_Wizard]

Yes, that's my point.  Life has a blueprint.  Similar buildings with similar blueprints indicate a common designer.  Yet schools will teach that similar characteristics are indicative of common ancestry.  We all have the same evidence.  What is different is how we look at that evidence, and through which lens we interpret what we see.

[FJK]

34 minutes ago, RV_Wizard said:

What is different is how we look at that evidence, and through which lens we interpret what we see.

And that depends on whether we want to acknowledge a God as our creator and ruler or not.

But denying him does not mean he is not real, just that you are cut off from his presence.

[Eman_3]

On 11/3/2023 at 7:06 AM, RV_Wizard said:

What if you are wrong?  What if God is real?  What if there IS a consequence for our actions?  What if you are held responsible for causing others to lose their faith because they decided they can’t trust their Bible?  What if your “teaching” leads others ultimately to destruction?  Do you think there will be a  consequence for your actions?

And this is why I sincerely urge you to be devout and stick to your religion. Because if fear of Hell is all that stands between you committing atrocities and not, then keep your faith.

[RV_Wizard]

4 hours ago, Eman_3 said:

And this is why I sincerely urge you to be devout and stick to your religion. Because if fear of Hell is all that stands between you committing atrocities and not, then keep your faith.

In the absence of God, what is an atrocity?

If Jews were a lesser evolved race, then killing six million of them would have made Hitler a climate hero.  Look at all the carbon generators he eliminated.

Wouldn't a terrorist be thought of as a great martyr for blowing himself up to kill the enemies of Allah?  After all, in the absence of a sovereign God, isn't one god as good as another?

If you have more than you can use and I have less than I need, then isn't forced sharing (theft) a good thing?

What you can't get away from is that Adam and Even received the knowledge of good and evil, and therefore the consequence of both.  You know right from wrong because God has written it on your heart, whether you believe in Him or not.  That's why the Bible says you are without excuse.  That you can even label something as an atrocity speaks to the knowledge of good and evil.  Animals do not have this knowledge.  A lion will kill you because you come into its hunting ground.  That doesn't make the lion evil.