RE: RE: Shapes of a Wedge

I think people, scientists or otherwise, who have no opinion regarding what happened in the past have a right to say so without being ridiculed. Of course, I think those who have particular opinions of past events have a right to discuss them sensibly and try to learn from each other. I do not like indoctrination no matter from what source. Many young Christians are totally unprepared to go to college and confront the liberal trends that permeate higher education. Parents and pastors have to arm youngsters with critical thinking and some knowledge that is not controversial. The rest, people have to figure out for themselves. The Book of Nature and the Word of God have to be analyzed with the same human rationality. I believe the Word of God will not change but it is our understanding of it that changes with time. Same can be said about the Book of Nature.

Moorad

        -----Original Message-----
        From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu on behalf of Jan de Koning
        Sent: Tue 5/18/2004 5:12 PM
        To: asa@calvin.edu
        Cc:
        Subject: Fwd: RE: Shapes of a Wedge
        
        

>Moorad wrote:
>Wisdom has nothing to do with formal education. A plain, simple Christian
>when asked what he/she thinks of evolution would say: “I do not know,
>but it has nothing to do with my faith in Christ as Savior.” For those
>who have an opinion on the question of origins, the question is, would you
>bet your salvation on the correctness or incorrectness of what you believe
>regarding evolution? I certainly don’t!

        My salvation depends on Jesus Christ alone. So does anyone else's,
        regardless if believing that evolution takes place (which can be easily
        investigated) or that they are not interested in researching scientific
        evidences. Even more, not everyone has to investigate scientific
        evidences, but denying the scientific evidences God placed in creation is
        as much of a sin as denying that God created. Of course, wisdom has nothing
        to do with formal education. The problem at the moment is, that simple
        Christians are being misled, and that some believing Christians are
        attacked because they teach that God created using evolution. Personally,
        I think it is a sin if people who ought to know better, try to read certain
        chapters in the Bible as if they were written for twenty-first scientists
        only. I do not want to force everyone to believe what I do. That is
        simply impossible, because nobody has the same background and life-story I
        had over the past 79 years. On the other hand I do not want either that
        young students are being misled into believing that God was speaking a
        modern language 60 centuries ago.
        Faithfully translating and then reading the Bible requires a thorough
        historical, linguistic and scientific background, which I do not claim to
        have yet. So I go for parts of it to scientists who studied the particular
        areas needed to read specific places in the Bible. Nobody alive know
        thoroughly the languages, circumstances and even places where God spoke to
        his first children.

        Also, let us as Christians accept each other without accusing each other
        continually. Help our young brothers and sisters who rally want to become
        scientists without disturbing them by talking about things we don't know
        anything about.

        Jan de Koning
Received on Wed May 19 10:45:38 2004