Darwin Killed God? No! Evolution's true AND God still lives!

[Fat Man]

Before Charles Darwin came along with his theory of evolution and his Origin Of The Species, some geologists had purposed that the Earth was many many millions of years old and not a mere 6000 years old as purposed by the Archbishop James Ussher.

These geologist who had said that the earth is many millions of years old were in fact Christians! They were Anglican Clergymen, clerics in their church, and they were professional geologists.

Of course, we know now that the earth is 4.5 billion years old, but these Anglican Clergymen/geologists knew back then that the earth was much more than a mere 6000 years old.

----------------------------------------------------
WhyEvolutionIsTrue2 | August 24, 2010

Did Darwin Kill God?

Cunningham is a firm believer in the theory of evolution, but he is also a Christian. He believes that the clash between Darwin and God has been hijacked by extremists - fundamentalist believers who reject evolution on one side, and atheists on the other. Cunningham attempts to overturn what he believes are widely held but mistaken assumptions in the debate between religion and evolution. He travels to the Middle East where he shows that from the very outset, Christianity warned against literal readings of the biblical story of creation. In Britain, he reveals that, at the time, Darwin's theory of evolution was welcomed by the Anglican and Catholic Churches. Instead, he argues that the conflict between Darwin and God was manufactured by American creationists in the 20th century for reasons that had very little to do with science and religion and a great deal to do with politics and morality. Finally, he comes face to face with some of the most eminent evolutionary biologists, geneticists and philosophers of our time to examine whether the very latest advances in evolutionary theory do in fact kill God.

Please watch the following YouTube videos. There are only 4 videos in this series.

Did Darwin Kill God? Part 1/4 BBC HD (Note: HD = High Definition)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuGnTRYv ... re=related

Did Darwin Kill God? Part 2/4 BBC HD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le9TqH2g ... re=related

Did Darwin Kill God? Part 3/4 BBC HD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OmcFwOi ... re=related

Did Darwin Kill God? Part 4/4 BBC HD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM5M1252 ... re=related

OK. Here is what I have learned from watching these videos.

When Charles Darwin had traveled around the world cataloging many species of animals, and came up with his theory of evolution, it was NOT evolution itself that cause him to lose faith in God.

It was only after the tragic death of one of his daughters at the age of 10 that caused him to question the existence of God, and NOT his theory of evolution. He still believe in God while formulating his theories on evolution.

Now, I have also learned that there are some scientists who call themselves as "Ultra- Darwinist" with their purposing the existence of a "selfish gene" to explain the strong motivation of individual organisms in their struggle for survival, even at the expense of other living organisms.

While it's true that some people are motivated my extreme selfishness, the truth is that Evolution can also explain the existence of morality.

For example: as I have learned from many other videos on Evolution, piranha do not eat their own kind. They are driven by survival instinct to not eat their own kind because to do so might cause their species to go extinct.

One could just as easily argue that there is a "morality gene" as well as a "selfish gene" but that is a moot point. We humans also tend to have abstract reasons for morality and to write down laws base on that concept.

Intelligence is also a product of Evolution, and in the case of really intelligent species, such as us humans, intelligence trumps primitive instinct.

So, there is a clash between the majority of scientists, biologist, paleontologist, etc. etc. and the minority of "Ultra-Darwinist" with their extreme atheistic positions.

While most scientists might be atheistic or agnostic they hold that science must remain neutral on whether or not there is a God, because the existence or nonexistence of God can not be proven or dis-proven, so science must forever remain neutral on that position regardless of what individual scientists might or might not believe so the extreme atheistic position of the new "Ultra-Darwinists" is every bit as unscientific as the position by Fundamentalist Christian Creationists.

Remember reading about the Scopes Trial that took place back in the 1920 or watching the old black & whit movie Reap The Whirlwind?

Well, I do remember.

The lawyer Clarance Darrow defended John Scopes, a high school teacher who was teaching evolution which was against the law.

Williams Jennings Bryan, a Christian Fundamentalist who did not believe in Darwin's Theory of Evolution was a witness for the prosecution against Scopes.

Now, in the old black & white movie "Reap The Whirlwind" which was about the the Scopes Trial or what became know as The Great Monkey Trial, the actor who played Williams Jennings Bryan, his character was depicted as believing that the world was literally created in 6 days and that the earth is no more than 6000 years old. His character was shown saying, "I'm not interested in the age of rocks, but in the Rock Of Ages" which he may or may not have actually said.

Well, the movie turns out to be WRONG!!!

While Williams Jennings Bryan was a Christian Fundamentalist who did not believe in Darwin's Theory of Evolution, that part was true, but in reality, he had no problem with the world being many millions of years old, and he did not actually take the 6 days of creation literally.

I was really surprised to learn this fact. So much for TV movies! Eh?

Although, While Williams Jennings Bryan was a Creationist, he was what would be called an "Old Earth Creationist" so, the old black & white movie Reap The Whirlwind had a lot of inaccuracies in it.

And so, in the early part of the 20th century and even in the 19th century, there were a lot of "Old Earth Creationists" who had no problem with accepting the earth being many many millions of years old, and NOT being created in literally 6 days, unlike today's "Young Earth Creationists" it's just that the "Old Earth Creationists" didn't accept evolution.

But today's Creationists, the "Young Earth Creationists" from the late 20th century and the present 21st century are even more radical than the "Old Earth Creationists" because they totally reject almost all scientific evidence for the earth being 4.5 billion years old, and stubbornly cling to the belief that the earth is only 6000 years old and literally created in 6 days as well as rejecting evolution.

These new radical "Young Earth Creationists" are actually doing far more damage to Christianity than atheism ever could.