Young Earth Creationists? Really believe it? Really?

[balotelli]

Cant believe that anyone actually thinks that the earth was created by a god 6000 years ago!

I have to agree with Richard Dawkins who said they are either ignorant, stupid or insane.

If you do believe it, explain dinosaurs!

you talk to god with that mouth?

I do hope so Graham, the devil has all the best tunes, so I'd guess the best parties too.

jodie there are lots of versions of Christianity which consider hell a just punishment for getting things wrong on earth. Matthew 5:29 backs this up.

I hear it's lovely this time of year, specially if you like BBQ's and a good tan graham sorry couldn't resist. But seriously hell probably isn't what you think. It's not so bad if you're not interested in God or eternity and want to die. No worries.

Neanderthals weren't around at the same time as the dinosaurs. Theory is that early humans came across dinosaur bones and dragons were their explanation of what they were seeing.

Yes Miss, he wants all of me not just the pious religious stuff. Not that I'm proud of no coping today but that is why Jesus was sent because none of us are perfect.

Luke 16:23 describes hell as agony in fire. Is he lying?

Tango, there is implied superiority in religion, by definition there has to be "my god is better (more real) than yours" and "god is real and atheists are wrong".
So in actual fact you're only accusing one side, not the other. And thats the disbelievers. If a religious person can tell me that I'm going to hell because I have failed to appreciate their god, why can't I tell them that their religion is illogical and anti-scientific and IMO, utter nonsense? They have no problem saying atheism is utter nonsense.

Yes we can debate religion in a better way. But sometimes we don't want to, we just want to say, fuck me this stuff is bonkers. Because sometimes it plainly is.

Agree OP, YANBU.

I find it very difficult to take anyone seriously who believes this. To me, it's like then solemnly telling me that fairies exist at the bottom of the garden or Father Christmas is real. Plenty of texts to back it up after all.

Marvellous if it makes a difference I think you are very brave to come on this thread and stand up for your beliefs, its actually surprised me how few have commented who believe in creationism, so kudos to you.

I hope your day improves :)

From a Christian point of view, no-one should be telling anyone that they will go to Hell or are doomed. These decisions and judgements are not ours to make.

Only God can decide whether a person is held in His grace or not and as God's thoughts are so far above our own, how do we know what criteria He uses. Jesus says that no-one can come to the Father except through him, but He was remarkably unclear on what that really means. We should never judge others for their belief or lack thereof, because we shall be judged as we judge others, just like we will only be forgiven to the extent that we forgive others.

But Miss look at all the bad press Christianity,Islam, or certain parts of it, get for preaching their 'nonsense'. It's not the same as it was 50 years ago, in this county religion doesn't rule the state or have influence on government, not fundamentalist evangelical Christianity anyway.

So why do people feel the need to.ridicule, that's an honest genuine question?? I find the most bitter to be those who were once believers, who know the bible inside out etc, has it really ruined their lives? do these beliefs about creationism ruin lives??

I know that some religions do, cults etc and that includes scientology so caution is right when looking into a new religion, I honestly just want to know how believing that a god created the world 6000 years ago is such a harmful thing.

Its not like evangelical Christians are calling eachother to bomb, maim and kill those who aren't of similar belief. They genuinely believe in a hell, ridiculous to you but they do, and they genuinely don't want people to go there.

As a non Christian I actually find that to be a lovely thing, I might not agree with if accept it, but for a complete stranger to want to save me, I find that quite astonishing in a world where most people couldn't give a flying fuck about me or mine. And if you have ever been to one if these churches, its not all about money or power. That's just in my experience.

herethereandeverywhere - Nooooooooooooooo! Next you'll be saying there's no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

It's harmful to science, reason, logic and facts to believe that. I don't care if anyone beleives it in the privacy of their own mind, but they teach it in schools in America! Thats damn harmful.

But like I said, I totally uphold their right to say anything they want about their religion. But the same rights hold for me, I can say what I like about their religion too.

'I honestly just want to know how believing that a god created the world 6000 years ago is such a harmful thing.' Well, it would certainly harm someone who wanted a career as a geologist or a palaeontologist, for example.

Princess let's face it I hardly think that young creationist views are going to overtake science. So I think those careers are safe.

I thought religion wasnt allowed in American schools??

I had a friend at uni who was disowned by his young Earth parents because he went to study geology. They felt that what he was learning was, basically, the work of the Devil and that it went against everything that they knew to be true. To them, his studies were a complete betrayal.

Entering a mine field here, but when I was a nurse we used to dread the evangelicals coming to pray for the patients, used to cause so much upset, and eventually they were asked not to come . This was on general wards many years ago, and we had stand up rows with Intelligent Design believers about a loving god's gift of cystic fybrosis.

Watching young kids in pain, let alone other patients , destroyed any faith I had, but the Born-Agains could find a way to explain it all, or just smile smugly about ''belief'' being enough. I have seen parents utterly destroyed by the terminal illness of their children also having to deal with the evidence that their faith was not enough to change anything, and then have some self-satisfied 'elder' from their church imply that a little more faith and prayer would have done the trick.

I could go on about the mental health problems I saw in Psychiatry caused by extreme religious belief, mostly but not exclusively Christian, but that's for another day. The relevance of this post to Young Earth belief is that what may appear a trivial or laughable belief can be the pre-cursor to other more entrenched and fundamental beliefs about the value and worth of other people, sexualities and races, and the need for defensive and controlling behaviour to counter the evidence against those beliefs.

Rant over

Tango - see Wikipedia. The US did have a legal ruling which prohibited this, but that's just led to religious groups promoting ID instead and now there are several states which require students to study evidence critical of evolution - which is pretty much a code for teaching creationism. There are also Islamic countries where creationism is taught as fact.

Religion is allowed in American schools. Students can pray if they wish. What is not allowed is for the staff (or students) to impose their religious beliefs on others.

Nevertheless, the US creationists have been fighting a very long battle to discredit evolution, either by trying to force their version of creationism to be taught alongside cosmology and evolution in science classes (the whole "Intelligent Design" thing) or by trying to enact laws to allow students to walk out of class where evolution is being taught.

I don't see the OP as being offensive btw. Certainly no more than the various religious posters across numerous thread who 'pity' us athiests for our lack of faith.

Abstract comments on a discussion forum are not the same as personal comments in the playground. We all choose to be on MN, a lightly moderated forum, and have to take the rough with the smooth, within legal limits.

I'm prepared to defend my lack of belief against all comers (or hide the thread if I'm not in the mood!). People with religious beliefs should be prepared to do the same.

There are also Islamic countries where creationism is taught as fact.

There was a programme on TV a couple of years ago which had, at one point, Richard Dawkins talking to some muslim students and their science teacher about evolution. The students were saying that they didn't believe in evolution and one of them asked Dawkins why, if humans evolved from apes, there were still apes around? Dawkins turned that question around and asked the science teacher if she could answer it. She couldn't. He then went on to explain about common ancestors etc.

This was a muslim school in England. The science teacher is supposed to teach evolution as part of the national curriculum. If that science teacher can't answer even basic questions about evolution, it's not surprising a lot of the students end up believing creationism. I've no doubt that there are other faith schools in England that are much the same.

Oooooh I do seem to have started a bit of a debate!

I appologise if I have offended any one. I expressed a view that I agreed with an eminent Oxford Uni Professor. Ok that view may not be held by every one but I happen to agree with him.

I just cant understand why people still hold these views. I dont understand a lot of peoples views and ideas. I dont understand why some Muslims want to kill 'non' believers. I dont understand why people can read and follow the bible and yet still eat meat. I dont understand why people think hunting is an acceptable 'sport'. I dont undertand why people watch eastenders!, listen to Elvis Presley, watch snooker on the telly, drive 4x4 cars when they live in the city.

None of my views are intended to offend but they are my views and I will defend them and whilst I may not agree with your ideas and views I defend your right to have and express them...

That is why I love living in the UK. it is the best country on the planet and I love it.

I also think Scroobious Pip is one of the greatest living poets!