Poll for Christians about creation and evolution

[AMumInScotland]

I realised recently that I work on the assumption that most UK Christians believe in some form of evolution rather than direct creation, but I wonder if I'm right or not. I know MN Christians are not necessarily a random sample, but I'd be interested to know at a very basic level whether you believe -

a. all species of life on earth were created in more-or-less their current form directly by God. This may have been in 6 days, or in a longer timescale, but each one is the way it is because God made it so, and there has been only fairly minor change over time and certainly no new species coming into existence because of evolution.

or b. the species currently in existence on earth have evolved from simpler life-forms. This may or may not have been influenced by God to a greater or lesser event. Species have come into existence through a process of change in previous species,

If anyone who does not consider themselves a Christan wants to join in, they're welcome, but could they please give some brief info about their religioous (or atheist) views to clarify.

The Pope he say, 'Evolution' btw

God created man in his own image...spirit not matter. the world was also void without form.

Ok - you lot are just confusing me now! We now have to add "d" for panspermia do we?

Anyway, I make that

a 6
b 18

(not counting atheists and people who are trying to confuse me...)

Um - moonincancer, sorry but I'm not sure if that means "a" or "b" or something else...

and TFM - we tried on another thread to find a word for "belief" in evolution/scientific method and couldn't find a short one.... "accept the probable correctness of" was about as close as we got

I'm a practising catholic and I am b.

I was only being pernickety. I was reading a thing about Big Bang theory and bickering physicists the other day and it made me think about scientific "truths".

Ah, have now re-read the thread and am interested that you've put intelligent design in with b. Because intelligent design is completely at odds with evolution surely.

I am a Christian and I believe pretty much B

I believe that God created the world. I believe he created in an ordered way (like it explains in 6 days) but that the 6 days are just a way of explaining it in simplistic terms. God's time is different from ours (I would imagine).

Also I believe in Evolution and I believe that humans have evolved but not from another type of species. I believe that God created humans, specially.

See, that's why you can't have such a simple distinction. Because that isn't my b at all.

b, but God caused it to happen in some subtle and undefined way that I will probably never understand.

Sorry - I'm a Christian.

Er, someone had better remind me what ID says - does it argue that species evolved from one another but with a lot of pushing from God (which I'd put at one edge of b), or that species are exactly as they are because God made them so (which is a)?

But how would pushing from God within the model of evolution? I don't see that at all.

work within...

And those who think other species evolved from each other, but humans didn't are going to have to be in another section...

Well, I've heard people suggest that yes species evolved from less comples ones, explaining the fossil record etc, but that God was in there steering it the whole time. So partly "natural selection" but also "God showing favoritism" leading evolution to go in the "right" direction. (Not my view but I've heard it suggested)

But I still don't get how the steering could work in any way that could still be considered evolution. If there were steering it would not be evolution, certainly as I understand evolution.

I would be interested too in seeing how many Christians with a science background are creationist. I know SqueakyPop. Any others.

OK I've just read a bit on ID, and it's so far from evolution that it does have to be a separate category I had this weird idea they believed something a bit different from that.

Oh dear we now have 5 categories....

a creation only
b evolution only
c Intelligent design
d panspermia (I'll look it up in a minute...)
e evolution for most species, but man as separate creation

Christian,

not overl Churchy but efinitely Christian
A. nope

b. yes

I believe that God is the essence- or spirit- of love, that he'd love all creatures regardless of their appearance / nature, and the way we are is not planned because God loves us and doesn't see us anything other than his children. We love our kids whatever.

He amde us in his image becuase he gave us the otential to think, feel- physical appearance is so teribly unimportant really

Oh background- did science a levels but egree is in world religion

Ooooookay.... we now have 5 categories and I've done a recount....

a creation only = 6
cross between a and b = 2
b evolution only = 19
c Intelligent design = 1
d panspermia = 2 (but I'm not sure if they were serious...)
e evolution for most species, but man as separate creation = 2

And I've listed you all below, in case anyone thinks I've put them in the wrong group...

a MeAndB, SqueakyPop, scrappydappydoo, nowwearefour, Majeika, BrownSuga

a/b amber32002, MaryBS

b AMumInScotland, yama, bleurgh, georgimama, DutchOma, justaboutstealswinegums, ummadam, Bride1, needmorecoffee, berolina, bloss, MadBadandWieldingAnAxe, thegirlwiththecurl, TheFallenMadonna, girlandboy, nickytwoooohtimes, Smithagain, Peachy, lucysnowe

c nineyearsofnappies

d lucysnowe, onager

e Lauriefairycake, thatsnotmymonster

Don't worry about mine. It was just a fanciful idea. I know I'm descended from ape-like creatures because first thing in the morning the family resemblence is unmistakable

Anyway you're not supposed to count me because this is a poll of what christians think and I don't have a christian bone in my body! (though quite a few JW bones under the patio)

Sorry onager, I forgot to remove you from the list - I did say I wouldn't count all you atheists!

And thanks MadamDeathStare - we're now

a 6
a/b 2
b 20
c 1
d not really any, as I think Lucy was also kidding
e 2