Europeans have long viewed the conflict between evolutionists and creationists as primarily an American phenomenon, but it has recently jumped the Atlantic Ocean with skirmishes in Italy, Germany, Poland and, notably, Britain, where Darwin was born and where he published his 1859 classic.
Darwin's defenders are fighting back. In October, the 47-nation Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog, condemned all attempts to bring creationism into Europe's schools. Bible-based theories and "religious dogma" threaten to undercut sound educational practices, it charged.
Not to mention the fact that teaching much of the Bible is child abuse
Schools are increasingly a focal point in this battle for hearts and minds. A British branch of Answers in Genesis, which shares a Web site with its American counterpart, has managed to introduce its creationist point of view into science classes at a number of state-supported schools in Britain, said Monty White, the group's chief executive.
"We do go into the schools about 10 to 20 times a year and we do get the students to question what they're being taught about evolution," said White, who founded the British branch seven years ago. "And we leave them a box of books for the library."
Creationism is still a marginal issue here compared with its impact on cultural and political debate in the United States. But the budding fervor is part of a growing embrace of evangelical worship throughout much of Europe. Evangelicals say their ranks are swelling as attendance at traditional churches declines because of revulsion with the hedonism and materialism of modern society.
I really thought that the Europeans had more sense than this. What are they putting in the water supply over there? Stupid Juice?
No one believes that Darwin's theory is completely right. That's why it's called a theory.
Creationism is even worse. It claims to be the absolute truth that God created the heavens and the earth in 6 days. God had to rest on the 7th day. Some God, eh. 6 days of throwing together what would turn out to be a disaster and then he has to rest.
Since, to God, time is irrelevant, who came up with 6 and 1 day? (remember, these people are literalists. They believe every word in the Bible was inspired by God.)
Hey Europe, England, there are other ways of dealing with hedonism and materialism other than having to park your brains at the church door.
Speaking of your brains, use them!
I did, and found a way to deal with hedonism (I'm not hedonistic), materialism (I don't buy anything I don't need, I ride a scooter and am looking to get a Prius, for the highway, when I can afford to pay cash. I don't do plastic anymore, another way of killing materialism..
If you plan on living by the "literal word of God," good luck. It contradicts itself constantly. Make sure you are getting involved with the Church (community) that Christ inspired. He never intended to found a Church, as such. He was a Jew and remained a Jew. Watch how much they emphasize Paul, the one Apostle who never saw Jesus in the flesh, nor heard any of Jesus' teachings from him.
Neither the old testament nor the new testament was written until hundreds of years after the death of Jesus, so the people who wrote them not only didn't know Jesus, they didn't know his teaching style and when they tried to emulate it, made a big mess of it. About the only true teachings of Jesus can be found in the parables, and not all of them are reliable. The ones Jesus told are stories built on the Law of Three; there are usually three actors, who act in different ways, given the same situation. His parables are usually short, so they won't be easily forgettable, they are funny (if you understand his times) in order to be entertaining, and they have an important pattern; the law of three. (Oh, by the way, if you want to understand the whole created in 6 days days and rested on the 7th business, study the law of seven. 7 is the number of process in many religions, Judaism among them.)
Don't involve yourself in anything where you are expected to swallow everything someone says hook, line and sinker, literally, as the word of God, It's certainly not the only way to relate to the divine. You can go on a nature walk, by yourself, sit in a meadow or grove, quietly and just listen. You may hear the word of God...that small voice deep within. Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be answered unto you....
Study, don't just read the Bible. And not just the Bible. Jesus never read a word of the Bible, except what he read in ancient Jewish Scrolls that managed to slip into the Christan Old Testament. Good thing. He would have had a stroke before they had a chance to crucify him.
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The Nazis, Fascists and Communists were political parties before they became enemies of liberty and mass murderers.
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