Religion and science

• Who created the theory of evolution by natural selection?

  Charles Darwin
• Creationism


  Genesis vs evolution
• Many Christians in the Victorian times interpreted the Bible literally, so they had believed that God had created all life in six days
• The theory of evolution by natural selection

  Contradict Genesis, which suggest that creatures existed at the beginning of the world exactly as they do today
• Victorians Christians' belief about humans

  Humans were the best part of God's creation, saved until last and made 'in God's image' on the final day
• Darwin's theory suggested that there was nothing special about humans; they were just like every other animals that had to adapt to the in order to survive
• Is Genesis a myth?

  One problem with a literal interpretation of Genesis 1 is that light is created before the sun. Furthermore, in Genesis 2 there is a second version of the creation story where things are created in a different order. In Genesis 1, Adam and Eve are made together after the plants, but in Genesis 2, Adam was made before any plants appeared
• Is there contradictions in the Bible?

  Many Christians think that where there are contradictions in the Bible, it is a sign that people should look for the deeper spiritual meaning rather than reading it as a historical or scientific account. They would say that Genesis is a myth revealing complex spiritual truths about reality.
• Christians who think that Genesis is a myth would say that both evolution and Genesis are right. Evolution explains how life was created whereas religion explains why. The name given to the belief that God started the process of evolution and uses it to bring about life is theistic evolution
• What did Darwin think about theistic evolution?

  Darwin wrote that he thought it to be 'absurd' to think that someone cannot believe in both God and evolution. However, others argue that there is no need for a God to be guiding the process of evolution in order for it to work. The theory can explain how life developed and why living things are so complex and well-suited to their environment, without the need for a god.