Church/Science Question

Look for a Unity or a Science of the Mind, they both work the way you are lloking for. What area are you in I can give you the names for both in most cities as I work with them on a national level.

I would definitely try a UU church! This is exactly what they represent. I attend Westside UU Church in Fort Worth, Tx. There is also First Jefferson UU Church in Fort Worth. They both have websites that you could check out information. Best wishes in your search!

What a great question. I'm saddened by all of the negative comments you have received.

I just wanted to clarify something that came up earlier so you don't end up with a bad taste in your mouth. The Catholic church does acknowledge evolution, the Pope has merely stated that it does not negate the role of God in the beginnings of the universe. Or, rather, that faith and evolution are not mutually exclusive.

The Catholic Church has a deservedly bad reputation where science is concerned. Galileo, need I say more? But, in recent centuries has been quite willing to admit past mistakes in that regard and has been on the front end of many scientific endeavors. In fact, the Vatican just hosted a conference on the possibility of life on other planets. The Vatican even has an observatory and a number of scientists and astronomers "in house".

Now, I wrestle with the Catholic Church on plenty of dogma issues, but as far as being a science minded person, I have found the Catholic Church to be a very hospitable place to be. Good Luck on your journey.

K.

I'm church of christ and I also have a chemistry degree.

I have a hard time with the literal days b/c the sun wasn't made until day 3. Without the sun on days 1 and 2...what exactly were days???

Also, the order of the fossil record does not conflict with the "days" if you look at them more like "eras".

No one from our fellowship has ever had a problem with my beliefs.

L.

Hi Stacy,
I read through your question and responses.... wow. Excellent question! Kudos for asking it!

I was raised United Methodist, in liberal, hippy, Austin, TX. I still find trouble finding a church I'm comfortable with here in conservative, suburban Plano. Also, I have some issues with certain beliefs about the accuracy of the Bible, etc. (similar to the question you posed). Having said this, my dad is a consultant for the Texas Methodist Foundation, an organization that helps Texas UM Churches raise money, etc. He knows soooo many of the head pastors and clergy in the area and had often encouraged me to attend the Greenland Hills UMC or Swiss Ave UMC. They are both great and VERY open minded (one is about 65% gay, for example). However, they are both far away from our home.

I can ask my dad about UMC churches in or around Keller to see if he has any suggestions for you. We also attend the Ba'hai Faith services sometimes. What I have found interesting about Ba'hai is that they take value in all of the major world religions without saying any are "right". They say that there is value in a Higher Power and that there have been Enlightened Ones throughout history in all cultures, etc.

Hope this helps!
C.

I am sure there are churches out there who do, but I'd like to mention at our church we certainly don't check our brains at the door, but for the most part (I can't speak for everyone) we all believe science validates the bible, not contradicts it. Our youth pastor has a passion for creation science, the arguments, the evidence, and he is always willing to share resources and debate the issues. Two of our church members went to the Institute for Creation Research conference last weekend and totally came back fired up to share what they had learned. I guess for me, church is not just a place where we learn about the word, although that is the central purpose, but we also equip each other to disciple, to defend the Bible, to stand for Christian values. We certainly do not condemn people who are young earth or old earth or for that matter evolutionists, but we'd certainly give you the facts as we understand them and encourage you to give the facts as you understand them. If you are interested in a church that loves the Lord, loves teaching His word, and expects you to be a Berean and look for the evidence and use your mind, email me and I will give you more information.

We love First Unitarian of Dallas www.dallasuu.org
It's on Preston, just north of Mockingbird. It's intelligent, thoughtful, tolerant, spiritual and active in social justice issues. It's pretty big, so there is a vibrant children's program. Most families with young kids go to the 9:15 service.

Good luck in your search.
S.
SAHM of 3 (ages 9, 6, & 2)

Science isn't always solid truth, just what human man has decided to the best of his knowledge. Some things are solid and can't be wavered, ie gravity. How old the earth is: is what man percieves and man is not all knowing, but no man has lived on earth long enough to know exactly how old it is. So if you believe in the Holy Bible at all, you must take it literally as truth, or choose not to believe in it at all. There is no gray. Simply black and white. You won't find a true Christian church that believes that the earth is billions of years old. You can't choose what you want to believe in the Bible and what you don't. It doesn't work that way. It's all or nothing. Think about it logically, do some research of your own. You can be a Science minded family, and still believe in the literal truth of the Bible. You have to decide how it all fits together. When you see God in science, you see just how unbelievably amazing He is. Good luck, and my God direct your path to understanding.

Yes, there are churches who do not feel that science, evolution, etc are at odds with religion. I was raised in the Episcopal church and this was never an issue. We now attend a UU church and this is not an issue at all. Only a few churches, and not the majority as you might think, are at odds with science. Even the pope is hosting a celebration of Darwin's birthday.

Wow! I read all of these responses and I am amazed at how many people are so quick to disgard God's Word. You don't have to throw out your brains or any true, scientifically testable and verifiable science to believe in a literal six, 24-hour day creation that took place approximately 6,000 years ago. We CAN believe that our Lord created everything fully functional and mature. He displayed His ability to act withouth the human necessity of time by His miracles. Science that "proves" billions of years is based on many insupportable and unreasonable assumptions, fostered by the religion of Humanism, and fueled by the desire to be politically correct. Evolutionists admit to each other that Creationists have the better argument. Evolution from one cell to man is not scientifically observable at all. Evolution has no explanation for life forms utilizing all left handed amino acids, no explanation for life starting with or without an oxygen atmosphere, no explanation for life starting in the ocean, and not explanation for the origin of information. The universe is young. Man, dinosaur and mastodon walked the earth at the same time. Here is a photo of something evolutionist would rather ignore (dinosaur and human footprints at the same strata and some even overlapping one another in Glen Rose, TX): http://www.bible.ca/tracks/taylor-all-14.jpg . God warns us throughout his word: Psalm 14:1, Jeremiah 17:5, Proverbs 14:12, Colossians 2:8.

If you find a truth in your search that trumps God's Word, please share it with all of us. Blessing to you.

M

I grew up in a Cumberland Presbyterian church and was completely baffled to learn, as an adult, that there this was even an issue. Our church did accept the Bible as inspired and the creation story was not seen as literal (my mom always said, "who is to say that God's day was 24 hours long, like ours?")

Your best bet, after you do some research and decide which religion/denomination/church appeals to you, it to meet with the spiritual leader at that church to learn more about their teachings. Good luck!

The Catholic Church allows for that belief. Here is a link to an article from Catholic Answers on this subject:
http://www.catholic.com/library/Adam_Eve_and_Evolution.asp
I hope this helps in your search for a church.

Hi Stacy,

Just wanted to second the vote for the Catholic Church. Despite its other flaws, it does acknowledge evolution.

Most Catholic Churches in this area do have Sunday School on Sunday mornings (another poster thought it was something different).

And there is a Unity Church of Fort Worth, if you are interested in that.

On another note, there is a lovely Tibetan Buddhist temple in Arlington. The Tibetan Buddhist tradition is very peaceful and calming. You can look for one that teaches meditation to children, also.

Peace,
M.

My family is Christian and goes to Harvest....I'm very open minded so I googled a few things that I hope helps your family to find a great church home that meets your needs. Here is what I found:

www.christiansciencetexas.org
www.christianscienceusa.com/tx.html

There may be more on there that catches your eye, just Google Science Bible Church Texas.

We go to a Methodist church. They tend to have a more realistic view based on science. We go to the vhurch in rockwall. I am not sure if they take the exact approach you are looking for; however, you could check it out. Good luck!

Can I just clear this up for you who are reading this? Catholics DO NOT believe in evolution! The world was created by God, period. Even the links provided in previous posts clearly state this. It's amazing how people can believe whatever they want to believe and run with that to others who will blindly believe. Bringing me to the second point that obviously needs clarification... The Catholic church does not leave room for your own interpretation of the Bible. How do you base a religion on the Bible then make up your own rules as you go along? As far away as some have gotten from the Bible, it might as well be a completely different text. Please people, don't tarnish other peoples religions by suggesting that you know the fundamentals by reading an article or two.

I don't mean to dodge your question, but I wanted to respond to your question in part. I have been a church member for most of my life and raise my children in the church, also. Of the 3 churches were I have been a member, I've never seen a congregation who all have the exact same beliefs. Everyone has different political, scientific, financial, etc. views. I am a member of the United Methodist church and everyone there is accepted because God loves us all. While all churches, even the Methodist church has basic beliefs based on the Bible, you are allowed to have your own opinions. No church is perfect because it is made up of people who are imperfect, but I believe there is one out there for everyone, including your family. Maybe you could take a minute and ask God to lead you to that church. Good luck!!

Hi,
We currently attend Lake Pointe Baptist Church. My brother in law recently gave a talk on how science proves there is a Creator. You might be interested in these websites.

http://www.designevidence.info/
http://biologicinstitute.org/2009/06/01/physicists-findin...

M.

Stacy B,

I'm the husband of the registered user. This subject is a passion of mine and when my wife shared your question I felt a desire to respond. Might I suggest you and your husband read a book called, "The Evolution of a Creationist" by Dr. Jobe Martin? It is a quick, simple read. You owe it to your children to do the research. There is no scientific evidence to support evolution or a billion year old earth. The missing links are "still missing". Nothing has evolved in recorded history. Carbon dating has been proven to be inaccurate. Here is a good article on carbon dating: http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?page=article&id=726 .

If this world were even a million years old there would not be enough landmass to support the natural progression of life. In other words, all of the oceans would need to be land and there still would not be enough room for every living creature. Of course, some will argue that all life was destroyed and then restarted. Pappekak! Can an automobile evolve out of nothing at all? Of course not, yet it is a much simpler creation than a human life, which we are to believe, originated from nothing. Colossians 2:8 reads, "Make sure no one captures you. They will try to capture you by using false reasoning that has no meaning. Their ideas depend on human teachings. They also depend on the basic things the people of this world believe. They don't depend on Christ."

I pray your mind is open to the research. May God bless you and your family richly.

Regards,
Gary

A unitarian church would definitely fit what you describe. Unitarians tend to be pro-science and tend not to take the Bible as literally as some other denominations. They tend to be liberal. Individual unitarians can vary quite widely and this variety tends to be embraced by Unitarian churchs or fellowships. There's a good, large Unitarian chuch in Dallas. There's one in Plano and some other suburbs as well.

I see that another Mama recommended looking up Christian Science but that's not what you'd think at all; Christian Scientists believe that only the spiritual world exists and that evil is an illusion.

Stacy,

You might want to look into "unitarian" churches. (I think I remembered that correctly.) They are very open churches who accept everybody.

They are also very big on earth, nature based religions. I know that is not what you are asking about; but it goes to show that they are open to opinion.

Good luck finding a church like you are looking for - especially in the south. :( It's too bad it is like that here.

I have not read all of your responses, but wanted to let you know that my family attends Arlington Heights United Methodist Church in Fort Worth and we love it. We are part of a sunday school class that is very open to discussing all sorts of topics and is for the most part very open-minded. We discuss other world religions, our thoughts on lots of religious topics from what grace means to whether there really is a heaven and hell and what we think it is like etc. Open mindedness and the ability to speak your beliefs without being ridiculed is important to me. Of course our church also has some more conservative people, but that's what makes our church great and welcoming to people of all thoughts and beliefs. Our church may be too far for you, but I hope that you are able to find a church that fits you and gives you what you need! Good luck!

The Catholic church accepts that the Bible is not all entirely meant to be taken literally, and that whether the earth is billions of years old or only a few thousand does not affect what God tells us through the Bible. Catholics are "allowed" to believe either.

Lutherans (at least the ELCA) have no problems with evolution and science. And from what I have read, the Catholics actually embrace evolution.

Which church you decide on really depends upon how you feel about women as priests, women giving communion, and how homosexuality is addressed. Many mainline churches (Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian) believe similar things but differ on the details. Bible churches tend to be far more conservative and use literal interpretations of the Bible. Do some research on the church of your choice's web site and then visit one. You can get a whole lot out of a visit.

Also, keep an eye on their education ministry. Catholics don't have Sunday School (their schools start later and tend to be on weekday evenings, if I recall correctly)
while most Protestant denominations do.

What a great question! I was raised Methodist (and still am), and creationism vs. evolution was never discussed in our church. My mother taught me that evolution is not necessarily counter to the idea of a creator (we don't take all of the Bible's stories literally), so we believe in evolution because that's what scientific fact proves. I actually had a discussion about this issue with one of our pastors a couple of weeks ago (my son had been invited to go to a weekday Bible class with a friend that starts teaching creationism at an early age, which seemed so strange to me, and I wanted to get the official Methodist perspective on it), and he said that the Methodist church doesn't really speak out on the subject. Most of the younger members (he was including himself in this, and he's in his 40s) believe in evolution, but some of the older people don't. (Though our head pastor is in his 60s and definitely believes in evolution.) We aren't the types who say, "You have to believe this or you're not really Christian." And I know from experience that if you bring up evolution around my Methodist friends, no one's going to think you're strange!

Interesting that your church even brought it up. I don't think anyone at our current church, Preston Trail Community Church, has ever hinted one way or another.

I usually don't dip into religion questions, but I am going to make a suggestion.
First of all, something like 95% of scientists believe in a higher power, and around 70% actively belong to a church. That is a greater number than Americans in general.
Secondly, if your kids/family are into science, yall have to read Brother Guy Consolmagno's books. He is an astronomer at the Vatican and MIT grad. His books are great for older kids and adults- great science and a great sense of humor.
Third, Kathryn was so sweet to google some ideas for you, but Christian Scientists aren't really Christians who are science minded. I'm not saying rule them out, but that's not their main tenet.
Fourth, most "mainstream" protestant churches support science and the scientific principles of evolutionary development. Try a Methodist or Episcopalian church. A "bible" church may not meet your need for open-minded tolerance.
Best of luck finding a wonderful spiritual home.

Hi Stacy,
Yes, there are churches out there. Unity Dallas is a great one. If you go to their website www.unitydallas.org, you can even hear the archived services so you can decide if it's for you. I've also heard of Science of Mind church and the Center for Spiritual Living. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me privately. Best wishes in your search. I was in your shoes 4 years ago, and I can't express how much my life has changed for the better since I found out I wasn't alone.

I think some of the people who responded to your question are a little confused about Christianity. I have been a member of a lot of churches in a lot of states and have never experienced a christian church that taught evolution. They may not have actively rejected it so as not to offend some more liberal members, similar to the military's don't ask don't tell policy but I have never been in a Bible study or Sunday school class that taught evolution. If you want a church that will embrace evolution seek outside Christianity. You may be surprised that once you actually research the subject it is hard to believe.

If you're really interested in discovering truths about God that come with proof of His good work- check out a Christian Science church. Try the book: Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. You will not be disappointed.

Stacy,

My I suggest that you watch Expelled with Ben Stein. It's so important to the topic that you have asked about. It's a science minded short film based on the subject of evolution and creation. You will find it SO informative. It does not lean one way or the other but brings both to the table.
Just be careful to not look for a church home based off of science alone. As the study of science is based off of what men find, not what God said. Science is always behind the Bible... for example when the world was flat... the Bible said it was a sphere.
There is a reason why so many churches believe in the world being thousands of year s old. God's words never changes... never.... but men or science get to change their story all the time.
You really need to educate yourself as to why the Bible's time line is different from your opinion then make your decision. And I'm not talking about basing your study off of a book a man wrote. Books have copyright dates because they are manmade.. if you look at a King James Bible you'll find no copyright date. God is big enough to preserve his word for all times, even if He chooses to use holy men as a tool to do it.
Another great movie I would suggest buying in helping you do your homework is a film you would have to order off the internet called Time Changer... it stars the older actor from the show The Love Boat (the captain).
I'd love to be a resource for you if you choose to do some studying as to what the Bible says about time lines, dates and what a generation actually is.

There are teachers among us who seem too willing to surrender the time-honored Biblical meaning of inspiration. Their new attitude toward the Bible grew out of their demand for a new doctrine of inspiration. Neo-orthodoxy would have all Christians abandon the Scriptural teaching about inspiration and accept its new theology. But if we do this we will then be judging the Bible on the basis of what certain "scientists" and "scholars" have said concerning it. This I am not ready to do, and I am quite aware that my position is not a popular one among some religious leaders of our day.
Now where should one begin in his quest for the meaning of inspiration? I do not hesitate in insisting that the first place where one must go to learn the meaning of the inspiration of the Bible is to the Bible itself. We cannot accept merely what is acceptable to modern man. Our generation has witnessed the growing exaltation of man and his intellectual powers to the degree that some men are looked upon as knowing more than God. Let us come back to the Bible and accept the concept of inspiration which is based solely upon the teaching of the Bible. When the Biblical meaning of inspiration is accepted, there can be no mistaken identity.
Someone might raise the objection that it is "circular" to appeal to the Bible for its own authentication and vindication, meaning that to appeal to Scripture in support of Scripture is to argue in a circle. Any court will recognize that a man has a right to testify in his own behalf. Now we know that it is possible for every man to lie, or to deceive, or to be prejudiced. But because the Bible is the Word of God, and God, because of Who He is, cannot lie (Titus 1:2), most certainly the Bible's witness to its inspiration ought, therefore, to be accepted as trustworthy.
One of the great doctrinal passages in the Bible is the well-known word from Paul to Timothy. The King James Version reads as follows: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (11 Timothy 3:16). Take notice of that word "inspiration." I believe there are only two appearances of this word in the English Bible, one in the Old Testament (Job 32:8) and one in the New. The passage which for our purpose is of supreme importance is the one in the New Testament.
The five words, "given by inspiration of God," are the translation of the one Greek word theopneustos. It is a compound, consisting of theo (God) and pneustor (breathed). The true meaning is "that which is breathed out by God." It is a strange figure, but a strong one. Used only here in the entire New Testament, it is designed to make the reader aware of the fact that all Scripture, every writing to which the name Scripture could be given, was actually breathed out by God, and consequently bears the stamp of Divine origin and authority. When man speaks, his words might be said to be man-breathed; when God spoke, His words were God-breathed. It can be said metaphorically that the Scriptures are God's breath. How much of the Scriptures have gone out of the mouth of God? All Scripture! The Scriptures came into being because they were breathed out by God Himself. Modern theories of inspiration would have us give the larger role to man and the lesser to God, as though God is not necessary to inspiration. But be certain that the Scriptures are the product of the Divine breath because they have their origin in God. And since the inspiration of the Bible is the focal point of conflict, we assert with firmness and finality that this greatest Book of all books owes its very existence to the direct creative work of God Himself.

Either the Bible is truth or not. It can't be half truth or it's a lie.

Here to help,

L. B.