[daxspark]

As a Catholic, this is what I believe in the following areas, and to my knowledge, this is congruent with the teachings of my church, Catholicism (which, as I am discovering, many people think they know about, but very few actually do).

Evolution vs Creationism- for me, these two theories walk hand-in-hand. When you read Genesis and the order in which the animals were made (sea animals, air animals, land animals, humans) and study evolution (which btw has a few holes like any theory), you see the development of animals in both are the same (starts in ocean, leads to humans). To carry this point further, in Genesis it tells how light and dark were first made, then land and water, then life, which is what science puts forth in the Big Bang Theory. As to the matter of the Earth being made in 6 days, this is actually a mistranslation from Hebrew. It simply means 6 periods of time. I honestly can't see how people don't see this.

Bad vs Good people going to Heaven or Hell- Humans know SO little about either Heaven or Hell, no one on Earth knows who will go where. As a Catholic, I don't even have to believe that any one is in Hell. After you die, and you see God's face, you can choose to go to it or away from it. If it is something you have been seeing in your everyday life, you will go towards it (aka Heaven). This means you do not have to be Catholic, Christian, or even religious. Sure, those help, but as long as you know God in your life and recognize him you are saved. This even insures that aboriginals or whoever who have not even been presented with religion can be saved because if they lived a good life they will know God, even if their first meeting with Him is after death. They will go to Heaven if they accept him as their savior. Athiests could go to Heaven if they lead a good life, knew God, and repented for sins, just like any Christian would do. The problem is many athiests do not know God (thus Athiesm).

Virgin Birth- as stated before, its God we're talking about. Anything is possible through Him. Plus the fact that there have been documented cases in animals of virgin births (admittedly few, however).

Prayers- I have not read a single post on this board recognizing prayer for what it is (sorry if someone has and I missed it). Prayer IS NOT asking God for stuff. There are many types, and that is one type. I find prayers of thanksgiving much more valuable than prayers of petition, personally. Prayer is simply talking to God. If you ask Him for something, it doesn't mean it will come true (especially if you bargain with Him). He already knows what you want anyway. Just prayer for you to live according to His plan and everything will work out the best.

In closing...Science can not and will never be able to prove the existence or inexistence(real word?) of religion. They should not be seen as two warring sides, they should be seen as cooperating idealogies to advance human understanding...Do not take everything in the Bible literally. You have to use your brain (scary, I know) and your conscience to decide what to believe and what was added by humans. There is no steadfast rule as to how to do this. Just look for the general message, not the specific details...I think many users on this thread (not naming any names) would benefit greatly from a real class in religion and doctrine (not a high school course or anything) because many of their complaints can be answered from a religious standpoint, but I, nor anyone else here it seems, can do that, so the conversation just goes around in circles. An open mind is key here.

For individual users:
Rocky, I'm sure you've realized this by now, but you have to read the Bible before bashing it. I literally LOLed when I read you're question. It was so ignorant and apparent that you hadn't even read Genesis (the first book).

Little Horn, I respect you so much. You are one of the only, if not the only, athiests I've encountered who has done extensive research on the subject and come to an intelligent and respectful decision. Not influenced by emotionalism or popular theory, you actually did your own studying and made your own choice. For this I completely respect your viewpoint, even if it is different than mine.