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Faith

2008-06-23T23:57:08Z

Godisawesome: /* The Practicality of Christian "Faith" */

The Biblical definition of '''Faith''' (from the Greek, πίστις or ''pistis'') refers to ''trust'',<ref>[http://www.zhubert.com/word?root=%CF%80%E1%BD%B7%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B9%CF%82 Definition of πίστις from zhubert.com]</ref> and if applied refers to applying a confidence in what is already known about God (specifically Christ), to a situation where every detail is not laid out in full. We can see that kind of confidence as the [[Bible]] describes what faith is in the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]]. (This kind of trust based on knowledge is [[#The Uniqueness of Christian "Faith"|unique]] to historical Christianity and Judaism)
:Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1, NASB)

==Scientific terminology applied to evolution==
The terms fact and theory can be applied to evolution, just as they are to gravity.<ref name=Moran/> Misuse and misunderstanding of how those terms are applied to evolution have been used to construct arguments disputing the validity of evolution.

In the study of biological species, the facts include fossils and measurements of these fossils. The location of a fossil is an example of a
fact (using the scientific meaning of the word fact). In species that rapidly reproduce, for example [[fruit flies]], the process of evolutionary change has been observed in the laboratory.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Dobzhansky T, Pavlovsky O |title=Experimentally created incipient species of Drosophila |journal=Nature |volume=230 |issue=5292 |pages=289–92 |year=1971 |pmid=5549403 |doi=10.1038/230289a0}}</ref> The observation of fruit fly populations changing character is also an example of a fact, using the scientific meaning of the word fact. So evolution is a fact, at least using the scientific meaning of the word fact. These facts require an explanation, just as the observations of gravity did.

In biology, there have been many attempts to explain these observations over the years. [[Lamarckism]], [[Transmutationism]] and [[Orthogenesis]] were all non-Darwinian theories that attempted to explain the observations of species and fossils and other evidence. However, the '''Theory of Evolution''' is the explanation for all relevant observations regarding the development of life, based on a model that explains all the available data and observations. Thus, evolution is not only a fact but also a theory, just as gravity is both a fact and a theory.

{| class="wikitable" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3
|-
!style="background:#d0e5f5;color:black" |Gravity!!style="background:#d0e5f5;color:black" |Evolution
|-
|Things falling is an observation of the pull of bodies towards each other.||Fruit flies changing generation to generation is an observation of generational organism change.
|-
|Bodies pulling towards each other is called gravity.||Organisms changing generation to generation is called evolution.
|-
|Gravity is a fact.||Evolution is a fact.
|-
!style="background:#d0e5f5;color:black" |An explanation for the facts of gravity.!!style="background:#d0e5f5;color:black" |An explanation for the facts of evolution.
|-
|[[Aristotle]] and [[Galileo]] created explanations of the ''fact'' of gravity. These are now obsolete explanations. ||[[Lamarckism]], [[Transmutationism]] and [[Orthogenesis]] were created as explanations of the fact of evolution. These are now discredited explanations.
|-
|[[Isaac Newton|Newton's]] explanation of gravity is approximately correct but required refinement.||[[Charles Darwin|Darwin's]] explanation of evolution is approximately correct, but required refinement.
|-
|[[Einstein]]'s explanation is a refinement of Newton's explanation of gravity. Einstein's explanation is currently the most accepted explanation of the fact of gravity. || The [[modern evolutionary synthesis]] is a refinement of Darwin's explanation of evolution. This modern synthesis is currently the most accepted explanation of the fact of evolution.
|-
|Einstein's explanation of the fact of gravity is called ''The General theory of relativity''. ||The explanation of the fact of evolution provided by the modern synthesis is the latest and most widely accepted ''Theory of Evolution''.
|-
!style="background:#d0e5f5;color:black" |Gravity is a fact and a theory.!!style="background:#d0e5f5;color:black" |Evolution is a fact and a theory.
|}

==Faith and Knowledge==
In the modern secular mindset and even in some evangelical circles, the ideas of faith and knowledge cannot coexist. In other words, many believe that faith is antithetical to knowledge and even science. Really, this is a misconception which comes from an ignorance of both what true biblical faith is (as described in brief above) and what knowledge really is (from a philosophical point of view). According to Dr. Dallas Willard (a Christian philosopher), faith is not opposed to knowledge because "faith is a kind of knowledge."<ref>[http://www.scriptoriumdaily.com/2008/01/07/how-people-perish-for-lack-of-knowledge/ How People Perish for Lack of Knowledge]</ref>

In the Bible, faith is never offered in opposition to knowledge, but it is in opposition to ''sight'' ("for we walk by faith, not by sight" — 2 Corinthians 5:7). In the modern context, ''sight'', or the use of the five senses, is almost always used as a limiter for the extent of knowledge. This is unfortunate, however, because there are practical things that people interact with all the time that cannot be sensed. For example, friendship, love, truth, beauty, and even knowledge itself are all things, which in essence, cannot be observed with the senses. These are all things that we have some sort of ''knowledge'' about, and yet they cannot be empirically tested, if "empirical" means the five senses.

==The Opposite of Faith: Doubt==
If faith is ''a trusting action taken based on knowledge'', then doubt is having that knowledge but not trusting it to aid you through an unknown circumstance. For example, it would be like saying, ''I know about God and what He is capable of, but I won't trust that knowledge in this situation because of all the unknown factors involved''. Therefore doubt is a reaction to uncertainties rather than certainties.

Jesus acknowledges that doubt is the opposite of faith.
:And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen." (Matthew 21:21, NASB)
Taking the definition of faith and doubt as described above, Jesus is basically saying here, ''If you have a knowledge of who I am [and they did because they were with Jesus and saw that he was God], and you trust that knowledge in a practical sense, you will be capable of great things''.

Although doubt is the primary antithesis of biblical faith, it may manifest itself in a variety of ways. It may manifest as fear, anxiety, depression, and lack of confidence. A lack of faith can even be very harmful, leading to self-destructive behavior.

==The Uniqueness of Christian "Faith"==

==Secondary Benefits of "Faith"==
* Faith plays a central role in overcoming [[addiction]]. Virtually everyone is plagued by one or more addictions, and faith enables overcoming those weaknesses.

==Biblical examples==
* Perhaps the greatest description of faith is Hebrews 11. It states: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."<ref>Hebrews 11:1 (NIV).</ref>
* [[Paul]] indicated that faith itself is a gift of the [[Holy Spirit]]. 1 Corinthians 12:8-9 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit
* In attempt to convert [[Jews]] to [[Christianity]], [[Paul]] described [[Abraham]]'s willingness to sacrifice his beloved son [[Isaac]] to [[God]] as an act of [[faith]], though the [[Old Testament]] did not describe it with that term. As discussed above, a potential reference to faith is [[Genesis]] 22 where [[God]] tested [[Abraham]] by commanding him to sacrifice his only son [[Isaac]]. As Abraham prepared to do what God commanded -he was stopped. "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." 

==Famous People on "Faith"==
===Martin Luther on Faith===
Luther in his Table Talk papers writes this thought provoking and rather difficult passage on faith:
:This is the acme of faith, to believe that God, who saves so few and condemns so many, is merciful; that he is just who, at his own pleasure, has made us necessarily doomed to damnation, so that he seems to delight in the torture of the wretched and is more deserving of hate than of love. If by any effort of reason I could conceive how God, who shows so much anger and harshness, could be merciful and just, there would be no need of faith.

==Criticisms of "Faith"==

==References==
<references/>

== External links ==
'''Evangelical perspectives of Faith'''
* Holding, James Patrick, [http://tektonics.org/whatis/whatfaith.html Fallacious Faith]
'''Non-Evangelical perspectives of Faith'''
* [http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/finding-faith-in-christ/video/finding-faith-in-christ Finding Faith in Christ], video at ''JesusChrist.lds.org''

[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Christianity]]

Mutation

2008-06-23T23:56:39Z

Godisawesome: Undo revision 480828 by Aaronp (Talk)

In [[biology]], a '''mutation''' is any physical change in the [[genetic material]] of an [[organism]]. In most cases this is either the [[DNA]] or [[RNA]] in the cell [[nucleus]]. In multicellular organisms there are two primary classes of mutation, [[germline mutations]] and [[somatic mutations]]. Germline mutations are those changes that can be passed down to offspring, while somatic mutations are mutations that only alter genetic material in the mutated organism. There is some evidence that changes outside of the cell's genetic material, such as the [[cytoplasm]], [[proteins]], or the cell [[membrane]] can also be inherited.

Mutations can be caused by internal or external factors. Common external factors include [[ultraviolet]] radiation, chemical [[mutagens]], or parasitic organisms (such as [[viruses]] or [[bacteria]]). Most internal causes of mutations stem from errors in reproduction of genetic material.

Some organisms will respond to harsh environments by increasing the rate of mutations. This is known as [[hypermutation]] and is hypothesized to aid organisms by creating wider variation in the [[gene pool]] of the population, increasing the chances that at least some descendents might survive under harsh conditions.

==Evolution as a theory and a fact==

The terms fact and theory can be applied to evolution, just as they are to gravity.[1] Misuse and misunderstanding of how those terms are applied to evolution have been used to construct arguments disputing the validity of evolution.

In the study of biological species, the facts include fossils and measurements of these fossils. The location of a fossil is an example of a fact (using the scientific meaning of the word fact). In species that rapidly reproduce, for example fruit flies, the process of evolutionary change has been observed in the laboratory.[18] The observation of fruit fly populations changing character is also an example of a fact, using the scientific meaning of the word fact. So evolution is a fact, at least using the scientific meaning of the word fact. These facts require an explanation, just as the observations of gravity did.

In biology, there have been many attempts to explain these observations over the years. Lamarckism, Transmutationism and Orthogenesis were all non-Darwinian theories that attempted to explain the observations of species and fossils and other evidence. However, the Theory of Evolution is the explanation for all relevant observations regarding the development of life, based on a model that explains all the available data and observations. Thus, evolution is not only a fact but also a theory, just as gravity is both a fact and a theory.

{| class="wikitable" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3
|-
!style="background:#d0e5f5;color:black" |Gravity!!style="background:#d0e5f5;color:black" |Evolution
|-
|Things falling is an observation of the pull of bodies towards each other.||Fruit flies changing generation to generation is an observation of generational organism change.
|-
|Bodies pulling towards each other is called gravity.||Organisms changing generation to generation is called evolution.
|-
|Gravity is a fact.||Evolution is a fact.
|-
!style="background:#d0e5f5;color:black" |An explanation for the facts of gravity.!!style="background:#d0e5f5;color:black" |An explanation for the facts of evolution.
|-
|[[Aristotle]] and [[Galileo]] created explanations of the ''fact'' of gravity. These are now obsolete explanations. ||[[Lamarckism]], [[Transmutationism]] and [[Orthogenesis]] were created as explanations of the fact of evolution. These are now discredited explanations.
|-
|[[Isaac Newton|Newton's]] explanation of gravity is approximately correct but required refinement.||[[Charles Darwin|Darwin's]] explanation of evolution is approximately correct, but required refinement.
|-
|[[Einstein]]'s explanation is a refinement of Newton's explanation of gravity. Einstein's explanation is currently the most accepted explanation of the fact of gravity. || The [[modern evolutionary synthesis]] is a refinement of Darwin's explanation of evolution. This modern synthesis is currently the most accepted explanation of the fact of evolution.
|-
|Einstein's explanation of the fact of gravity is called ''The General theory of relativity''. ||The explanation of the fact of evolution provided by the modern synthesis is the latest and most widely accepted ''Theory of Evolution''.
|-
!style="background:#d0e5f5;color:black" |Gravity is a fact and a theory.!!style="background:#d0e5f5;color:black" |Evolution is a fact and a theory.
|}

==Mutatations and the Theory of Evolution==
Most evolutionists believe that the processes of mutation, [[genetic drift]] and [[natural selection]] created every species of life that we see on earth today after [[Origin of life|life first came about on earth]]<ref name="Dawk">[[Jonathan Sarfati]], P.H.D., F.M., [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1855 Climbing Mount Improbable: A Review of Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins]</ref>, and of these, mutations are the only one supposedly capable of supplying new genetic information.
Evolutionist [[Theodosius Dobzhansky]] wrote: "The process of mutation is the only known source of the new materials of genetic variability, and hence of [[Theory of evolution|evolution]]."<ref>[[NorthWest Creation Network]], [http://www.nwcreation.net/geneticquotes.html Quotes on Genetics]</ref>

[[Image:Pierre Grasse.jpg|thumb|140px|right|Pierre Grasse]]
However, mutations that create new genetic [[information]] have never been observed.
[[Pierre Grasse]], who served as Chair of Evolution at [[Sorbonne University]] for thirty years and was ex-president of the [[French Academy of Sciences]], said:{{QuoteBox|Some contemporary biologists, as soon as they observe a mutation, talk about evolution. They are implicitly supporting the following syllogism: mutations are the only evolutionary variations, all living beings undergo mutations, therefore all living beings evolve....No matter how numerous they may be, mutations do not produce any kind of evolution.<ref name="Grasse">Quoted on [http://www.veritas-ucsb.org/library/origins/quotes/mutations.html Veritas Forum]</ref>}}
Grasse went on to point out that bacteria, much studied by geneticists and molecular biologists, produce the most mutants,<ref>[http://www.veritas-ucsb.org/library/origins/quotes/mutations.html Veritas Forum]</ref>, yet bacteria are considered to have "stabilized a billion years ago!".<ref name="Grasse" />
Grasse regards the "unceasing mutations" to be "merely hereditary fluctuations around a median position; a swing to the right, a swing to the left, but no final evolutionary effect."<ref name="Grasse" />
In addition, [[Harvard]] biologist [[Ernst Mayr]] wrote: "It must be admitted, however, that it is a considerable strain on one’s credulity to assume that finely balanced systems such as certain sense organs (the eye of vertebrates, or the bird’s feather) could be improved by random mutations."<ref>[http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/ReferencesandNotes10.html Ernst Mayr, Systematics and the Origin of Species (New York: Dover Publications, 1942), p. 296]</ref>

[[Creationism|Creation scientists]] argue that mutations ''cannot'' generate new genetic information.<ref>[[Answers in Genesis]], [http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/mutations.asp Mutations: Questions and Answers]</ref><ref>Dr. [[Jerry Bergman]], [http://www.trueorigin.org/mutations01.asp Darwinism and the Deterioration of the Genome]</ref><ref name="Dawk" /><ref>[[Jonathan Sarfati]], P.H.D., F.M., [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3831 ''Refuting Evolution'', Chapter 2, Variation and Natural Selection Versus Evolution]</ref><ref>[[Answers in Genesis]], [http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/selection.asp Natural Selection Questions and Answers]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Other References==
Biology (7th Edition). Neil A. Campbell,Jane B. Reece. http://www.amazon.com/Biology-7th-Neil-Campbell/dp/080537146X.

[[Category:Biology]]