What do people think of this...?

[Doch]

I'll start this off by asking : how damaging do you think this picture is to religion, as a whole? It's a pretty good representation of the ( hypothesized) hominid evolutionary sequence.

It's worth noting that I've seen many of these cranial specimens first hand -  they replicate them, then ship them off to all the major Universities in the world.

[CFTraveler]

Depends on the religion and the views associated with it.  There is the (theistic) viewpoint that God is separate than creation (and therefore, man) so that evolutionary theory somehow is at odds with the notion of a creative force (God), but there are some religious philosophies that don't see the distinction of God creating itself via evolution, as opposed to God as some figure apart having created everything a long time ago and then separating (him)self from creation.  I studied anthropology in college at the graduate level, (didn't graduate so I don't have a master's), studied forensic anthropology (fascinating except for the macerating part, which is why I didn't graduate) and still believe in God, just not in a literal interpretation of a book that was written and rewritten more than a few times.

[Beth]

Doch,

I am a "lifer" in the field of religion, and I can tell you that it will probably require UFO's entering the earth's atmosphere, much like that old movie "Independence Day" to make people that are serious about their religion even begin to question their faith. And then they will probably say that it is Satan's Army, a.k.a., the Anti-Christ. Shaking their faith will be extremely difficult...

Religion is all about: FAITH. Not science. Not PROOF. FAITH.

Unfortunately, they are not the least bit "moved" by bones--no matter how old they are, or how many different evolutionary cycles they have been through. A great many Christians, for example, are only moved by the thought of a first century "bloody cross."  :dont-know:  

Sorry!:confused:
~Beth

p.s. Now if you can "find the bones" of any of the disciples, or any other biblical characters, well then...they would get REAL EXCITED!!!

[Doch]

I suppose the point I was trying to make is that there is no questioning the fact that a whole host of bizarre proto-humans have existed at one point or another during the history of the world. I'm not necessarily submitting to neo-Darwinism here, or even to the trend of the theistic evolutionists. We have another option in the Vedic texts ( human devolution ) , which is pretty much compatible with the concepts of the Theosophists. If their supposition is true, however, I have no idea how we arrive at their conclusion through the workings of scientism, which is pretty much a malady anyway IMHO. What else can we throw into the mix - UFO'S, the ancient astronaut theory/

Ah, it's all pretty much a mystery isn't it? And there's nothing we are usually more fascinated by than a good mystery.

[kai wren]

I think of it like this, on the days I think there might be a God, it created us, right? Well... what creator doesn't tinker with their creations afterwards? If anything, Evolution points more to God existing than against it, we see how we have moved to out dominant position over the millenia, and how all of the other creatures have also improved into their niches.