How would have Jesus responded to Darwin?

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If the origin of species had come out in paperback in the first centurey how would jesus have responded? What would he have told his followers.

We will never actually know the answer to that anachronistic situation, but here is my speculation...

[opinion]

I think it likely that Jesus would have dismissed the Origin Of The Species as irrelevant to the apostles' mission. If He had met Mr. Darwin duruing His ministry, then I suspect that Jesus would have treated him like the "Rich Young Man" from Mark 10:17-25, or one of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes from Matthew 22:1-46.

[/opinion]

But I am no longer a seminary student, so this and any other WAG may have no bearing whatsoever on reality.

Besides, who among us can honestly say that he or she really knows Jesus?

Are you assuming they are asking him about it? That it has become an issue in public debate in Jerusalem?

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Totally irrelevant - but why do you postulate paperback?

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It is really difficult to calculate his reaction - there is rally no record of his responding to anything of the kind. This is the closest, from Luke 13: "There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

So they are asking him about current events with political implications, which he ignores and turns into a point on salvation.

So - IF we pretend the Greek translation of Origin od Species is going around Jerusalem, and IF we pretend that the subject comes up, I have to think he will draw a parallel between Darwinian selecton and some aspect of "many are called and few are chosen".

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If you are figuring he would get into Creation Science versus Evolutionary Theory - no way. Read the gospels. The guy is not a scientist, he has one theme - relating God to man.

uhm.....

“Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and give to God what is God's.” ?

well being the son of god he would know that evolution was factual and congratulated Darwin for working it out, and also for not being bound to idiotic ideology that he and his dad found a real pain in the ass.

Oh darn, why isn't this an epic rap battle of history yet?

Jesus would have said, "cool story, breh."

And then there would be light.

I think you are correct. The speculations of men such as Darwin or anyone else are mostly irrelevant, and he was more inclined to just answer questions.

he would most likely say
"?אני מצטער אני לא מדבר אנגלית. אתה רוצה דגים"
or
"?למה אתה לבוש כל כך מוזר"

but in a Aramaic accent so it would kinda come across like King James English.

Many thanks for the laugh.

Bingo!

Its- "render" by the way.

But thats what I was thinking. Or a possiblility.

The fundies might view having their kids study evoution in school as a kind "rendering unto ceasar" so both thier own kids and the nation can succeed in one realm, and to keep their religion on another plane so the two dont continminate each other- rather than trying surpress the teaching of evolution in school.

IDK, but I'd imagine that he'd tell Darwin to get back to his own century and then send him on his way back through time.

I kinda meant the ideas of Darwn. Not the two of them actually meeting in person..
Like the book gets published in Rome or Athens say-hits the presses, and then the books get carted to all of the shopping malls in the Roman Empire via the Roman road system. So everyone in the Roman Empire kinda becomes aware of the book. But if any of you want to take it as Darwin personally-thats cool too ( have em both appear on Oprah maybe).

Good possible answers each from Phil, blunnet, brigdett, DentArthurDent and Fnord.

"Many are called..."
Strange as that sounds that might be the closest to the mark so far.

Last edited by naturalplastic on 27 Jul 2011, 8:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It is funny how these right wing Christians teach creationism and then they also embrace Social Darwinism that calls for the complete destruction of the welfare state.

Huh? We were postulating a copy of the book - paperback, yet, so it is anchronistic for everything.

No way everybody in the empire knows about it. Check out literacy rates, and the multiply it by the % of literates who have read it since 1859.

AND the Romans were not that I have been able to spot in the literature real big on books unless

A they were funny or risque

B they glorified Rome

C they were about politics.

Origin of Species - REALLY lucky if it sold twenty copies a year in first century Rome.