Rap,

This is such a fascinating topic. I am not a very religious person, but my curiosity has allowed me to learn a lot. I have always felt that evolution can fit in very well with God and religion. As Eskielover said, how long is a day? Is it 24 hours, as we see it today? Was it 24 million years?

Some people translate the Bible literally, word for word. They seem to find scientific explanations to be blasphemous. Many consider Darwin's theories to be a hoax, and they regard him as evil.

Darwin, being a scientist, wanted to find an explanation for how we developed. He took all his research and created his theory. He referred to it as "theory", not as fact, and challenged others to do their own research and come to their own conclusions. When I studied Darwin in high school (1960's) it was taught as theory.

While I am not convinced that my ancestors were apes, I do have to say that a strong family resemblance is there.

You are right, that freedom means choosing your own path and your own beliefs. It also means one can change those beliefs if the old way no longer makes sense. This goes for religion as well as politics, and life in general. We owe each other a certain amount of respect, even if we don't agree.

GW