According to Its Kind

This is my personal opinion on evolution after staying up way too late pouring over the subject that still refuses to allow me much needed sleep:

Genesis 1:24 (New International Version - NIV): “And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.’ And it was so” I was shown this verse yesterday (by whom? by God). I then looked it up in four different versions. All said the same general thing: “…Let the earth produce living creatures…” This confused me. Wait, I had thought that “God created,” “God said,” and “according to its kind” meant that, quite literally, God had spoken all different things into existence by merely breaking a silence; that there was no evolution involved in this process, no changing from one thing to another. Now I question: is the comprehension I have of this issue, accurate?

Genesis 1:3 (NIV): “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” 2nd Peter 3:5-6 (NIV): “But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.” In the first verse mentioned in this paragraph, it is simply a matter of breaking a silence. In the second group of verses, it mentions that same spoken word. The waters it is talking about are the flood in Genesis chapter 6. This brings me little clarity on the subject except to know that whether by means other than were initially assumed or not, God still created. He still spoke and things still came to be, ultimately, because of those words. This is still truth.

Genesis 1:21-22 (NIV): “So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.’” Nowhere does it actually say: “increase in number according to its kind.” These phrases are found separate, but not together. Does this mean that God created evolution? Plain and simple, my answer is this: I do not know for sure, nor do I expect to for a very, very long time.

Genesis 1:26-27 (NIV): “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” I think this has been established as one of the main points of Christian belief: we were made by God and in the image of God.

I have read through Genesis 1 many times –even more recently. This chapter is the one that describes “Creation Week.” Only in Genesis 1:24 does it say “land produce living creatures” or anything similar. However, another question: What is a “kind”? The word kind is used in many places in the Bible. Often, when defined as a kind of something, in the phrase: “according to its kind.” Kind and Species are not the same thing. Kind cannot be placed in the same Taxonomy classifications as Species. This is explained in more detail here: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2010/06/25/feedback-a-biblically-based-taxonomy .

Genesis 1:1 (NIV): “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This is before day one. Day one occurred when God created light (Genesis 1:3) which was three days before He created the sun, planets (other than earth), and other heavenly bodies (Genesis 1:14-19). This illustrates that God is not limited to our time, our energy, or our logic. When God created these heavenly bodies on the fourth day, time began.

In writing this, I am not looking for an argument. I have found that, although it can be entertaining to an extent, all it proves is that people in general are stubborn in our beliefs. No theories about this subject can be proved. The Bible is not completely clear, but this allows it to continue to be applicable throughout the years. This is why it is called the Living Word. So far, everything I have said, I take as fact.

Compromising my beliefs to fit those of someone else is not alright to me. I should not be made to conform whether other beliefs are more accepted or not. To those who would call me ignorant: Christianity does not mean isolation. I am not unaware of the world I live in; I just view it in a way not publicly accepted. I want it to be known that with the conclusion that I will soon present, I am in no way attempting to blend anything or compromise what I believe in any way.

Here is my conclusion, and bear in mind that it is all speculation. I honestly cannot say for certain, though any means, whether or not I am correct:

Almost everything was directly created by God. God created –immediately- through merely His voice: the heavens and the earth; light; water and land; plants of all kinds (these being biblical kinds, not modern taxonomy classifications); the aforementioned heavenly bodies. God created after voicing his plans to do so: sky and atmosphere; fish and birds of all (biblical) kinds.

I do not want to use the word evolution. I feel that the term is too indistinct, too misdefined –likely even by myself. God created livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals according to their kinds. However, these living creatures may have adjusted within these (rather unclear) kinds. This may have occurred to an extent that what would have been one species is now another but is still that same Biblical kind. Nevertheless, it still would not have taken millions of years. God created all these creatures within the limits of a twenty-four hour day (or perhaps even shorter at the time). The creatures that changed would have changed in a very short amount of time, and not all of them would be from the same ancestors.

God created mankind in His own image, and therefore, we did not come from the animals, but were created separately, created differently. No missing link of Bigfoot would be found because there is no link between us and animals except for a common creator/designer. We have been given charge over all the animals, but did not originate from them.

Now this was my first question here, “is the comprehension I have of this issue, accurate?” The answer I have found is this: partially. It was accurate to an extent. Almost every time I read the Bible I tend to see it differently. This will sometimes bring clarity, but also sometimes bring more obscurity.

I try to be cautious in what I take as fact. So much in this world is false, yet there is still much truth. I will be happy to answer any questions as best I can, but I do not promise to know all the answers.