I believe in (modified - it isn't gradual, but rather occurs in distinct steps) Darwinian evolution where man evolved from the higher mammals about six million years ago, an earth that formed from gaseous clouds about four and a half billion years ago, and a universe that began about thirteen point seven billion years ago which started both time and space. And yet I still believe in God.
As a lifelong and devout atheist, engineer, and scientist I still trusted the bible as our most reliable of the sources of ancient history. I'm not going to look up all the data right now and post links, but any serious look will show that we've got a more reliable information trace in both the Old and New Testaments than virtually any other source of ancient history. Archaeology continues to verify biblical history.
Did Christians usurp pagan mythology and holidays? Absolutely. Is the creation story a myth (or parable). Most certainly. And yet I still believe in God.
It's harder some days than others. Every day I ask Him to remind me of what He has done for me and ask him to help me with my unbelief. But I refuse to reject the knowledge that I've accumulated over a lifetime. Would I dismiss it with the advent of new knowledge? For sure! But I'm not going to forget everything I know about genetics, paleoarchaeology, cosmology, quantum theory, chaos theory, etc. just so I can make my friendly neighborhood creationists more comfortable during polite conversation. (I know! I know! When is the last time I've had 'polite conversation' with a creationist?).
The 'God of my understanding', my 'higher power', (you can tell I've been in 12 step programs huh?) is a power that exists outside of space and time. If I could (or if Stephen Hawking or Francis Crick) could define Him in the language of mathematics, physics, or genetics, then He wouldn't be much of a deity really would He?
I believe that there are hundreds of flood 'myths' around the world (probably) because, at the end of the last ice age, as mile high glaciers were retreating, there were floods. Everywhere. All around the world! The average sea level rose several hundred feet during that time and most ancient civilizations tended to live near oceans. Lots of flood myths; what a shock! We don't really know how long God has been talking to people. Is there any reason to believe that He didn't have conversations with ancient Egyptians and Sumerians, or that He talked with ancient Hebrews who spread the faith word of mouth? Why is the pyramid such a common shape for all prehistoric cultures that build monuments? How did all those big blocks of stone get carried across that valley in that 'ancient aliens show' I saw?
We don't know because they left no records! The records we do have have been scrupulously copied over the past three or four thousand years. Sometimes you just have to go with what you've got!
The one thing that Christianity has that no other faith has is this... and I'm talking about the Christianity where people follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the Carpenter, Mary and Joseph's son, the 'Man', the Big Dog, and not the legalistic religions filled with hate rhetoric that claim to be 'Christ like'...
Christianity has grace. There is nothing we can do to make Him love us less, and there is nothing we can do to make Him love us more. We're in only by the asking. Every other religion (and including those 'hate rhetoric' religions I referred to earlier) makes you work for your salvation. As Christians we encourage good deeds (please don't quote Paul or James to me here, I'll just quote the parable of the vineyard owner and other of Jesus' words right back at you, and Jesus totally trumps Paul, or James, or Paul and James put together), but Jesus did not require deeds. 'Help me with my unbelief!' was all that He required after He said that 'Everything is possible for one who believes'.
Jesus guaranteed paradise to a thief on the cross next to Him based on a simple request, knowing that the thief would never have time for 'works'. He made a point of telling Simon the Pharisee that, she who is forgiven much will love much. He chastised Martha when she wanted her sister Mary to help her around the house, telling Martha that Mary had chosen the wiser course of action, to simply listen to Him speak. Even the great homophobe and misogynist himself (yeah, I poke fun at him but Paul did write some beautiful stuff) got it right when he said: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast."
There are a lot of similarities between Christianity and many ancient pagan religions. None of them, and no other modern religion has grace. Salvation by grace, salvation simply because you want it bad enough to wish for it ('Help me with my unbelief!') is completely unique to the message of Jesus the Revolutionary, Joshua, Jesse, the Angry Dude that stomped the stuffing out of the vendors in the temple.
Does the purported similarity between Christianity and other ancient religions shake my faith? Not even a little!
No one has grace but the followers of Jesus Christ.
"Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck." - George Carlin
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