Hey Mordred, I appreciate your humility in how you put things. Linear's too....

I understand how evolving works and obviously it happens. The difference at least with me believing in creation (I'm not really a pure "ist" : ) is that I don't think Adam had evolved from others. I do take that one literal....And I do not believe we all came from blacks... That is a new one for me.

I live in the south, and there are folks here with obvious black heritage who are QUITE white only with hair and features that tell you they have some blood in them. And doubt it goes far back. I knew people in Alaksa as well (and I did adapt some to that climate after 6 years, but not well. Moving here to Georgia was quite a shock cause its hot here too : ) who had a black grandmother who you would never have known had any black blood. It was diluted obviously. They had very curly hair and that was it.

There are actually Native Americans who, out of the blue, have had white kids who were not albino....it went generations back in their genetics. These are tribes that barely even know about modern civilizations deep in the jungle.

Don't feel bad - all these evolution beliefs have been new to me, too : ) I am a Mormon and was pretty much told by one person here who hasn't been on for a while all kinds of things about how we believe that were completely inaccurate. No one likes being told what they are or believe. Everyone else has been great even though at least outwardly : ) With me, though, you pretty much get what you see....

How can anyone, though, debate the historical value of the Bible if nothing else? I'm watching a Bible story right now on the History channel. The Book of Mormon we also use is a history of the folks who came to America who were originally from Jerusalem. It came out in the early 1800s before we even knew there were all the ruins in South America that coincide with what we believe. There are evidences in those areas of those people AT ONE TIME (much of the time NOT) performed Christian ordinances such as baptism. We also believe Christ actually came to the America's as a resurrected being before he made his ascension into heaven. It's know he tarried on the earth although not always seen (he made several appearances over that period of time) for some 40 days. Although we do have the written record kept by religious leaders throughout a certain length of time (from 600 B.C. to a point after Christ visited and the plates were buried to be brought forth out of the dust...(from Ezekial) most used oral stories from what I understand and there is "legend" of a Great White God" who visited them who would return. I think that is why the natives worshipped Colubus people when they showed up. And I knew someone who did know of that legend who was Indian.... They joined the church because of it. It was handed down for generations.

Where do you hail from originally if not FL? My husband grew up down there in Deerfield Beach near Ft. Lauderdale. I've only been once, luckily, during a mild tropical storm so it was cooler, but once that blew over it was too hot for me. He didn't feel he was cut out for the heat either. He likes rainy days - the coziness of it, as do I and we both have lineage from the UK.... I figure that comes from deep into the recesses of our genes...

Did you have any religious upbringing at all, Mordred? I didn't formally - just went to church from the time I was little with my sister (various ones) and then did some serious searches of religions after losing my dad when I was 12. I became a Mormon when I was 15 much to the unhappiness of some of my family members... But we're on good terms now.

Oh - and as far as believing the earth is 6000 years old, I don't. I think it is as old as purported. My differences go back to the history of man being here that long. I believe quite literally that man was put here 6,000 years ago. If that seems to contradict "evidence" then I hold there is a problem with the evidence or its interpretation.... But as far as the creation and how long that actually took...it had to have been at least 12,000 years ago.... (At LEAST 6000 years to create and likely more).