To say that 2 or more things coexist with one another is to assume that they're both on the same level. Oil and water don't mix, but they coexist. They're both natural products. People of different religion can be said to coexist. Despite the differences in beliefs and practices, they live in harmony within a city such as But what about God and the idea that living things evolve from previous living things now extinct? Well that depends on what you mean by those terms, especially the term 'God'. Let's first look at what science and scientists do.
Scientists study the behavior of things in nature. They busy themselves only with problems and issues that can be verified to be true or false. Scientists study what can be observed by the naked eye or what can be inferred from observations and experiments. Paleontologists, for instance, study bones of extinct animals; and although they may find some similarities with the ones that are living, as scientists, they cannot jump to the conclusion that there indeed was an evolution. Evolution is a theory. As such, it cannot be proven. But, unlike creationism, evolution theory has a stronger explanatory power. Unfortunately, it has been treated by many scientists and laymen alike as if it were a scientific fact that can be observed by the naked eye. If that were so, then there would not have been a debate between defenders of evolution and creationism (which is another theory).
What then is the use of a theory if it is not a scientific fact? A theory is used to make sense of the facts gathered and studied. However, to be true to the spirit of science, scientists should be ready to let go of a theory when there are too many facts that will eventually contradict it. But, so far, there aren't that many facts that could damage the theory of evolution.
What about the term 'God'? As you probably are aware, there are many notions of God. The mystics' notion of God is so different from the ordinary man's notion of God that the ordinary man, except the mystic and highly developed spiritual persons, wouldn't even be able to recognize it as his God. This is so because the God for the mystics can't be talked about it. God has no name. But more surprisingly, God is not even a being. For a being to be a being, a being is limited and defined. And if anything can be defined, it can be given a name and possibly be studied. Mystics believe that we can only infer what God is, but not directly know what God is. Note that language is always talking about or is referring to being. We use 'is' in all our sentences. Peter IS tall. Peter IS there, Peter IS sad. But what can be said about God? Language cannot talk about God as God without corrupting the essence. Mystics are mostly quiet about God when asked what HE IS. The best that language (or, human beings) can do to refer to God is to say that "God who is not a being, is the ground of all beings for them to exist".The other notion of God is the literal one that many believe God to be. He is being that lives above earth (in heaven); is seated on a throne; is all powerful, all knowing (knows the past, the present, and the future all in one instant); is spirit; and does special favors to those who believe in Him. And, he has a gender. He loves, can get angry and jealous at times; and creates the world at a certain time and place. And since He is endowed with perfect knowledge of things, living and non living, there is no need for him to revise what He has created a long time ago. Whatever He creates is perfect. With such a notion of God, there can be no room for a theory of evolution. If you believe in such a God, there can be no coexistence between God and the theory of evolution. You'll have to side with creationism.
There are many more notions of God. For instance, pantheism, a metaphysical belief that God is All, as All is God; and, panentheism, the belief that God is in All as All is in God. That is, God is immanent in things (hence, things are mirrors of God); while God is not identifiable with one or any of the things. For God is the ultimate source of things, God transcends things. That is, God is beyond things.
Surely, the pantheistic or the panentheistic or even the mystic's notion of God will have no problem with the theory of evolution. It can be said that, since God is not a Being (but the Ground of beings for beings to even exist), then natural things that evolved exist because God is their Ground. Or, the ever evolving of things (to come) is an expression of the creativity of God who is forever creating. However - and it is for this reason that debates on this issue will never be resolved - compatibilities between the layman's notion of God and theory of evolution will forever be a case of oil and water: they don't mix; but unlike these natural things, they can't coexist. What do you think?
