Thread: Evolution

Ok, so I'm taking a chance by creating this thread, but what are your opinions on the Evolution Theory?

I believe that Evolution is the key to our past and where us as humans came from. It explains the first life forms, to the most complex one like us. Darwin in my mind, was a genius and as well as a logical thinker. His theory makes sense and only sense. I don't see how anyone could study it and call it fake or not true.

Scientific studies and excavations have found lifeforms that support the theory of Evolution, but in the USA only about 40% believe that its true.

This thread will only bring Religious arguments vs Science arguments

Since i believe in both i surely am confused. Evolution shows us we all became what we are from bacteria. Everything exist for a long long time. I don't know how many billions of years or thousandds of billions it took for us to evolve this way but science proves almost it's right. Although until they find the missing link between humand and ape they cannot really proove it.

On the other hand i believe in god because i think for myself who the hell made all this stuff, who the hell inevnted the eartth,the galaxy? >Sometimes i refuse to believe science made all this .

Einstein was probably right when he said

""Believing that one big explosion created life on earth and made this possible is like believing that a library will explode and all pieces of paper will fall on the same spot and in the same order to make the books complete again"

Well i for one believe in the theory of evolution. The earth is far too old and has undergone several dramatic physical changes that would have been impossible for a human being to survive. This topic, i hope, will be a very interesting and intellectual topic to discuss. For me the only way humans could have come into existence is through evolution. I see no other alternative way and that is my belief.

Originally Posted by Balauru

Einstein was probably right when he said

""Believing that one big explosion created life on earth and made this possible is like believing that a library will explode and all pieces of paper will fall on the same spot and in the same order to make the books complete again"

Well the theory of evolution surely differs from theories on the beginning of the universe.

While I don't spend my time reading over scientific publications, I do believe science has been proven that evolution is indeed fact and not just a theory. I don't think this necessarily implies (and surely does not prove) that God does not exist; it merely means that most religions (which I believe were only invented by people in order to control other people) are incorrect in the belief that God created humans exactly as we appear today. Basically, while we cannot empirically prove God exists or does not exist, we can indeed prove through observation and experimentation that genetic mutations do occur and are the reasons for the diversity of life on this planet.

Originally Posted by Jingleheimer

While I don't spend my time reading over scientific publications, I do believe science has been proven that evolution is indeed fact and not just a theory. I don't think this necessarily implies (and surely does not prove) that God does not exist; it merely means that most religions (which I believe were only invented by people in order to control other people) are incorrect in the belief that God created humans exactly as we appear today.

Science does not "prove" facts, it discovers them as a consequence of observation. Evolution is still, and forever will be, a theory, and nothing more. If it becomes something else, it is no longer science. That being said, the evidence in favor of evolution is currently overwhelming, and it's one of the most widely accepted theories in the biological community, so I can't really say you're wrong in spirit, just in technicality. Sorry if I'm nitpicking here, but it's a personal pet peeve of mine ~_~

Originally Posted by Balauru

On the other hand i believe in god because i think for myself who the hell made all this stuff, who the hell inevnted the eartth,the galaxy? >Sometimes i refuse to believe science made all this .

Einstein was probably right when he said

""Believing that one big explosion created life on earth and made this possible is like believing that a library will explode and all pieces of paper will fall on the same spot and in the same order to make the books complete again"

The real question is, why divorce science from religion? Of course, by religion I don't really mean Catholicism or orthodox religions, but more generally a spiritual sensation of the universe. Science and spirituality are not incompatible, and it is possible to discover a balance. In the interest of avoiding a religious debate, I won't push this any further. It's actually quite interesting that you would quote Einstein of all people. His beliefs were hardly orthodox, but his ideas on spirituality were quite interesting. If you're genuinely concerned with resolving the conflict between your religious beliefs and modern science, I would highly recommend reading his book.

Just to expand a tiny bit on the above

The vatican actually supports evolution, pope john pual II was quoted (in 2005) as saying “(Evolution) is more than a hypothesis because there is proof.”

What many people don't understand is that the beginning of the universe and evolution can coexist.
Theistic evolution is the belief that God created the world, and guided evolution and life.
He is still the creator and we wouldn't be here without his hand.
Nevertheless, evolution is still valid.

hmmm so far so good people. intelligent posts about this topic. I also would like to remind a few, that a theory in the scientific community is very different than a theory in everyday language. I often here people saying, "oh it's just a theory," or something like that. The scientific definition of a theory is very different. Before a theory can be accepted by the science community, it must go through many many tests by many different groups. If all of the tests yield the same results, then the theory is accepted.

Originally Posted by neurowiz

Science does not "prove" facts, it discovers them as a consequence of observation. Evolution is still, and forever will be, a theory, and nothing more.

Wait... what? By that logic the laws of gravity, thermodynamics, etc would either a) still be theories or b) not considered science.

I thought if you test a hypothesis and it is proven correct, it becomes fact unless/until someone else can find fault w/ your testing or disprove the hypothesis entirely. Evolution has been proven, at least as the overall concept that genes change from one generation to the next and those changes may at some point spawn a different species.

To me theories are things that cannot be proven given todays ability to observe/test like Relativity, etc. That said, some people say evolution cannot be proven until every living creature we know of is tested and proven to come from a common ancestor. This is obviously quite untestable with today's methods, so I can see why some people still want to call it a theory.