POLL: Do you believe in evolution?

Remove all ads!

I'm talking Darwinian-Wallace evolution. Personally, I believe in de-evolution after looking through my high school yearbook, but that's another story.

And no sitting on the fence. There's no 'GRAY' option for this poll. I'm talking to those of you who hated my recent IWDII poll.

[ January 20, 2003, 13:07: Message edited by: Farthy ]

Poll Information
This poll contains 1 question(s). 30 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: Do you believe in evolution? (30 votes.)

Do you believe in evolution? (Choose 1)
* Yes - 90% (27)
* No - 10% (3)

 

How can you not? There is too much evidence to say it doesn't.
I read on one of those fanatical Christian sites about how in America they were attempting to ban the teaching of evolotion because it dissagreed with Genisis So nice of God to give us gills

 

Of course. And there is nothing saying in the Bible or any other religious text (for the most part) that theory of evolution, genetics, or natural selection is incorrect.

And I really don't like the image that people have of Darwin these days. I see people interpreting him as some sort of iconoclast, challenging the traditional Christian fundamentalism, where in fact he believed that belief and science were not enemies, but could rather be reconciled.

 

As long as people say they BELIEVE in evolution it's fine by me. But as soon as people starting ranting about "oh, how much evidence there is" and "evolution is proven" I'm getting itchy. Evolutiontheory is a necessary tool, theory because if you want to prove something it's a bit simple to say "now a big miracle occurs and all of a sudden 1 = -1", but neither evolution nor creation can be proven, because none of us was there (as far as I recall at least ). The bible has been written way after the act.

So yes I believe in creation. The way as it is written down in genesis? possible, I haven't found any inconsistancies as yet. But if ever someone comes to me and says "heres the tape on which it shows God evoluted this world into being" I'll accept it (unless I see a zipper on the suit of course ).

 

I don't believe in anything that God did not specifically put in the Bible.

 

You mean something like this

A few weeks ago I saw a documentary on Discovery claiming that many Australian Universties are still banning the evolution-teachings, for years these students are being thaught that the earth is ±16.000 years old. Then (just for the fun of it) they were shown bones of a dinosaur older than 65.000.000 years, yeah then try to keep a straight face

Ken Ham, one of the biggest Christian fundamentalists (believe it or not, but many Christians take him serious) uses this argument against the Darwinian-style evolution: "Were you there?? Can you prove it??"

sorry, but I almost dropped from my chair laughing when I saw his whole speech

 

Why not? There are some inconsitencies, some doubts, some mistakes as well... But it does make sense and is obvious to a certain extent. Being a Christian I can accept that theory in its most general shape due to illiteral interpretation of Genesis. Seven days just doesn't have to be a standard week like we have 52 in a year. It's rather a pars pro toto figure or a symbol. Evolution itself doesn't exclude God. Why shouldn't he have created lthe world so that it develops and sort of 'grows up'?

 

Evolution - But I also think aliens came here hundreds of thousands of years ago and tweaked the monkeys...

 

Countless experiments have made on certain creatures that prove this theory.

Extreme chrisitians are a little wacked. All extremists are.

 

PFFT. My belief is fairly straightforward.

Anyway, is there a 'GREY' option?

[ January 20, 2003, 18:27: Message edited by: the god ]

 

I don't know but i don't believe that we popped out of nowhere.

 

Sorry for the long post but please bear with me ok?!

Ok this is the billionest time I have had this argument but I'll try it just once more.

First of all the problem isn't a fundamentalist problem. Whether God created earth or whether he evoluted (is that the right word?) doesn't make that much difference. If God did create this world he is awesome, but if he did not but made sure we turned out like this, he's just as awesome.

The problem is one of not wanting to have an uberbeing residing somewhere! It's not coincidence (sp?) that Evolution started with the era of enlightenment (don't know the english term for this period, but it is the era of voltaire etc.). In this new way of thinking there wasn't place for a creating God anymore, so they invented (yes invented!) the evolution THEORY.

Nowadays people "claim" that they have proven evolution theory, but until now everything has failed when tried again, or there is a logical explanation for it.

I could go on and on with poking holes in the evolution theory. It's quite easy to find those, because there are a lot. But that doesn't do any good because people will BELIEVE it anyway, because the only alternative is a creating Something and that would mean we're not the highest race in space after all.

BUT, before people start flaming me about not advocating evolution, I want to say that frankly I don't give a damn what you believe about the start of the earth. As long as people don't start ranting about "Evolution is proven" I am perfectly happy.

Both are religion. both can't be proven. so just take your pick and live with it!

 

BTA ...

???

Lets see the video tape! I want to see blue-green algae change form, develop a brain, develop eyes, learn to walk, etc. I want solid proof of life linking back to the very first cells. I want to see the other evolutionary paths that moved forward, based not on the monkey, but on the dog or the cat.

Evolution is the best theory science to date has developed, but that does not mean it is a "fact" any more than the principles of Newtonian physics (which at the time seemed solid) can be called "facts".

How can a mouse trap evolve? Every piece of the puzzle is required for successful operation. You don't start with a piece of wood that catches a few mice, and then add a spring to be somewhat more successful, and then finally add a metal latch. Without all 3 key ingredients, you do not have a mouse trap.

Cells work in the same way. You can't take small steps from simple to complex, it requires a total change of structure. Go read Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution by Michael J. Behe. It might open your eyes to how "factual" evolution really is.

Great Point!

Just remember, a fish that develops lungs does not evolve ... it drowns!

[ January 20, 2003, 18:43: Message edited by: Mathetais ]

 

He math haven't you seen fatboy slim's videoclip 'right here right now'

I'm a believer in this one, and with believer I mean I think evolution is 'true'

I mean look at my name

 

What do I want to go and believe in evolution for? It's like believing in an ashtray - it's quite obviously there, no need for me to believe in it.

I don't need belief - that's for something which doesn't have any evidence to support it (like ... er ... religion for instance).

 

My thoughts on evolution vs. creationism can be best summed up with the simple observation that the "truth" in the bible wasn't written in stone by God, but revised continually by man (men, actually, hundreds of them over thousands of years).

If the Bible can evolve (and there are at least 10 "Christian" versions currently), why not everything else?

 

BTA, surely you're not claiming the evolution of species is a fact? I can understand the defense of microevolution (adaptation to environments and such) but macroevolution is hardly a fact, and is pretty shaky as a theory too. I'll have plenty more to say (and link) here for the edification of those who have no doubts about evolution, but I'm done for now.

 

The most common people who do not believe in evolution do so because they don't have any idea how complicated the theory and it's proofs in it's entirety is. There are countless different methods of defining the age, and time and change of things. Countless so-far incredibly reliable methods. And as all of these reliable methods prove exactly the same thing about the existence of evolution, then it is extremely unlikely that all of them would happen upon a flaw at the same theory.

It's a pretty hippocrate thing to do, from a christian. To say "how do you know, you weren't there", when that is precisely what christianity or any other religion is all about. No-one's ever been there, no-one knows. All they have is a man-made book full of errors and different versions come every different era to suit it's purpose. That's one, single, book. And some things in the history of man that could in some vague way have something to do with what has been said in the book. A ground far more hollow and deceiving than the one science is taking.

I have a roommate who is just like that. I can't even start to tell you how many times I've had a debate with him over how it is possible that a man could estimate the distance to other stars, count the speed of light. Or just that earth is far older than mere couple of thousands of years. He's the type that doesn't even want to believe we are relatives of apes. In this day and age, that's something quite desperate.

Oh and yes. I do believe in evolution. For I believe in facts, or things that I perceive as facts. What other way is there, afterall? And even though I know nothing compared to all the information available concerning the theory of evolution, I know quite enough to believe in it.

Edit:

Aegron, what are you going on about? If we're going to history lessons, shouldn't then take in the huge amount of discriminated and executed individuals who were denied of their right to research, publish or even think of anything that was controversial to the christian beliefs? It is no conincidence indeed that theory of evolution, among many other things, could come about that late. Because the strong zealously-believed-in christian religion would make quite sure that it wasn't allowed. The first man who came public with his "theory" of (the known fact of) human blood circulation and the existence of a heart pumping that blood in our veins, was executed for blasphemy.

And the very idea of evolution tells that every race evolves, without any guidance of divine (evolution and christian religion are not mutually exclusive, but in this I will speak of pure science alone). Where did you ever get the idea that one believing in evolution would do so out of need to feel a part of a superior race, better than others? The point of evolution, as said, is that it doesn't make special exceptions. It is completely obvious that there ARE other planets out there, where there are species more highly evolved than we are. That the human species is in no way superior even to the ones here on earth. It is the christian religion which said that we should be the superior being, formed after the image of God himself, to rule over all other things on earth (or in existence, as people seem to think of it).

Get your "facts" straight, please.

[ January 21, 2003, 10:30: Message edited by: Foradasthar ]