I'm a Christian, but I'm hoping some Atheist here can help me.?

Question

Please, only Atheist with sincer answers. I've always believed in Creation. But after reading all these postings, I'm beginning to think maybe evolution is true. So could some of you well educated Atheist tell me how evolution works, how cells come into existence. If DNA is in a digital code, as scientist have now proven, tell me how DNA can produce something with a different code.

I just want to thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

Contrary to what some of you wrote, DNA codes are not chemical codes or biochemical codes, they are digital codes. The codes have been plotted mathematically, and are represented in mathematical equations. One thing about digital codes, they can't come about by evolution, they need a designer. That's because the digits or symbols representing the code have no intrinsic value, but only represent a value given to them by the designer. Let's take two numbers for an example, say a 7 & 8. There is nothing intrinsic that makes the 8 worth more than a 7. It's just by agreement that we say an 8 is more value than a 7. You can't combine these numbers and get a 7 1/2. Digital means uniqueness.
Some of you have mentioned micro evolution variations of bacteria, where bacteria has produced different variations, but the bacteria is still a bacteria. What has never happened, bacteria has never evolved into a virus.
There has never been found any evidence of macro evolution.

Answer 1

I am not an atheist but I think the problem comes with causing life to form spontaneously from amino acids. The theory of spontaneous life was disproved by Francesco Redi in 1688.

Answer 2

That question requires a book to answer. Here are some simple thoughts to help you understand Darwin :
Darwin only reported facts he observed and tried to interpret them. The first thing to understand about evolution is that it does not have a final purpose. It is not a plan. It is the result of life's struggle for survival, where the fittest will prevail.
It is random, resulting in variations that will be tested by the environment. The strongest will prevail in the course of time.
In the study of evolution, time can be greatly shortened by observing random changes in the chromosomes of bacteria, which can have many generations in a few minutes.
You don't have to be an atheist to know what is observable.

Answer 3

Evolution is not all true. First of all how can the world come from nothing? How did it all start?if not from a God with a plan. If evolution is true then, where is the evidence that we came from monkeys? Even the the "Eve" that they thought was the missing link was found to be just an ape after all. God created all but he also used a blueprint from which to make all creation, the DNA. If you study the DNA you will marvel at its intricacy. Even the man who is presently trying to determine the secrets of the DNA believes in God. So does Einstein!

Answer 4

I hope you don't mind me answering, since I'm not an Atheist. But I do believe in Evolution, and I took a good class on Science & Religion that helped me understand evolution a bit better than before.

Here are the books we used for the class. You might find them interesting, especially since 2 of them have a good deal of articles by Christians who believe in Evolution:

"Perspectives on an Evolving Creation" edited by Miller.
"Physics, Philosophy, and Theology" edited by Russell, Stoeger, and Coyne.
"Intelligent Design Creationism and its Critics" edited by Pennock.
"Can A Darwinian Be A Christian?" by Michael Ruse.

The one by Russell, Stoeger and Coyne is published by the Vatican and has many articles by Catholics. The one edited by Miller has many articles by Evangelical Christians who embrace evolution.

Answer 5

I'll do my best.

Evolution asserts that alterations in DNA, called mutations, are inevitable. (This has now been observed with apparently extreme frequency.) It also asserts that alterations in environment are inevitable.

Evolution then states (and has observed through experimentation and predictive findings) that these random variations are used to help modify species in such a way as to make them better able to adapt to the changing environment. Those who show themselves better able to adapt to the environment are able to produce more offspring that carry the mutations that allowed them to survive the environmental shift.

Over hundreds and thousands of generations, in micro environments and in global cataclysms, certain sets (branches) of these species modify themselves slowly over time to meet the new needs of the environment, and they then evolve into new species so vitally different that no longer have the capacity to mate and bare offspring with the members of the species from which they sprang. This is the hallmark in science that differentiates one species from another.

Over millions of years, life becomes increasingly complex in response to both global and local environmental changes. Each creature that survives long enough to produce more offspring passes along the genetic material to the next generation. Those that died too early due to inadequate biological functioning in the new environment don't produce as many young.

DNA and RNA are not so much digital codes as chemical ones that duplicate themselves for each generation. However, the duplication process is not perfect, and mutations are common. The best way of seeing this is the way that bacteria have modified themselves to respond to antibiotics. As their environment changed (antibiotics introduced), the ones who had some level of genetic immunity to the antibiotics have been able to survive and reproduce, while those that are susceptible to a particular antibiotic have been killed off. The survivors passed their genes on to their offspring, and this leaves a set of bacteria that (thanks to their progenitor's mutation) are now genetically able to resist that particular antibiotic.

The issue of randomness frequently comes up, so let me explain it briefly. Genetic mutations are random. Survival of individuals with adaptive mutations is not. Environments play just as strong a role in creating the new species as does genetic mutation. Therefore evolution is not random but follows the pressures of survival and reproduction introduced by the environment of individual members of the biosphere.

If you want more information I encourage you to listen to the "Evolution 101" podcasts available from http://www.drzach.net/ .

Answer 6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis
that deals with how life came from nonliving sources.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution
and that deals with evolution
It is important to understand that evolution only explains how life got to what it is today, not how it started. abiogenesis explains how life started but there is still a lot of research being done in that area. Note that this does not mean scientists cant prove it, only that they havent done so yet. centuries ago the same could be said of a heliocentric universe.

Answer 7

You get your DNA from your parents, right?
Well do you and either of your parents look exactly alike?
How else could you explain male/female children by the same set of parents.
Evolution is right.

Answer 8

DNA isn't' digital... it is biochemical