How can people still doubt the theory of Evolution??

Question

Seriously, how can you possibly believe that Adam and Eve were the first to populate the earth?
How can people be in such a state of denial that they refuse any logical reasoning?

tobinmbsc, DNA has shown that we all come from one couple????

How did I miss such earth shattering news? I would like to know where you get your sources...I have a suspiscion though that if scientists came forward and said that DNA has shown we "come from monkeys", you'll be telling me that DNA is hoax too!

Answer 1

People have trouble accepting evolution for the same reason they had trouble accepting that the Earth was not flat and was not the center of the universe. The funniest thing is when people claim that creationism has been proven or is fact. It's a fact just like it is a fact that the world is flat. It looks that way so it must be true. Since we can't see evolution it must not exist. I also find it amusing that people think that it makes more sense that women were created from a man's rib than that we are the result of evolution.

I've noticed that many people don't understand the theory of evolution, and essentially use that as a basis to attack it. For example, many people will point out that evolution does not explain the origin of the first cells or where matter came from. No duh it doesn't. It's not supposed to. Evolution explains the origin of the diversity of species, not the origin of life. There are other theories that address that issue, and I don't think any of those are accepted as fact. I do, however, think it's a fair bet that life does in fact exist, so it's perfectly valid to construct a theory that presupposes that life exists.

People also misunderstand the concept of a scientific theory. What they fail to realize is that most of science is made up of theories, and while many of these theories have been effectively proven true, they're still called theories. Unlike the common English use of theory, in science a theory is an explanation of facts, which is subjected to rigorous scientific testing. Evolution is called a theory not so much because we're not sure if the basic concepts are accurate, but because we are not confident that every single little detail is perfectly accurate. There may be complexities and details that are not yet fully understood, but the basic idea that species evolve and that the process of evolution has resulted in the diversity of life we see today is basically an established fact.

Another problem that may be partly to blame for the confusion regarding evolution is the presentation of "scientific evidence" by creationists that the claim contradicts the theory of evolution. I often see misleading and incorrect use of scientific data to "disprove" evolution. For example, on prominent creationist website cites a study John A. Eddy and Aram A. Boomazian which they claim says that the sun has been contracting for 400 years when, in fact, the study examined evidence from under 100 years and extrapolated the rest from a single report of the appearance of a solar eclipse in the 1500s. Furthermore, the study was conducted about 50 years ago, and dozens of studies since then have found that the data was based on flawed methodology and the sun is actually not contracting.
Here's that site: http://www.khouse.org/articles/2002/418/
And some background on the study they cited: http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/1986/PSCF9-86VanTill.html

The problem is that people read that and believe that evolution has been disprove. I saw someone quote that particular website here on Answers as scientific proof that the theory of evolution was false. The people who wrote the creationist article probably did their research and latched on to the one study that supported their theory, but the people who read it don't know that it is an outdated study, that the conclusion is overinflated (the 400 year thing), or that it contradicts the findings of dozens of more recent and more accurate studies.

Apparently the phenomenon of distorting scientific data to further a creationist agenda is fairly widespread. One of my bio profs talked about a particularly egregious example of someone (I don't remember his name) who actually obtained a PhD in evolutionary biology for the expressed purpose of disproving the theory of evolution, and now goes around writing articles that pretty transparent to scientists but are just believable enough to confuse the general public.

Answer 2

Plain and simply, they never learned about science.

When we see stupid questions like,
If we came from monkeys, then why are there still monkeys?
Why believe evolution when the chance of humans evolving is the same as a tornado stirring a 747 into existence?
Why believe evolution when it is just a theory?

These are all very familiar, very silly questions that would not even be asked if the asker know the basics of earth science. For example, the theory of evolution in science holds as much weight as the theory of gravity. Theory is used as a scientific term, it is not the same as a layman's use of the word theory meaning hunch, or guess. If people have only been taught wrong, and our schools are not doing a good enough job of teaching them the facts, where exactly are people to learn these basics? People will continue to be stupid until we find a way to teach facts. This is quite a difficult task when young people are being mis-informed from a very young age and have to essentially un-learn everything their parents and the church taught them in order to understand the very basics of science. It is unfortunate, but that is the way it is. The problem is ignorance, plain and simple.

Answer 3

in maximum situations, an theory ability a hypothesis, an opinion or a conjecture. even nonetheless, in technological awareness, the notice has a diverse which ability. a scientific concept is a framework of interconnected statements that explains the phenomena at the back of spoke of info. those statements are properly supported by ability of spoke of info and calculations, and can be examined by ability of utilising experiments. If the theory is falsified, that's, it fails to foretell or clarify any new fact, the theory is changed, or abandoned in want of a extra helpful concept. some examples of theories are the theory of gravitation and the theory of relativity. in this context, the theory of evolution is the framework that explains how species evolve over the years.

Answer 4

i am christian and beleives that God created the earth. though i don't believe that Adam and Eve are the first persons. the first part of the bioble are encatatoins, poem or song, made by early people on describing how God made the earth. it is done with great pation and style and not to be interpreted vis a vis.

now why do i STILL NOT believe in the "THEORY OF EVOLUTION"?

because not like any other proven FACTS, the THEORY OF EVOLUTION is not yet proven as a FACT. the followers of this belief or the promoter or whatsoever of this beleif has not yet given a full proof and fact to Science that indeed it is real. they only give examples and these and that, but when asked, if they can give a perfect and concrete example of evolution in progress they can not.

same also with the theory of relativity of einstein in which even if we considered him as one of the greatest figure in Science, that theory is still not proven.

same with the THEORY OF EVOLUTION. they still can not site an EVOLUTION i n progress...

Answer 5

You tell me which books and how many you have read on the subject and then perhaps you are qualified to even state your opinion on the matter.

Many of your middle school and high school teachers are regurgitating stuff they learned 10,20 and 30 years ago; stuff that is way outdated.

Logical reasoning has little to do with your arguments. Validity of premises does not matter in logic.

You have a lot of study and research to do before you can pass judgement on evolution or creation.

Answer 6

Because all beliefs, no matter how solid, always have missing holes. Non-living things can not produce living things. So how did the first amoeba evolve into an amoeba? Unanswered questions like this make it impossible to adamantly believe in something without faith. So people who believe in Adam and Eve just take that faith a bit further.

Answer 7

If you can tell me why the smallest living (and fossilised) organisms, other then single cell organisms have a minimum of 6 cells, then i might start believing...


Was a big jump from 1 cell to 6. btw these 6-20 cell organisms are parasitic, and depend on larger animals to survive.

Answer 8

Evolution is a hoax, a fraud, never happened. There is no irrefutable evidence to support it. It is a philosophy, a belief system, a world-view masquerading as science. I could fill this page with evidence supporting a young earth and creation, but you would probably ignore it or not believe it, so why bother. Suffice it to say, evolution is a dying hypothesis. No one in academia still defends Darwinian evolution. It is a sinking ship, and the more evidence that is found, the further down it goes.

Answer 9

Scientists are now realizing that there had to be some form of intelligent design in order for life to be able to form. So, if intelligent design is a scientifically proven fact, then why couldn't this intelligent creator have started out with Adam and Eve?

Sure, maybe we can't prove it, because maybe God didn't leave behind any proof for us to find, because he wanted us to have faith. We don't need to have proof in order to believe it.

Answer 10

budlowsbro420, er... the guy above me: who told you that evo is a hoax? must be a fundie. and where did you get your education in bible college? poor you.

"because not like any other proven FACTS, the THEORY OF EVOLUTION is not yet proven as a FACT." BHEELAT you obviously dont read scientific journals or even watch discovery channel... how did we make "super mosquitoes" are we gods? we just used evolution as a tool. there's your proof there.

people are programmed since birth that when they hear "evolution" they close their minds. that is also directly AND indirectly reinforced at church.