This is not a genesis question! Since evolution is a fact, then isn't the real issue.... how did it happen?

Question

For example, based on archeological data, it can be confirmed that the city of Jerusalem has “evolved” over the centuries. Therefore, the evolution of Jerusalem is an undeniable fact. However, the next question is: what caused the evolution of Jerusalem? Was it caused by nature, or was it caused by a creator (like man in this case)?

It would take much more faith to believe in the “natural evolution” of Jerusalem, than the “created evolution” of Jerusalem.

Thus, there are 2 aspects to evolution: (1) the fossil record, and (2) the causal aspect, eg, what caused evolution? This is the objective question. The cause of evolution can be explained by either:

(1) a demonstrated “theory of evolution”, or
(2) a “Creator”

This can only be scientifically proven for case 1. However, there is no proven or demonstrated “theory of (macro) evolution”. It is just a hypothesis that is accepted "by faith" by many people.

If it is proven, it will be loudly proclaimed.

icarus62, you just described what is commonly called micro-evolution, which is well documented and understood.

Macro-evolution is the issue: significantly different and new functions and species, not minor adaptations.

Answer 1

The Theory of Evolution is just that, a theory. It has not been proven by anyone. The belief in creation is a religious one and is based on a person's faith in God. Example: Darwin's theory states that any organisms that do not procreate are evolved out of the natural order of things. If this is the case, why are there still people claiming that homosexuallity is a natural way of life? It has been around for centuries and yet it seems it is getting more proliferate as the years go by instead of becoming less so. Why can't scientist's explain the forming of the eye? It is so simple and yet so complex at the same time. We should all recognize that all things have not been explained and maybe cannot be explained. By doing so and opening ourselves up to all possibilities we show that we are willing to learn at a higher level. By questioning everything we learn more. It seems to me that society has become unwilling to do that anymore. That is a shame as there is so much more to learn than even our imaginations cannot fathom it all. Any hypothesis is a theory waiting to be proven in science. Faith is belief in things unseen and unproven. Isn't that exactly what the evolutionist's are doing? The are saying it is fact, when it is not. We need to be careful of saying something is true, when it is not yet proven. There are a lot of generations coming that will accept it as so and may not do what is needed to prove it so. Take care and keep asking questions.

Answer 2

Cities have nothing to do with biological evolution.

The way to understand this is to remember that living organisms are in a state of constant change - It's not that evolution *can* occur, but that it *must* occur, simply because there is no mechanism in living organisms to ensure perfect, flawless reproduction for ever.

Suppose you could study a population of chimpanzees in the jungle, on a timescale of millions of years. Clearly, each individual only lives a few decades, so the population is constantly being succeeded by individuals which are different from their parents - and remember, this is *inevitable*. It can't *not* happen. All the time this population is inter-breeding, the genes are getting mixed together, and only genes which work well with all other chimpanzee genes will tend to get passed down to successive generations (because individuals with genes that don't work well together will tend not to reproduce).

However, suppose that circumstances arise which cause a group to become genetically isolated from other chimpanzees. This could be as a result of an accident of geography (e.g. an impassable river) or breeding preference or simply great distance. There will develop two distinct groups of chimpanzees which can never again exchange genes, because they have become different enough that mating will not produce viable offspring. This is what biologists define as speciation - i.e. the population has forever split into two distinct groups. Biologists have observed many instances of speciation, so there is no doubt that it occurs.

Assuming that both groups continue to survive, it is again *inevitable* that they will diverge genetically - There is no possible way that both groups, isolated and independent from each other, can change in exactly the same ways, and the longer they continue to breed, the more different they will become. Over millions of years, given that the rate of genetic change via mutation tends to remain fairly constant, the two groups will become as distinct as today's chimpanzees and humans are from each other, and from their most recent common ancestor.

All this is based on what we *know* is true - it's not supposition or guesswork, and remember it's not just possible, it absolutely *has* to happen, because there is no mechanism in biology to make reproduction a 100% perfect, flawless process.

I hope that helps you to see what 'drives' evolution.

Answer 3

Your Jerusalem analogy is pretty pointless, it is basically the same old "watch on the heath" analogy all over again.

You mention macro- and microevolution and you draw a clear distinction between them. Only Creationists distinguish between the two. If you apply very little force onto a tooth (as in wearing braces), nothing seemingly happens. After a few months, though, your teeth will have shifted position dramatically. The lesson here: small changes ("microevolution") add up to huge ones ("macroevolution"), if given enough time. And we have 4.6 billions years. The dogs we use as pets all descended from the common wolf, and it's happened within the past ten thousand years.

After ten thousand years of small changes, you will not have the same animal you started out with. If two populations of the same species got separated along the way (by distance, for instance), they will most likely take different evolutionary paths and they evolve independantly. It doesn't take long until they are different enough to produce sterile offspring, and later on they can't produce offspring at all. That is, if they ever meet.

Answer 4

Evolution is not a fact

It is a theory

You evolutionists sometimes have more faith in your "evolution" theory than many Christians have in their faith.

I'll give you credit for that

Answer 5

That's easy! The great God CHANCE waved his magic wand and caused life to mutate out of random molecules in the ocean. YOU MUST BELIEVE THIS! YOU MUST HAVE FAITH IN CHANCE! CHANCE IS THE GREATEST! CHANCE IS LORD!!!