religion has been around for thousands of years before "evolution", so why is it that we have spent the past few decades following a man that said we evolved from monkeys. "because it makes more sense to you!?"
2006-11-23 22:13:38 · 20 answers · asked by Lord Ares 1 in Social Science ➔ Anthropology
No-one has ever said we evolved from monkeys, except the fundies who disagree with evolution. As for why so many of believe in evolution, the answer to that is simple. Evolution has so much supporting evidence it makes sense. Creation has no evidence whatsoever, and relies on the lies of fundies to promote it.
2006-11-23 22:16:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
There are so many problems with this question it makes it hard to answer. "religion has been around for thousands of years before evolution" obviously this is not true. If you mean the concept of religion has been around longer than the concept of evolution, that would be correct. But I find it slightly amusing that something must be old to be correct. We discover new ideas and facts that contradict old beliefs everyday. Even the religion you practise today is not the same as that practised thousands of years ago.
Second, no one has ever said we evolved from monkeys. If you are going to disagree with a theory at least know what it is. We did not evolve from monkeys! In the simpliest terms it is thought we evolved from a common ancestor.
Third, evolutionists don't "follow" Darwin. We are from a variety of backgrounds and religions and are clearly not as organized as a movement as the creationists. But we are the majority. How come? Because it does make more sense to us. Because the idea that the world popped into being with all of these laws and patterns that can be traced and followed but which lead to an inacurate picture is much more fantastic than to believe that these laws and patterns that are observable now in our everyday lives are things we can use to determin how the earth looked in the past.
There is, for anyone who is inclined to believe in these things, room for God in evolution. Perhaps the whole thing was his/her idea.
2006-11-25 03:45:12 · answer #2 · answered by libra1079 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Evolution existed well before any religions came into play. We just didn't realise it. It has existed ever since life made its first appearance on Earth some 3-4 billion years ago. It does not require faith, just reasoning to understand it. You don't have to ignore any evidence, as you do with creationism. You don't have to believe that Darwin was right if you don't want to, there is a mountain of other evidence. And most importantly - evolution does not ask you to suspend belief in God. But creationism insists that evolution does not exist. It says that fossils that have been shown to be 2 million years old are just several thousand years old, and are of modern apes, or arthritic humans.
Give me a break!
By "The past few decades" you really should say the last 175 years or so since Darwin brought forth possibly the most insightful theory of all time.
No one is "following" Darwin like some sort of god, and he was certainly not the only one to postulate natural selection. Scientists have not just accepted his work blindly - they have gone on to prove it correct time and again, firstly using field work and observation, more recently with DNA analysis. Its not bad for a theory which is that old to be supported by modern science. You should not dismiss the possibility that a theory making sense is a good thing, after all, we are thinking animals for a reason.
If you want to get your science from a religious book, go for it. But you are missing out on a lot of logical information, and will be the more ignorant for it.
The evidence for evolution is overwhelming, and the only way you can believe otherwise is to keep ignoring it.
2006-11-23 22:46:06 · answer #3 · answered by Labsci 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
This is the same argument that my father uses. He says that religion has been around for a lot longer than Evolution, so religion has to be right. If you (and my father) would read some books and look at all the evidence for Evolution you would be convinced also. Lots of people just hear "we evolved from monkeys" and hear the arguments against Evolution without actually looking into the facts that support it. Yes, it makes more sense to me that we evolved from monkeys.
www.godisimaginary.com
2006-11-26 21:00:45 · answer #4 · answered by Dawkins 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We do not "follow" the man the way you follow political doctrine that calls itself religion. The limitations of Darwin's theory (most of which he pointed out himself), have been investigated, challenged, and tested. I do not support evolution "because it makes more sense" to me. I support it because it makes more sense than the 1769 translation that you support. Just because you need to explain the world in a few pages of text instead of looking at the world, doesn't make you right. You don't understand the principles of evolution or you wouldn't have misstated them. (You're not a liar, are you?) Just because an idea is older, doesn't make it right. The Earth revolves around the Sun. Creaures evolve.
2006-11-24 06:02:42 · answer #5 · answered by novangelis 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
When anyone who believes in evolution can mathematically explain the likelihood of amino acids pyridine bases et al randomly joining in the correct configuration to form self replicating DNA or RNA, they may take a second look at evolution or atheism.
Entropy and energy of any chemical reaction can be determined, determine the change in entropy from the constituents of DNA or RNA (reactants) and DNA or RNA itself.
Mathematically you can get a likelihood of this reaction proceeding.
Then you can multiply this probability by the scientifically estimated mass of the universe, and estimated fraction of that mass that is in a position to bear life.
Apes evolving into humans is an easy concept in comparison to the formation of self replicating life.
Reading the above you may think I am a creationist, and you would be right, yet I don't believe creationism should be taught as a science as God cannot be scientifically proven or measured.
Science only works with what you can observe and measure.
Let evolution be taught at schools and let religion be taught at church.
2006-11-23 23:02:44 · answer #6 · answered by angle_of_deat_69 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Neither can be proved, period. Creationism is based on faith and History. Evolution is based on Scientific theory which has not been in any way proven. They state they have fossils millions of years old, but no way of aging that far back. Carbon dating methods are only accurate at the most 50 thousand years, and most will tell you they are not reliable past 10 thousand years. Too many environmental factors can throw off the readings. No missing link has been found and no remains of humans that resemble anything in between or before Neanderthal have ever been found. Some speculation made from pieces of bone, but the earliest footprints found are remarkably like ours. Mixed with Dino prints.
2006-11-23 23:59:24 · answer #7 · answered by mark g 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
personally i believe evolution was going on long before religion was invented. we have often been on paths that ultimately lead to changes in how we view things. we used to think the earth was the center of the universe but now know differently. as for me, evolution does make more sense. to others it doesn't. that's how it's going to be for a while until evidence can prove either belief.
2006-11-23 22:21:48 · answer #8 · answered by delujuis 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The man did not say we evolved from monkeys. That is not the theory of evolution. That is what people who are uneducated as to what the theory is think it says.
2006-11-26 17:53:32 · answer #9 · answered by minuteblue 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Religion of course. Evolution doesnt make any sense
2006-11-25 15:05:20 · answer #10 · answered by Just Dance 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋