How many of you have seriously looked at the evolution/creation trying to understand the other point of view?

Question

I am a christian, while I look at the facts of evolution, my belief comes from a creation point of view. I am yet to find any evidence which disproves evolution or creation but in my opinion, & I know it may not be your opinion, the evidence for me points to a creator. A lot of people believe evolution, not because they have looked at the facts, but because it makes more sense to them. A lot of comments seem to be personal attacks which seem to have nothing significant added. I search for truth, and where that leads me seems to be Jesus. You may not understand and I accept that, but how many people believe in evolution because of the word of a scientist. I would call that blind faith in evolution. I am not trying to say you can't believe in evolution, just that a lot of people take it as a fact blindly, not bothering to look into it by themselves.

This is not just for people believing in evolution, I think people who believe in creation are guilty of this too.

Answer 1

you are correct, most people do not check into the views of the other side. However, you state "the evidence for me points to a creator"...yet you share none with us. I have looked LOTS of places, but I have seen no evidence to support creationism, NONE. This is why no "creationist scientist" has ever won a Nobel award or any award from any scientific institution. Evolutionists on the other hand..have won over 70 Nobel awards the last time I checked. There is no scientific evidence that supports creationism. If someone had actually found some, then why has this never been mentioned in one single peer reviewed journal of science? Surely you do not think that the entire scientific community of the whole world is biased against creationism do you? If there was any evidence, then it would be accepted by the scientific community. That is the difference between science (evolution), and creationism (religion). Science has the guts to admit when it is proven wrong, but religion just keeps on charging forward with eyes closed and hands covering ears.

Answer 2

A good question/point. The idea of seriously considering the opposing view is a form of critical thinking, which is a key component of the scientific method.

A great many evolutionists have considered creationist arguments in meticulous detail. Every once in a while, a scientist or thinker will propose a new idea or offer new "evidence" that appears to suggest creation or intelligent design as the most likely explanation for biological life. See "Irreducible complexity" in wikipedia as an example. Scientists considered the evidence (or lack thereof), arguments, and methods, and then provided in-depth information from numerous scientific sources to invalidate the argument completely. Even the author agreed that his methods were flawed and apparently contradicted.

I can assure you, scientists are quite open-minded about alternative explanations for observable phenomenon. They spend an incredible amount of energy trying to consider potential errors or alternative explanations. And they are not just self-critical, they open their analysis to criticism from everyone. This is why science leads to knowledge; if properly conducted, it can often be demonstrated, almost mathematically, that its findings are valid. On the other hand, it is perfectly proper to question other avenues to the "truth" (such as faith or authority), which do not pass such rigorous reviews. As a result, conclusions reached based on faith are more likely to be incorrect than scientific conclusions. History has consistently shown this.

It is true that some people believe in evolution due to their faith in scientists. If they are practicing blind faith rather than critical thinking, they might be fooled into thinking that all "scientists" are reliable.

The fact is, no "evidence" or arguments that creationists have submitted, at least up to now, has EVER passed scientific scrutiny. Even the courts have consistently agreed with this.

I encourage you to keep considering the alternative explanations, ask for evidence, and question authority. You are on your way.

Lastly, I hope you will realize that you can still be a christian but agree that evolution is real.

Answer 3

All I will say is that my income has doubled in the past year and I've moved into a higher tax bracket. I'm absolutely thrilled about this change in tax status. I am keeping more money after taxes than before and my additional tax payments are helping others less fortunate than myself at the same time. Everybody wins! My greatest dream is that next year my income will double again so that I can pay even more taxes! I'm all for eliminating wasteful government spending. I don't waste my money and I don't want the government to waste my tax dollars but I don't consider programs that give the poor or temporarily financially challenged people a leg up to be wasteful. I want better roads. I want disability payment programs in case I become disabled some day due to no fault of my own. I may even someday need food stamps. I hope not, but stuff happens and sometimes only the government will be there to keep you from starving and off the street. It could happen to you too! I want a military strong enough to protect my freedom. I while I don't require many of those things at the moment, I want those who do need help to get it. That's why if I'm fortunate and my income continues to increase, I'm absolutely thrilled to pay more taxes!

Answer 4

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padwinlearner -

Would you care to let us in on what mathematics you are talking about?

The last I checked (and being degreed in both the ‘hard’ and social sciences – and having worked 15 years at a top10 research laboratory), which is actually regularly, math degrees (undergrad or grad?) at the general level required little or no knowledge of biology, or any life science.

And, I would suspect that most of your course work was on the math of mechanical systems with limited variables, easily estimated parameters, and outrageously high explained variability. It would be unusual, unless your degree is in applied statistics (particularly of natural systems) for you to have much experience with calibrating and validating complex models of geophysical variables, time/frequency domain analysis of natural and proxy environmental variables, a heavy dose of nonparametric, and autoregressive time series analysis, for systems with significant unexplained variability and uncertain stationarity.

It is ridiculous to hide behind unrelated and irrelevant skills and claim expertise in field that you in fact know little or nothing about.

Most telling is your opinion which, alone, exposes your ignorance of biology and the scientific theory of evolution. The fact is that no one knowledgeable in any relevant discipline would reach your conclusion,

The factual empirical evidence for evolution is so overwhelming that if it were proven untrue it would call into question whether objective knowledge of the physical universe was even possible. It would shake the foundation of a scientific epistemology and render the scientific method and the philosophy of science dubious.

Evolution is not a ‘belief’ anymore than are gravity, electricity, or nuclear and atomic theory. In fact, evolution is the most powerful general explanatory theory in all of science. Physics does not have a unifying theory than can touch evolution.

At the most basic level, there is a an unalterable truth:
- evolution is science - and - creationism (and all of it variants) is not science.
There is not a gray area, there is no debate. They are, by strict definition, two completely and totally different things.

If you do not know that, then you really know nothing of science.

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Earl D -

You know less than nothing about this either, do you?

Every point you try to make is pure crap. It is not true and it is not real. It is not from anywhere in the reality-based world or the known universe.

Your whole belief system is so tightly bound together than when one piece falls, you will be left with the realization that EVERYTHING you think and believe is false and wrong.

You might want to start working on your education so you won't be totally lost and hopeless when you eventually have to face the truth.

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novangelis -

An overlooked excellent point. Anyone who could falsify evolution theory would instantly be the most famous (and possibly greatest) scientist in history. There is not a grad student in the world who wouldn't drive over their own mother if they thought they could be that person.

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Steve N -

You better start working on the 'Divorce' book as well. It is inevitable. Better get a pre-nupt.

Answer 5

Blind faith in qualified people is not the same as dogma based faith.

If you were to become ill would you have question medical research or would you assume that they know what they are talking about?

In this situation the same can be applied - do you trust the research of several thousands of qualified professionals from different areas of study whose results all suggest the same conclusion, or do you apply blind faith to a traditional belief and assume that it holds all the facts of reality?

Anyway, now that's out the way :~ I've looked up details of evolution thoery, I've also looked into the creationist argument. The creationist argument, or even the Intelligent Design "theory" is rather poor, there is little to no evidence apart from personal & biased opinions of the natural world.

Belief in the creationist "version of events" is based entirely on one's religion and does not have any place in modern science what-so-ever.

Answer 6

When I first learned of creationism I was truly mystified. I had to find out more about it, and in doing so, I was exposed to all the objections on Darwin's theory. This caused me to do research on the theory of evolution, which up to that point I had 'blindly' believed.

Now I'm still mystified as to how someone in the 21st century would not see evolution as I do. I take interest in the arguments put forth by creationists, but more as entertainment. I just can't take creationism seriously. Man and Dino coexisting? A 6000 year-old earth? Come on!

I would love to see the logic in creationism, but so far I haven't seen any at all.

This guy below me is the perfect example of a Bad Creationist: His logic is flawed and his facts on evolution are wrong! You guys really need to get the facts straight if you are going to use them as ammunition.

Answer 7

Thinking about this can drive one crazy. Where did everything come from in the first place? Was there a time before God? Actually I believe that both are possible together. Have you ever noticed how anything is possible these days? What used to be science fiction is now real? The truth is something I don't believe we were meant to know yet. I don't think our brains can imagine or fathom what really is. So overwhelming. So whatever our brains can accept and visualize as true, limited or grand is true for him/her. Just believe that God had a hand in it somewhere, and our imagination did the rest. Did that make any sense?

Answer 8

I'm writing a book titled The Marriage of Science and Religion.

I can show evidence that creation and evolution are both true.

Example. God said let the earth bring forth the creatures of the sea. is evolution.
Let there be light is the big bang.

The trick is to seperate the physical self from the spiritual self.
Only the spirit is created in Gods image since God has no physical form. The physical self evolved per Gods plan.

Answer 9

How do we ever put this Evolution thing correctly.

It's is NOT Evolution and Creationism.

It's RANDOMISM and CREATIONSIM

In Evolution it's the CONJECTURE put forth that we evolved from lower forms of life like an "ape" although NO ONE HAS EVER ESTABLISHED THAT and science no longer holds with that theory.

But, the WHOLE evolution thing came about be the ULTRA Liberals (the forefarthers of the American Civil Liberties Union) wanted to get some publicity, so they picked a public school in a hick fundamentalist community with a science teacher who didn't object to being ostraicized and also wanted publicity and they STAGED a thing called the MONKEY TRIAL.

BOTH SIDES were in on it. Cameras were brought in and the teacher KNEW he was going to get arrested and going to go to trail and he KNEW Clarence Darrow, the greates lawyers of that genreation, was going to defend him.

It's was all a STAGED SOUND BITE grab for fame and fortune.

And since then Evolution has had a STIGMA, except to the JEwish Theologists and the Catholic in the Vatacan WHO HAVE NO PROBLEMS with DArwin's Theory and Natural Selection.

The PROBLEMS were CREATED BY LIBERALS AND FUNDAMENTALISTS AND LAWYERS for Fame and fortune and to get on the cover of Look MAgazine.

And these people, Republicans and Democrats who happen to both be Lawyers are the REASON that Evolution is getting getting dragged through the mud

And SILLY ATHEISTS, AGNOSTICS and CHRISTIANS who don't understand the PR process bought into it and still do to this day.

Almost 80 years later and that PUBLICITY STUNT still has PEOPLE FOOLED.

All this proves is that Athiests, Agnostics and Chrsitans are equually DUMB and UNEDUCATED dolts who beleive whatever they are spoon fed by the media and the publicists paid to make people superstars.

I suggest EVERYONE go read the HISTORY AND BACKGROUND of the SCOPES "monkey" trail to see what a STAGED SHAM it was!

And YOU all bought into it!

Answer 10

How many experiments have you performed? How many gene sequences have you analyzed? How many research papers have you read? I have done all of these. It is not blind faith. I tried to disprove evolution and claim my Nobel Prize. No trip to stockholm for me. Too many results indicate evolution, nothing has indicated Biblical Creation.