Why do most religious people think...?

Question

...that evolution means that we evolved from monkeys? That's completely false. Once upon a time there was a primitive primate. It was NOT a monkey, or human, or any type of recognizable ape that exists in the modern world. In fact our common ancestor has long been extinct, and this is what we must understand. Monkeys and Apes are still here, because they appeared at the same time as us. They are our cousins, and this common ancestor is now long dead. My cousins and I are all directly descended from my grandmother. But, you will realize, neither me or my cousins are descended from the other - the chain only goes back through history, not weaving through the present.

Short explanation: we didn't come from monkeys. Monkeys shared an ancestor with humans.

Gonzofever, I know that MOST religious people think this because we have had many arguments in class and mot people in my class are religious, they insist that evolution means we came from monkeys. WRONG! Not only that, but I'm surrounded by religious people, my family is religious and they all think that. I think it's time they read my Biology book.

To the ones who are saying that I believe in evolution, when did I ever say that? Never. I actually don't believe in it. I never said evolution was a fact, I only defined it, it was an example. Go die somewhere.

Answer 1

where we evolved from is not the issue. If you believe in the Bible you believe in creation. that we came or did not evolve from monkeys is not what a religious person should be arguing at all. its creation versus evolution as a whole.

Answer 2

Dear Alterna,

Funny that the theory of evolution started out with the "monkey to man" bull. And after that didn't seem to make much sense then the evolutionist changed it to "the common ancestor" bull. As you may or may not know, but I assume that you do since you seem to know a lot, there has never been a single fossil remain found that proves anything that you say. So just how is it that you know what you are saying is anything more then a conclusion?

Monkeys and apes are still here because we appeared at the same time? Can you even imagine how retarded that sounds?
And since you are making the statement then answer one question. Why? I mean why have ten or so species so closely linked? If it were truly "natural selection" then only one species would have made it this far. The strongest and the best adapted which would be the monkey, of course.

By the way didn't you ever hear of the "Scopes Monkey Trial?"
The basis of the theory of evolution, as told by Darwin.

OOOH, you read it in your biology book well that's different, it must be true.

Answer 3

They believe what their pastors tell them. "Proto-simian" is too hard to say, so they use "monkey".

Here is an argument you can use with your classmates if you want. I save it and paste it because the question "Why are there still monkeys?" comes up almost every day. The paragraph about political history is the most cogent. Back when I was an 8th-grade teacher, one of my fellow teachers, who did social studies, said he didn't believe in evolution and so wasn't going to teach the chapter on it. Three years later the line "Lucky you don't teach Euopean History, isn't it?" came to me.

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Because they evolved from our common ancestor too. We humans got smarter. The great apes, including chimpanzees, got stronger. They are stronger than us humans. (A 180-pound chimp would wipe the floor with a 180-pound human, even a college wrestler.) The others are smaller and more nimble that we are. (Watch a gibbon swinging through the trees, but don't try to imitate him, unless you have an affinity for broken bones.)

Here is a little something extra for you, what the Cajuns call "lagniappe", like the free cookie the baker gives the kids when Mom buys a big birthday cake:

Back in 1776, monarchists argued against democracy as a form of government. They said it was absurd to believe that "All men are created equal" because anyone could see men came in different heights, weights and colors. Case closed.

My point is not about democracy. It is about debate. Before you argue about something, you should understand it. If you don't understand it, you'll look foolish. Gilda Radner, on the original "Saturday Night Live" TV Show, used to do a sketch every couple of weeks in which she made completely ridiculous arguments. One night she argued vehemently against the "Deaf Penalty", instead of the "Death Penalty". She looked absurd, which was the point, and we all laughed until the beer came out our noses, which was what she wanted. You don't want people to laugh at you.

In a serious debate, you should understand the other side. Note that I didn't say "Believe". Understanding is not the same as believing. If you were to study 20th century European Political history, you would have to understand several forms of government: communism (the USSR), fascism (Germany, Italy), socialism (Lots of countries), socialist democracy, capitalistic democracy and constitutional monarchy. You would not believe in all of them; you could not believe in all of them at once. If you tried, your head would explode. You would, however, have to understand their basic concepts.

If you were to study comparative religion, you would have to understand what Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Taoists and Confucians believe. You would not have to convert to a new religion every week, but you would have to understand the other ones. You would not get very far in your studies if you dismissed all the other ones as "wrong". They believe their path is the right one just as strongly as you believe your path is the right one.

99% of the biologists alive today believe that species evolve, and that the theory of evolution is the best explanation we have for the diversity of life. Christian biologists, Jewish biologists, Muslim biologists, Hindu biologists, Buddhist biologists; Australian, Bolivian and Chinese biologists; 99% of them believe it is the best explanation. Yes, it is only a theory. Planetary motion - the theory that the earth went around the sun, not vice versa - was only a theory for a long time. Some people still don't believe it. Their eyes tell them differently.

Species don't evolve at the same rate and they don't all have to evolve. Alligators, to take one example, haven't changed much for 40 million years. The ones that were 50 feet long have become extinct, but the normal 14-footers are still there in the swamps, hoping men don't shoot them to use their hides for shoes. They didn't have to worry about that 3 million years ago. We humans are at the top of the heap today, either because we evolved or God liked us better than He did the alligators. Either way, we can make tools better than any other species.

Your question has been answered, hundreds of times, by people more versed in biology than I. It gets answered ever week here at YA.

If you are truly curious, ask your minister to give you a short, reasoned explanation of evolution. If he says he can't because it is wrong, he is as ignorant as those monarchists I mentioned above.

Answer 4

Because that's what my high school taught.
Two years ago in sophomore biology we watched a movie based off of a famous scientist's speech and it illustrated the point, with the background being him talking about it, about how all life evolved from one cell, which turned into a fish-like animal. And when the monkey came on the screen, it turned into a human. Obviously, however, not all monkeys evolved into humans, the tape showed. Just some types. Anyway, that's what school teaches and schools are supposed to be correct.

Answer 5

we were created by God, both human and monkey, (and every thing else in between). Evolutionist believe that we evolved from tiny organisms that changed over time resulting into a monkey, then us. there are no fossils that say anything about us coming from the same ancestor unless you're talking about God creating us. We didn't evolve or come from any other creature besides other humans all the way up to the point of creation, created by God.

Answer 6

First of all, most religious people DON'T think that. SOME do, but not "most," by any stretch of the imagination. I think, since they don't agree with the Theory of Evolution, they just listen in sound bites and translate it for themselves, so "ape" becomes "monkey." Or perhaps they don't take the time to understand the Theory.

Answer 7

I don't have a problem with anyone that wants to have a monkey for grandparents, but I personally am not ready to accept that. If evolution is true, why are there still monkeys that have not evolved? Why have alligators, crocodiles, sharks, and other supposed ancient species not evolved over the last million years or so?

Answer 8

honey just because somethings written in a biology book doesn't mean its true. How did the Earth get here then sweetie? The Big Bang Theory? hmm? What about all those majestic mountains and birds and lakes, I suppose they all just popped up huh?

Answer 9

the grim fact is that even in science close-mindedness and dogmatism abound. it can be very hard to discard the old ideas and embrace the new, especially if one has invested half a lifetimes work in them. there is a famous quote, variously atributed to max planck, or born, and others which goes something like this: "science only progresses funeral by funeral"
a sad commentary indeed on human intellectual prowess.

Answer 10

I am a religious person that doesn't think that is what evolution means. I used to be an atheist, and believed full heartedly in evolution. Then I began questioning the basis for the theory, like a good scientist should, and it now seems flimsy, improbable, and it doesn't fit at all with the fossil record.