Evolution?

Question

How come some religous people refuse to believe in evolution. When the scientific evidence is staring them in the face, how can they logicaly deny it's existence?

Answer 1

they're resisting change. Intelligent design or intelligent evolution allows them to keep their religious beliefs in the face of scientific evidence but many would rather be unbending.

Remember Christians were some of the biggest opposers to the abolition of slavery, it was sanctioned in the Bible after all.

Answer 2

I have only read some of the previous responses, and it appears many people do not understand it. This is the primary reason to deny it's existence. I will clarify it here.

I think everyone will agree that children are similar to their parents, but with slight variations. (This is not just in humans, but in all species). This does not go against any creationist theory. This is just fact. Look around you and you can easily prove it to yourself.

We will probably also agree that living things with better variations are more likely to survive than those with worse variations. (If you want to attribute this fact to God, be my guest. God or no God, this is also irrefutable).

A few more facts are also fairly obvious. If you don't survive, you don't reproduce. If you don't reproduce, you don't have kids. If you don't have kids, you can't have kids which have similar traits to you.

So far, I don't think I have contradicted any religion in any way. If I'm wrong about anything so far, then I'm sorry, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

From the facts I stated above, it is easy to see that when an individual has a more beneficial variation, this variation is more likely to remain in the world than a harmful variation. (For those of you who believe in God and are creationists, feel free to attribute this fact to God's remarkable planning.)

Since these variations creep up (because of God, if you insist) in every generation, it is clear that the variations add up resulting in where we are today.

Consider an extraordinary evolutionary plan which led from wherever you believe mankind began to where we are today. Now, attribute this plan to God. Poof, you have creationism. These two theories can easily coexist as was just demonstrated.

Someone stated in an earlier answer than they believe in evolution, but not that "Ape=Man". This is good, because ape does not equal man. Nor did man descend from ape. Rather, the theory (which I don't have a proof to offer for) states that man and ape share a common ancestor. In other words, many years ago there was a species which "branched" into multiple species which each branched into new species which eventually led to both apes and men. This is based on archaeological and genetic evidence, but does not contradict the theory of creationism.

Answer 3

I don't ask people to believe in God, but you must know that the whole theory is a total non-logical nonsense!

1) The ''Big Bang'' could not occured, because I've never seen something just exploded. Someone has to mix inflammable things and set it on fire!

2) Billions and billions of years? Puh, those ''researchers'' just say it without explaining how and why.

3) From ape to human? After 25 years I'm still a human being! You must see it like this: A person is born as monkey and dies as a human being? That I've got to see!

The point is, it's all controlled by time. Time can do nothing. It's the people that doing things within that time limit. Like I said, someone's got to do it.
When I clap my hands, the lights won't turn on or off. It can, with a sensor. And who or what makes that sensor? Does it fall down from the skies?

Answer 4

There is no "beyond a doubt" scientific evidence for evolution. Just as there isn't for the Christian Creation Theory (that the world is only 6 000 years old).
Anyone who believes either without questioning are narrow-minded and wilfully ignorant.

Answer 5

Because when you believe in a god, or gods, you tend to think only within the framework of your accepted beliefs. I know because I've been there. Without knowing it, you discount anything that your religion does not encompass, and you do not even consider it.. Outside that framework, nothing really makes sense. That is what FAITH is all about. The absence of questions. Because god has all the answers, you don't need to ask any questions, therefore you don't ask! All you you have to do is BELIEVE. It's really very easy that way!

Answer 6

Heres a really good one:
Evolutionists attempt to exclude the possiibility of the existence of God by proclaiming that life occured randomly, and that new species developed by gradual changes through mutation.The discovery of a rapid explosion of new cratures during the Cambrian period has become an insurmountable problem for evolutionists theorizing gradual development. Even Darwin recognized this problem in his book On The Origin of Species indicating that his evolutionary theory precluded such rapid development of new varieties. The Cambrian fossil beds reveal the abrupt appearance of all of the existing known animal phylea except two-- All in a space of time considered far too short for evolution to operate. Other analysis of the fossil record reveals many other major problems with theories that species evolved, most notably the "gaps". In addition to the Cambrian problem, Darwin was also troubled by these. He theorized, however, that eventually fossils would be uncovered to fill in these gaps. In Darwin's day there were relatively few fossils available, which perhaps justifies his theorizing. Today though, it is estimated that virtually all of the known fossil species have been uncovered-- And we still find missing links throughout all species' chains. Even many leading evolutionists reluctantly acknowledge the problem of the fossil record. Noted evolutionist Steven J. Gould stated,

"The absence of fossil evidence for intermediary stages between major transitions in organic design, indeed are inability, even in our imagination, to construct functional intermediates in many cases, has been a persistent and nagging problem for gradualistic accounts of evolution."

There is one very logical and viable explanation for the gaps in the fossil record and the sudden appearance of a wide diversity of life in the Cambrian period: That the fossil record is actually evidence of creation according to the account in the Bible.

Answer 7

Zeke's answer is among the most ill-informed things I've ever read.

Newton's first law of thermodynamics applies to closed systems only. The constant energy input of the sun means Earth is not a closed system.

I won't even try to go further with his response. I'm too demoralized. Sheesh.

Now as for JB's list of scientists that disagree with evolution, what does that prove? I would love to compare it to the list that disagree with special creation. We might crash Yahoo's server.

Answer 8

Because they are not as aware of all the evidence, complex developments in adaptive landscape modelling, field collected data, empirical based analyses... and all that jazz.

Simply, many of those 'religious people' favor hearing someone elses inturpretation of a single book, over independantly scrutinising the evidence from a wide variety of different sources.

Evidence of evolution, where? Ahhhh, i see, you mean every attribute of living and extinct organisms on earth! Ops. Nearly missed that, i was reading some sort of dogma again.

:)

Answer 9

Evolutionary theory is not proven except in the minds of atheists that desperately need it as a cornerstone to their faith. (or lack thereof)

Evolution has become a crucial part of the naturalistic (atheistic) creation narrative of our time by atheists. Naturalism states that nature is all there is, no God. And anybody who dare question it are just "idiotic religious fanatics." It is only used as a club to swing at believers in order to silence them in the media and try to get people not to listen to their message.

Answer 10

How can you deny a creator when their is logic in his existance everywhere?

Well how can their not be a designer?
Proof for existance is all around you the sun, stars the plants, animals. Living on a plant the perfect distance form the sun, with the perfect tilt, and a life cycle. Also the perfect temperature, and right amount of gases for us to breathe. The human body...where ever organ has a purpose. The heart pumps blood to , The brain so we can think and feel.Ears eyes and noses perfect so we can hear just the right amount of sound,see all Gods creation, and nose to smell.
Nerves to feel PAIN, heat and the wind.
Reproduction organs so to continue life on Gods earth.
Gods book the Bible...is that most accurate book from its time period in existence. God died for you their is proof everywhere.
Why do you keep denying God YOUR CREATOR and who died for your sin to have life?
If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart you shall be saved. If not, you will spend eternaty in HELL.

And please Remeber Science cant PROVE ANYTHING!

Answer 11

"Methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things the of the faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are" (CCC 159). The Catholic Church has no fear of science or scientific discovery.