The Theory of evolution is just that right?

Question

Evolution is just a theory, a hypothesis. There is no scientific evidence correct? If I am wrong, please correct me. My point is, if I am correct and it is just a hypothesis, then why do a lot of athesists and agnostics place so much "faith" in it? I usually get discredited on my faith in Christ with the theory of evolution.

I do apoligize, I should have been more precise. I didn't think people would be so immature. There is NO PROOF that evolution is real. Yes, species evolve, but there is no proof that the human race evolved from apes. We are two seperate species.

Don't fear the Reaper: No, I will not change my mind. As I said, I should have been more precise, but I was asking srictly about the theory that we evolve from apes. A lot of people try to say that God did not create humans, that we just evolved from apes. Ridiculous to me.

NH bartione: Thank you. I appreciate your kindness and explanation. I admit that I am definitly not a scientist!!

Answer 1

Well, you're obviously trying to sincerely question this, but it's fairly clear that you aren't remembering your science classes very well.

A theory in science is an overarching explanation that is used to draw together connected pieces of observed evidence. (Unlike in Sherlock Holmes or Matlock, where a theory is a guess.) A hypothesis in science is the guess of what will happen: "I hypothesize that if I put the same amount of heat to a piece of wet wood and to a piece of dry wood, the dry wood will catch fire before the wet wood." In this example the theory would involve moisture contents, heat needed, type of wood, atmospheric pressures, and all the other things that would contribute toward combustion.

So the evolution has ENORMOUS amounts of evidence showing it to be a fact, and these also show that it is caused by natural selection. I'm not kidding. There are entire libraries of evidence. If you want to get the gist of this evidence, go to http://www.talkorigins.org and peruse their discussions of the data that are available. Some of it is technical, but much of it is easy to understand.

But please, don't go on about evolution just being a theory. It is one of the biggest pieces of religious deception to use the word as if it was being used on COPS, when in science, it has an entirely different usage. After all, there is in science also germ theory & the theory of gravity, and I don't think you believe anyone is in truth trying to test out whether germs cause disease or whether gravity actually functions.

- {♂♂} - {♂♀} - {♀♀} -

Answer 2

A hypothesis is a predictive statement that is made about one particular experiment or idea.

A scientific theory (a good one, at least) is a group of interconnected hypotheses that have been supported time after time by many researchers in varying fields, and the ideas and natural laws that describe those things.

A scientific theory is not a statement of fact. It is a theory because scientists know that their knowledge is limited and that there may be something unknown that they haven't uncovered or thought of before.

That being said, biology investigates the natural world, that which is living around us, and the interactions of these living things with each other and with the non-living elements of the world. Since religion is based completely on the supernatural, and since biology doesn't concern itself with the supernatural (or rather, doesn't have the ability to investigate the supernatural in an objective way), it isn't really fair to say that biology can say anything about God or religion.

Edit: in the 5 or so minutes it took for me to form this response, there have been about 30 new answers and some added details...

There is no proof that evolution is real because proof only comes into play in mathematics. The theory of evolution is not by any means a hypothesis, but it is also not some mathematical equation that can be reduced to a series of axioms.

The idea that we evolved from the apes alive today is ridiculous, and no biologist will ever tell you that. We shared a common ancestor a few million years ago, but we are not descended from the common gorilla or chimpanzee you see today.

>>Yes, species evolve, but there is no proof that the human race evolved from apes. We are two seperate species.

If you believe that other species evolved, and if you are aware that humans have the exact same environmental mechanisms working on them and biological mechanisms working within them as any other organism, why is so hard to accept that humans also evolved?

And, yes, as I explained above, a hypothesis and a theory are quite very different things. You can't equate the two.

Answer 3

Yes, you're wrong. Read my source so that you don't make the same dumb mistake again (this "just a theory" nonsense is a desperate attempt by creationists to make it sound like scientists are uncertain about it, when nothing could be further from the truth).

You know what else is "just a theory?" GRAVITY. That should give you an idea how full of crap this "just a theory" argument is.

Also, a hypothesis and a theory, scientifically speaking, could not be MORE different. A hypothesis is a guess about the outcome of experimentation, while a theory is a collection of related FACTS, every single one of which has been tested THOROUGHLY and supported by experiments and analysis so rigorous that it would astonish most non-scientists.

"There is NO PROOF that evolution is real."

This is a flat-out lie. The Theory of Evolution is one of the THE MOST supported and most well-evidenced scientific theories we have. You could not be more wrong. In fact, it would take longer than a lifetime to list all of the evidence, but you can start with this if you are TRULY willing to educate yourself. If you ignore this link, then it is no one's fault but yours that you choose to remain ignorant (note: You will need some real science education to understand much of the information in the link. Sorry, but this is REAL science, not fairy tales--reality is not as simple as certain books make it sound):

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/

"if I am correct and it is just a hypothesis, then why do a lot of athesists and agnostics place so much "faith" in it?"

But you aren't correct. Atheists, agnostics, and theists alike do not place FAITH in the Theory of Evolution, we ACCEPT it based on the evidence. There is no faith in accepting something after it's been tested to death and shown to fit.

"there is no proof that the human race evolved from apes. We are two seperate species."

This is what happens when you learn about scientific theories from your church. We ARE apes--we didn't evolve from them. And no reputable scientific community has ever said otherwise. And all apes (humans included) have a common ancestor.

"I admit that I am definitly not a scientist!!"

I can tell--your statements are just more of the same creationist straw man arguments.

Answer 4

The theory of evolution is now a well documented scientific fact based upon reliable and verifiable evidence. Literally, thousands of college, scientific text have been written attempting to explain the same to any and all who are intelligent enough to listen and learn.

Atheist place their "faith" as you called it in evolution because of the evidence as mentioned previously and because the answers supplied by science work so much better than those supplied by the mythologies of our distant and often illinformed ancestors.

The religious mytholgies of the past were simply early man's attempt at explaining that which he did not understand and that which he had not the methodology, or scientific discipline by which to discover the correct answers.

Once such systematic thinking was employed, mankind made startling discoveries at a very rapid rate and the gods seemingly became very quiet and inactive, except in the imaginations of those who desperately clung to the myths and practice of their long dead ancestsors.

If you don't believe this is true, then the next time you become very ill, say with cancer, or some other devistating illness, choose the which doctor or the faith healer instead of the medical practicioner and then compare the results you see in your recovery with that of a person who chose science and the answers provided by the same.

The next time you choose to travel, walk all of the way, rather then depend on the science that enabled mankind to produce modern means of transportation.

Stop going to the grocery store to by food that have been grown by modern methods based on a scientific understanding of applied biology.

Stop using the internet as it is entirely based on science.

Science is what has enabled us to be a sucessful species. Our intellect is a direct result of evolution, including your ability to read what is written here.

The theory of evolution does not and never has said that mankind evolved from apes. Please read Darwin's, "The Origin of the Species" before you speak again of that which you obviously have no knowledge of.
May it all be well with you.

Answer 5

Actually, the title "Theory of Evolution" is misleading. In the scientific world, a "hypothesis" and a "theory" are very, very different. When Darwin first thought of evolution as an anwer to many mysteries of nature, it was a hypothesis. Only after CONSIDERABLE amounts of scientific evidence is it officially declared a theory. If we were ever to find inarguable evidence that evolution was a fact of nature, it would become scientific "law", meaning it has been proved and cannot be disproved. Despite the overwhelming evidence for evolution, it is not considered scientific law. Personally, I don't find evolution incompatible with my faith. Who's to say God has not chosen evolution as a way to change and improve the world? Evolution's sole purpose as a scientific process is to use all creatures' desire to bear offspring to improve their species so it can survive changing environments.

Answer 6

All science is based on philosophical assumptions. Thus, any theory (scientific or not) is sensitive to the assumptions on which that theory is based. It is impossible (and proved mathematically by Gödel) to construct a system of thought without necessary assumptions. By necessary assumptions, I mean statements that are not provable.

Thus, a Christian can look at the finely-tuned constants of the universe and wonder at the work of the Creator-God, and an atheist can look at the same facts and see the amazing results of evolution. Both people are are basing their analyses on philosophical assumptions (whether they realize it or admit it or not) - that a God as described by Jewish and Christian tradition exists, or that no god exists or is meaningless.

These philosophical assumptions can be called many things: philosophy, religion, a worldview, whatever. They are the basis in which one constructs and explains their world. This worldview is the "rubric," or the foundation on which everything else is built.

You are partially right when you say that atheists and agnostics put "faith in it." They do not necessarily put faith in evolution, but on their worldview in which they use to articulate evolution. You also posit faith in something. Everyone does.

From your question, you posit faith in Christ. Thus, based on your Christian worldview, you should see the natural world and see Creation, not evolution. This is perfectly consistent based on your assumptions.

You can look at the end result of a potential worldview. For instance, the end result of an atheistic worldview is eternal death. Whoo-hoo. The end result of a Christian worldview is eternal life. If you're wrong about the Christian worldview, well then you haven't lost anything. If you are right, then you have gained everything from nothing.

Though this is hardly faith, it is a test. Via a Christian worldview, faith is given by God. Thus, according to your Christian worldview, your worldview is given by God and effectively trumps all other non-inspired worldviews.

So, go ahead - yes, you are right. Evolution is a theory, and is contingent on a naturalistic/atheistic worldview. You are discredited on your Christian faith (and implicitly, creation) with the theory of evolution because these people have a non-inspired worldview that cannot comprehend (or is fiercely rebellious to) a personal God.

Answer 7

It's not just a theory. The vast majority of scientists (both Christian and non-) agree that the evidence supporting Darwinian evolution is overwhelming. The fossil record and our knowledge of genetics (DNA, etc.) point strongly to the idea that all life on earth is descended from the same early ancestral cells. If you ask a scientist or any biology teacher anywhere, more than 90% will tell you it's no longer considered just a theory. Mainline Christians have no problem with evolution, mainly fundamentalist Christians with ultra-literal interpretations of scripture.

Answer 8

Ever heard of the Theory of relativity? I'm pretty sure we all have a fairly strong belief in that.

When you are asking a question or doing research, a hypothesis is the result or answer you are expecting. A theory is something that has been tested time and time again, has much evidence to support it, but isn't 100% guarenteed or considered a constant yet.

So, a theory is something you can safely count on as being right. The only step above a theory is a law of nature, which is a guarenteed constant through out the universe.

Answer 9

"Evolution is just a theory, a hypothesis. There is no scientific evidence correct?"
Incorrect, theory of evolution is a proven theory.

“I was asking strictly about the theory that we evolve from apes”
Straw man argument.

Atomic THEORY is also a theory but your computer works which is based on it, how? Electromagnetism is also a theory and every electronic device works, how?Germ THEORY is also a theory and medicines are based on it and they work how?

Answer 10

A theory in the scientific world means something a lot different than what it does in general speech. There is a ton of evidence and not a single peer reviewed paper against it in more than 80 years. In science NO AMOUNT OF EVIDENCE can ever move a theory to a law.

Would you care to explain the Law of Fossil Session to me and how creationism fits in? See the fossils are sorted in the geology. A relative order that life showed up on the planet can be determinate independent of any dating. There is no way a single random event like the flood would sort things so pristinely worldwide. Here is a nice simple chart on a US Government website that has no agenda: http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/fossils/succession.html

This chart is a little oversimplified, but it shows 7 major cuts on the animal side, and 6 on the plant side. A flowering plant is NEVER found in a Pennsylvania period Geologic layer for instance. If creationism was right, they should be as common there as they are in Cretaceous layers. They aren't there at all. Conifers (Pines) showed up in the late Pennsylvania period. They should be as common in Devonian layers as they are in the Jurassic layers. They aren't there at all.

The actual record is much more complex. Individual species don't show up out of order. So a T-Rex wouldn't be in any layer other than a Jurassic one.

There are way way way more arguments than this one. I just like it because it is easy to understand and the flood answer doesn’t even sound reasonable to the uneducated.