For non-christians only?

Question

How do you think we evolved from apes? How do you think that everything is chance? Not judging you, This is a serious question please explain!

Answer 1

Wow. I'm amazed at how often this question is asked.

1. We did not evolve from apes.

2. I don't think everything is chance. I think there is a definite process. I don't know how it started. I just don't believe there is a god controlling it.

Answer 2

Firstly, we didn't evolve from apes. We evolved from a common ancestor which both apes and humans share. This is a very important point.

Secondly, evolution does not put everything down to chance...

Whilst the small genetic variations that every offspring receives (the ones that make it slightly different from either it's father or mother) is random, the process by which they a filtered out or 'naturally selected' is due to the environment they grow up in.

Most animals only live in one environment, if they're slightly stronger or slightly more adept to survive in that environment, they are more likely to reproduce...as a result, a larger proportion of the next generation are slightly stronger in the same way...but with some new additional genetic variations.

The key point is that there is no intelligence or motive behind it. 'Nature' provides as much random variation as possible so that there is the greatest chance of at least a few members of the population surviving and carrying on..

Hope that helped!

Answer 3

This is a science question, you'd get better answers posting in the "Science & Mathematics > Biology" section. The core of evolution is a process known as "descent with modification" Have you ever played the children's game "Telephone"? Several kids line up side-to-side and the first child whispers a fairly long sentence into the ear of the next child, who repeats the same sentence to the next in line until the message gets to the final person. Usually the final sentence will be very different from the original. Heredity works much the same way. People tend to look like their parents, but they are not exact copies. The similar traits are passed in units called "genes". A person gets half of his genes from each of his 2 parents. As you step back a generation, each ancestor only shares half as many genes as the previous. Your great great great grandfather only has 1/32 (2^-5) genes in common with you. A person who shares that same 3x great grandfather would be your 4th cousin. You wouldn't even know that you were any kin to each other without a genealogy table. That's only 5 generations; imagine what diversity thousands of generations could produce!
Another important part of the process is the struggle to survive. Most animals produce far more offspring than can survive. Rabbits have litters of 5 to 8 young in a litter every 30 days during the mating season that lasts from February to October. In just one year, two rabbits would produce 35 to 56 more rabbits. The world would be soon be overrun with rabbits! In nature, we observe that rabbit population remains relatively stable, despite the rapid reproductive rates. This leads us to conclude that most rabbits fail to reproduce. The rabbits that are better able to forage for food, escape predators, and find mates will be more likely to pass their genes to the next generation. The competition within each generation drives a non-random survival of the fittest individuals called "natural selection".
Occasionally genes are not precisely copied from parent to offspring. This is called a "mutation". Most mutations are neutral or harmful, but a few are helpful. Using our hypothetical rabbits, we can imagine a scenario in which the climate changes and the terrain is covered in white snow. If most rabbits are brown, and one rabbit is born with a mutation giving it white fur, the white rabbit might be more likely to evade predators by blending in with the white background. That rabbit's offspring would receive that white fur gene which might aid in further survival.
Getting back to you original questions: How did we evolve from apes? Humans and apes share a common ancestor which split into several groups. One population had natural selection effect descent with modification such that the generation we see today are identified as "apes". Another group is now known as "humans".
How do you think everything is chance? Natural selection is a non-random process. That question is not applicable. I suggest you read further if you find the subject interesting.

Answer 4

Not apes... a common ancestor. And I don't believe it's by chance in the way you are putting it. I'm not knowledgeable enough to explain it in a way that others would understand the way this happens, but it reminds me of how we ended up with so many different types of dogs. Why do huskies, sled-dogs, have thick fur? I mean, I know they live in the north (most do anyway) where it is mostly snow and ice for most of the year, but how did that come about compared to a beagle who has short hair and is good for tracking small animals? Why do we have so many different breeds of dogs? Isn't one breed enough? *wink*

Answer 5

Christians are not the only ones who believe that everything was not chance or that we did not evolve from apes.

You used too wide a paint brush with the "non-christians only" title.

~ Eric Putkonen

Answer 6

Given the overwhelming evidence throughout the fossil record, how can you not? Given the "pseudo-science", misquotes and outright lies of so called "creation scientists" how can you belief anything that they say?

What you term "chance" is a predictable (albeit only if you had enough knowledge) outcome of physical laws.

But for you to really understand why or how you really ought to read, research and understand the current level of scientific thought from an objective viewpoint.

Answer 7

Please read about evolution. We have not evolved "from apes." They are more like our cousins...we share a common ancestor.
Evolution is not chance either...things evolve to suit the environment over millions of years. Why do you think we have different skin and eye colors?

Answer 8

would it not have been better to ask For Evolutionists only? I am not a christian and I profess my ignorance regarding evolution, due to a lack of education when I was younger, but am lazily learning bit by minuscule bit, why don't you do some independent research and discover for yourself what the scientists say. Educating yourself is a good thing. Blessings

Answer 9

I don't know how many times we have to go through this:

MUTATION -- the random change of some part of the DNA sequence -- is random chance. But NATURAL SELECTION -- the crucible by which it's determined whether that mutation is useful enough to pass on to the next generation -- is the EXACT OPPOSITE of chance.

Answer 10

BTW...not all christians believe in a 6 day creation.