Why complain so much about "misunderstandings" about the theory of evolution?

Question

A very common and popular understanding of "evolution" is that it is a theory that explains the entire process of the whole universe from beginning until now. (And the Theory of Relativity combined with the Bing Bang Theory argue for the truth that the universe had a beginning). Therefore, with THIS very COMMON understanding of "evolution", abiogenesis IS included within the concept of "evolution". This is the "popular" understanding of evolution, and is even reasonable with one of the many "definitions" of the word "evolution" given in Dictionaries.

Some atheists use "evolution" in this manner, just as Christians.

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Sure, there is the definition of "evolution" that does NOT include abiogenesis, but only microevolution and/or the "supposed" development and differentiation of biological species via "macroevolution", etc...

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But WHY do people get so infuriated? If people ask a question regarding "evolution" from the first standpoint, why so MUCH emotion?
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For instance, look at some of these "heated" answers:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqQd9Yf1Qkiew3uqQSsCjHnsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071003213642AAsO4fL

Answer 1

I believe the best answer to your question is to cite what the late Bertrand Russell said about the subject. He was asked why, with his great mind, he believed in evolution instead of in creation. He answered that if he believed in evolution he could continue to live life as a profligate; whereas, if he believed in creation, that would presuppose a Creator, to whom he would have to be accountable, and he could no longer live a dissolute life, given up to dissipation and licentiousness! I'm sure he knows the absolute truth of God's Word now! I just sincerely hope that he made the decision to accept Jesus as Savior before it was too late for him!

I believe that those who get so infuriated and respond so vehemently when evolution is called into question, do so for basically the same reason - they do not wish to be held accountable to a higher standard, required by a Creator God or to believe the clear truth of His Word, the Bible which states "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God, the Father."Philippians 2:11,12(NIV)

Personally, I don't have enough blind, unreasoned, faith to believe in the fairy tales and myths of evolution! Not surrounded as I am every day by all this obvious proof of a Creator God! To say nothing about the fact that I have a personal relation with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Answer 2

As to that things change: so what! Talk about a lot of socalled scietific hand waving to over categorize (an error in critical thinking of hasty overgeneralization; there is such as the set of facts all true yet appear to be contradictory) a phenomenon that could not keep the second of theromdynamics of physics nor the mathematics of probability. Without holding other variables constant, the science could not isolate a study on very much. And yet, at the same time, the interrelationship of those isolated variables must be studied together to form a more holistic approach to the socalled science. Newton said 'law' in the 1800's or so. We see that there would be further need for study into why and hows of the actually mechanics of the gravity. So then, isn't 'law' a misnomer with respect to the relativity of the situations and reactivities involved in the viscosity of space and dark matter. By the way, Babylon had a story of a certain planet that used to be viewed in the sky which expoded one day; I think. The gravitation of our solar system is said, to this day, to have a 'placeholder' with respect to the gravitational forces speaking to the existence of another planet 'beyond' pluto which has not been found.

Answer 3

The problem is the term "theory of evolution". There is no such theory. It is simply a term to lump all evolutionary theories into one subject. This is why it is important to talk about specific theories of evolution when talking about the subject. These include:

Chemical evolution (the evolution from chemicals to organisms)

Common Ancestry (the theory that all liveing organisms can be traced back to a single organism)

There are also theories on the development of the planet, the development of stars, changes within a species, and the list goes on.

I hope this helps.

Answer 4

Whether there was a great beginning or not, evolution and creationism cannot coexist. If we have souls but are evolved from a lesser being, does all life have souls? If so, heaven would be overrun by the souls of the dead bacteria. If not, then at what point did god decide to inject a soul into us? And as we evolve even still will he ever take the soul out and let humans evolve back into animals? Finally, if God is injecting souls into people based on their evolutionary state, how do we know that god hasn't witheld souls from the retarded? There is no way to prove or disprove any of this, so the best way is to use Occam's Razor and just say that there is no soul, if evolution is true. In fact, if evolution is true it doesn't even need a god. Razor him off too.

Answer 5

Yes like men come from ape that was a laugh and the one
about the first man turn out be a pig head there more like the wood they said 100 years old man cut the tree a year ago
there so many thing it make u laugh

Answer 6

Let Me explain Christianity....In the begining GOD......

Now let me explain Evolution......In the begining an explosion, folowed by creation of space, time, existence, galaxies, solar sytems, planets earth, life as we know it....or wait did that happen? maby it happened like this... or maby like this... hummmmm.... i really don't know...."next question please" How did man come into existence?..." oh thats easy they came from monkeys, oh wait was it fish, or some kind of plant, or some other kind of mamal or being.... I really don't know....next question please"

Now wich is the easist to say and beleive. quit waisting time with all of that evolution garbage, and racking your brain out day and night trying to find out all of the ?'s of life, when God has already answered all of them...quit fighting truth and wasting life and mental energy, because evolution has never been proven or will it ever, because it is all some BS hoax created by an absolute idiot and it does nothing but create a life of turmoil and stress....

Here is me at the end of the day...In the begining God...( then I take a deep breath and just RELAX)...wow so much easier.....

Answer 7

Well I have a book shelf full of popular evolution books, not to mention all that American Discovery Channel / National Geographic etc, and I have never read or seen any account of evolution being what you claim it is except by American anti-sciencers on the web.

So short answer - it comes across as a dishonest propaganda strategy to try to discredit extremely well supported science by taking something less supported on to it and attacking that. A typical straw-man attack. Not to mention obscuration and spreading confusion.

Answer 8

"A very common and popular understanding of "evolution" is that it is a theory that explains the entire process of the whole universe from beginning until now."
it does? gee, that's news to me... i thought evolution was a branch of biology not astrophysics... perhaps people seem infuriated to you when correcting you and people like you who spread this "understanding" of evolution. i imagine you'd come across a little peeved if you encountered some you believed to be misrepresenting your "understanding" of the bible.

Answer 9

OH NO. Besides the old I read the new. Even wach things on the documentaries. I find it interesting,,,Yet STILL a theory. Saw a good one on Homoerectus today.

Answer 10

Because the examples you are providing in your citated question are very selective.

You suggest that because one chinese cheated with fossile records the entire evolution is dubious.

that is why i would get heated.