Why do so many people assume that if you dont agree with evolution then you dont believe or study science?

Question

I dont know how many times I have seen lame questions that make it seem like you are a religious fanatic if you dare to question the theory of evolution.
Science itself dictates that you question this theory because it is not a proven fact and there are some very serious flaws in the theory.

Maybe one day the flaws will be fixed. Maybe one day the theory will prove to be untrue. But there is definetaly very good reasons for someone who has studied and believes in science to disagree that evolution is how humans came into being.

Arent you really just an evolution fanatic if you are going to think that unless you believe evolution is 100 percent correct you are an uneducated religious fanatic?

Dont you think you can be completely educated in evolution and still not consider the evidence strong enough to claim that is the only possible way life began and humans were formed?

(and I am not talking adaptation within species. I am talking about species to species evoltn)

path,
I know exactly what I am talking about.
I am talking about adaptations and changes in the genetic codes slowly over millions of years so that gradually a species changes so much that it becomes a new species, or mutations in the genetic codes of one species to skew into a new species.
Yes it is a belief that one species gradually becomes a new species.



You do have to believe a scientific theory because it has not been proven true yet. Anyone that believes in evolution is putting faith in the theory because the facts do not equal truth.
Science most definetly relies on some faith becuase if it didnt then no new discoveries or theories would be tested.

dances,
so if someone doesnt believe that humans are causing global warming then that is the same as them not believing the sun is hot?
There are theories that arent proven yet.

adaptation is well proven and established
evolution, not

I never said it was an atheist scam. I think honest scientist looked at the evidence and have put this theory together.
But that wasnt really my question. If you think there is no other possible explanation then arent you kind of closing your mind to any other possible scientific explanations, too.



People, it is a belief. You can have a belief based on evidence.

When did I ever say evolution is wrong because the Bible says so?????? Do some of you even bother reading the question and details????

vorenhut
huh? I have never visited a creation website. I am specifically talking about the theory by which human beings came into existance thru evolution.
I know that some people define and think of different concepts when they hear the term evolution. I am sticking with one particular concept of evolution.
Seriously people, read the question and details. I dont think I mention creation or the bible once.
I even said that maybe the theory will gain more validity as more evidence comes to light. But right now, it is still a theory that has every right to be questioned and not yet believed.
You cannot compare evolution and believing the sun will come out tomorrow. It is a ludicrous comparison. There isnt even close to that kind of evidence for humans evolving into existance.

Aviator
I have a feeling that anyone who doesnt agree with you will never be completely versed in whatever it is they disagree with you on.
I gave an accurate description of evolution from species to species. This was what I was talking about. You can claim all you want that I havent studied. Nothing I said would ever convince you otherwise.

Answer 1

Because there are intolerant people on both sides. People that study things aren't afraid of questions and holes in their sacred cows whether they are religious or scientific in nature.

Answer 2

As T. Wallace has said, “A major reason why evolutionist arguments can sound so persuasive is because they often combine assertive dogma with intimidating, dismissive ridicule towards anyone who dares to disagree with them. Evolutionists wrongly believe that their views are validated by persuasive presentations invoking scientific terminology and allusions to a presumed monopoly of scientific knowledge and understanding on their part. But they haven’t come close to demonstrating evolutionism to be more than an ever-changing theory with a highly questionable and unscientific basis. (The situation isn’t helped by poor science education generally. Even advanced college biology students often understand little more than the dogma of evolutionary theory, and few have the time [or the guts] to question its scientific validity.)”

Swedish biologist Soren Lovtrup made an interesting statement: “I suppose that nobody will deny that it is a great misfortune if an entire branch of science becomes addicted to a false theory. But this is what has happened in biology...I believe that one day the Darwinian myth will be ranked the greatest deceit in the history of science. When this happens, many people will pose the question: How did this ever happen?”

Answer 3

It depends on how the question or answer is formatted. Unfortunately most of the time there are so many misconceptions that it is immediately evident that the person hasn't a clue. I've read a few answers or questions regarding evolution being untrue of which really made me do more research..

I think that it is quite possible to be an incredibly smart person, and yet not accept evolution but at the same time there is usually an element of religious preference that supports creation.

Answer 4

"Why do so many people assume that if you dont agree with evolution then you dont believe or study science?"

It's unlikely that if you've studied science if you oppose evolution, unless you approach the topic with a prearranged conclusion that a god must have created everything in a specific way that defies naturalistic explanation. My only claim is that people opposed to evolution have been mislead by religious opinions.

Evolution is solid among the scientific community. Nobody believes it is 100% filled out, but no one is denying how important it is for understanding the common ancestry underlying all species. If you are not convinced by fossil layers or DNA, then nothing will work. What is your alternative? It must be a hypothesis about natural processes if you are suggesting that evolution is incorrect, not simply claiming that "god did it" (and if you believe in theistic evolution, that is already redundant. Science doesn't deal with supernatural claims that have no evidence -- it works to understand how the world works, with empirical observation and testing).

Chance are you're an intelligent religious conservative who has gotten mixed up in the pseudoscience pushed by many conservative pundits and religious communities (Ann Coulter, for instance). It's a sad day when religious groups decide to push for pseudoscience like intelligent design and pull smart people away from the scientific method.

Evolution is not an atheist scam. It's an explanation of a natural process that best fits the evidence we have. It is not derided except by those with a former religious agenda (Christian or Muslim fundamentalism), and yet scientists who accept evolution come from all religious backgrounds. Faith is the belief without evidence. It is not an explanation, but the antithesis of science, which relies on evidence.

Here's a cure for scientific ignorance:

www.talkorigins.org

Every creationist claim has been debunked. Again, you probably won't take the site seriously, but here it is.

Answer 5

you claim to have studied science, and yet you parrot the same tired old complaints which have been refuted a thousand times. you seem to think that evolution is about the origin of life and the human species. it isn't. you do know that creationist websites such as answers in genesis are not representative of the mainstream of scientific thought, don't you?

i wouldn't claim that evolution is the only possible way however, but it is the only scientific theory right now. have you got a better idea? can you suggest how to test it? until you can do that you are just blowing smoke i reckon.

Answer 6

Effective brainwashing. Notice the responses on this question. It is virtually impossible to even question the fundamental correctness of the present system of extrapolations from present data to long past events. This level of certainty is not even philosophically possible for anything but a "faith fact." Observations in the fossil layers are *not* globally consistent with progressive increases in biochemical complexity. Similarities in DNA are equally specious as "proof" of common ancestry. Such similarities may relate to common origin, or they may infer a similar set of forces, natural or otherwise, acting to produce similar outcomes. The question is really open. The present data is equivocal. Unwillingness to try a different filter for the data represents a deep prior commitment to a philosophical conclusion. That "conclusion" is deeply embedded in the thought structure of the modern mind. Trying to step back and evaluate it objectively is a lot like trying to see the back of your head without a mirror. Tough to do.

Answer 7

"Serious flaws in the theory"?

Anti-evolutionists repeat this over and over as a mantra, but fail to elaborate on what those "flaws" might be. Or if they do identify what appears to be a problem, they ignore the explanations.

The basics of evolutionary theory - common descent - are well supported by evidence from a huge number of areas. There are certainly areas of scientific debate and unanswered questions about some of the details - as there are in any field of science, but this is not the same as saying there are "huge flaws".

And no evolutionist claims that this process explains how life began - that's abiogenesis. Evolution explains the diversity of life once the earliest life had already started.

Answer 8

Until a better theory of gravity comes along, I am comfortable with that theory as it stands . It has a lot of problems,and details that need to be worked out, and we really don't understand how it works at all well, but the equations derived from the theory can make some amazingly accurate predictions.

Thats kind of how I feel about the ToE

You can't really be a scientist if you talk about "belief" in the ToE. It isn't faith based, its evidence based. It is simply the best explanation we have for explaining the diversity of life we see around us. Scientists have been trying to disprove it for 150 years and have failed. Nobody has come up with a paradigm that so eloquently explains diversity.

The scientific world awaits with anticipation your published theory that will replace it, but until then.....

Answer 9

If you have serious questions about evolution, by all means, raise them - in the Biology section, where people who know about evolution can answer them. Saying that evolution is wrong because it disagrees with a book over 2000 years old is ludicrous.

Answer 10

Theories are only listed as so because they cannot technically be proven. Gravity is still a theory, as stated in the "theory of relativity." Anyone want to debate gravity?

By the way, more people believe in evolution than believe in God. It is accepted as fact (though can never actually be a fact, because of theories and laws, etc) in every developed country except our intelligent country and Turkey. If you went to Canada, Great Britain, Japan, etc. and told anyone you didn't believe in evolution, you would earn the label "ignorant American." Either that or "idiot." Both would be correct.

Answer 11

"I am talking about species to species evolution"

That is why you don't understand evolution and people think you are a religious fanatic. You should question Evolution but I think you are searching for your answers in the wrong place. It is a common Theist misconception that one species can turn into another. A turtle can never become a horse, yet some Theists(Christians mostly) Seem to think that is what evolution is.