Evolution explains what no religion has ever been able to explain. Is that why some theists reject it?

Question

Religious folks tell us that an intelligent entity is the creator of the universe, but can never explain how or why this intelligence exists. The best they can do is to say it always existed (a statement which has no explanatory value).

Science, on the other hand, shows that intelligence and other features of life arose by a natural unthinking process of gradually increasing complexity over vast amounts of time. Indeed, this is the only way that intelligence could conceivably exist.

Is this why some theists fear and reject evolution despite the evidence - because it explains what their religions have never been able to explain?

pplz1st: People *are* apes.

Chrissy: Quite.

Bula'ia Aratyme: Good point.

Answer 1

Evolution is a religion based on faith.Actually,the Atheist/Evolutionist has MORE faith than a Creationist.There are MANY things "Science" cannot explain.Evolution is NOT science.Science is things SEEN,TESTED,or DEMONSTRATED.
Were YOU there to see this slow process happen?Did the sciencetextbook writers see it happen? Evolution does not explain anything at all.It is 100% based on faith,no proof for it.

Evolutionists and Creationists both rely on faith.Both sides use the same proof:
1--websites
2--books

Evolution cannot explain how life came from non-life.They cannot explain why we are here.Evolution is only science fiction.Fairyales like a lady kissing a frog and it turns into a prince.
Fossils only prove something died.My dog digs up bones and fossils as well.Can I get tex payers to pay him too?

Answer 2

"...The best they can do is to say it always existed (a statement which has no explanatory value)."

As someone who wholeheartedly affirms evolution (both macro and micro), the ignorance contained in this statement is clear evidence of failure to understand what science aims to achieve, namely, to supply chains of reasoning in which contingency rests. Indeed, a key point of evolution is to explain why humans are they way they are, why intelligence developed, why we have thumbs, why our mitochondrial DNA comes only from our mothers and a host of other facts about us. All of these facts are contingent. They *require* explanation. One cannot, as creationists are wont to do, simply assert them. What enriches the sciences and our understanding to the world is that all of the facts in these chains of reason are themselves contingent and also *require* explanation. Indeed, some of the most important theoretical work currently does in physics is about why, for example, the proton, or neutron has the mass it has, indeed, where mass actually comes from.

But the search is on for chains which are not interminable, in which necessity comes into play, and this leads to the point you completely miss: necessity needs no explanation. Indeed, asking for an explanation of what is necessary reveals a lack of understanding about what necessary means. For example, a map drawn on any plane separated into regions, such as a political map of the states of a country, has the property that the regions may be colored using no more than four colors in such a way that no two adjacent regions receive the same color. This is a necessary feature of maps on a plane. It makes no sense at all to ask, "Well, why is it necessary?" Nor does it make any sense to ask, "Well, do you have any *evidence* that it is true?"

To prove the theorem, it to end the chain of reasons in that which is necessary.

The theological claim is that whatever people mean by god (Christians, Muslims, Jews, Spinozists, Aristotelians, Hindus and more) this is what they mean: the universe as a whole is contingent and *its* explanation finally rests in the non-contingent --whatever that may be.

Oh would that people spend a little time actually reading about the philosophy of the sciences. Where is Lakatos, or Popper when needed? :)

HTH

Charles

Answer 3

If evolution explains life, then there would need to be some evidence. So far by scientist, they can only speculate what happened. The book of Genesis has been validated by scholars, theologians, and historians. Now it is even being proven by scientist. So where did God come from? Well, besides eyewitness accounts from Genesis and the documented life of Jesus Christ that God exists. We don't know, but evolution has a bigger problem. The belief that nothing exploded into everything is a lil unreasonable. I might be able to believe it if God came down and told us that it happened. That wasn't the case. Either way, both beliefs are frightening. If there is a God we better find out who he is and what he wants, but worst, if we evolved out of chance, then we are hurdling thru space at 66,000 miles per hour and no body's in charge.

Answer 4

Evolution is only a theory.
There was no human around to make observations and take notes so the best they can do is estimate what happened long ago.

Besides, it is very hard for me to comprehend how a lower life form could "decide" to become something it is not and has never seen before when it doesn't have the intelligence to determine what changes it needs to make.

Answer 5

Exactly. Fundamentalists would rather believe the creation myths of scientifically illiterate (understandable for the time they lived in), ignorant nomad people who wandered around in the desert, herding goats and calling themselves the "Chosen People."

By the way, Genesis was NOT written by Abraham. It was thought up at around the time of Isaiah because the Hebrews thought they needed a creation myth to compare with other religions. Theirs is basically the same as the Sumerians' story.

Answer 6

I still maintain that science and religion balance and complement each other.

I am Christian, but believe that evolution is only logical. Who is to say that the Big Bang, evolution, etc. aren't precisely what God used to create the universe and this world?

As far as the Higher Power always existing, infinity is a widely accepted scientific/mathematic principle, why can it, therefore, not also exist in the spiritual realm?

Answer 7

Evolution has in no way been reported. Evolution violates the 2nd regulation of thermodynamics. There are actually not any transitional fossils. the thought of evolution says that life originated, and evolution proceeds, by skill of random risk. Evolution is barely a thought; it hasn't been proved.

Answer 8

Fundamentalists reject evolution for two reasons. One, it contradicts their literal interpretation of the Bible. Two, they are revolted by the idea that humans are primates, because other primate species are regarded to be ugly. The idea that our remote ancestors may have been ugly is unacceptable to them. However, I can reassure them on that point. Before primates evolved, our common ancestor looked more like a squirrel, and since squirrels are cute, fundamentalists should not be so revolted.

Answer 9

Society is divided over the theory of evolution. This controversy has entered our schools, religious teachings and politics.

There is no way to prove religious faith scientifically. There is also no way scientists can rule out religion, or even have anything significant to say about the abstract idea of a divine creator.

It is up to each individual to make up their own mind about faith in God and creation.


"Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind." by Albert Einstein

Answer 10

You haven't explained anything. You have pushed the question back only as far as it already went with the only difference being the absurdity of believing in either an eternal, self existent universe, or a self created universe. How is your answer clearer again?