i found this funny

[MrGoodBytes]

Ten virtual bucks say he never believed in evolution to start with.

 

[Mallon]

Ten virtual bucks say he never believed in evolution to start with.

I'm not taking that bet -- I agree with you.
And if he did "believe in" evolution; he certainly didn't understand the science behind it.
I've heard some Christians say some pretty stupid things (in this forum, especially). But thankfully, I know that the merits of Christianity rest not with the people who practice it, but with the teachings the Bible itself professes. NEWS FLASH: the same can be said for the theory of evolution. If one man says something that sounds silly, it would be even more silly of you to reject the entire theory out of hand as a result of hearing his words.

 

[Ryal Kane]

The 'great great great cousin' comment is an example or relation not of age. No one is suggesting it happened three generations ago.

I recommend eading up a little more on the subject. I don't think I've ever come across a creationist with an acurate understanding of evolution, so if nothng else, you'd impress me to be the first.

And there are plenty of Christians on this board alone who reconcile their faith and science.

 

[f U z ! o N]

i did believe in it a bit but i guess never fully. i read both sides of the issue, creationists and evolutionists. i read these forums a lot and such. i just made my opinon on my own. simple as that.

 

[Mallon]

i did believe in it a bit but i guess never fully. i read both sides of the issue, creationists and evolutionists. i read these forums a lot and such. i just made my opinon on my own. simple as that.

Fair enough. But I would NEVER direct someone to inform themselves about Christianity by reading these forums, let alone evolution. If you're truly interested in forming an educated opinion about evolution, read any of Stephen Gould's many works, or read Bob Carroll's Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution, or even Christian scientists treaments on the subject (e.g. Finding Darwin's God, Paradigms on Pilgrimage, etc.). Turning to places like AiG or CRS to learn about evolution is like turning to a Muslim to learn about Christianity. You're not going to hear the whole story.

 

[random_guy]

i did believe in it a bit but i guess never fully. i read both sides of the issue, creationists and evolutionists. i read these forums a lot and such. i just made my opinon on my own. simple as that.

Well, I remember a lot of your posts from hardcore YECists to hard core bashing YECism. Are you now more IDist or OECist, or are you back to YECism?

Anyway, I hope you still keep an open mind and continue to read and learn about science, regardless of whatever you believe. I find that rather than believing in science, which I hate it when people say that, I hope you'll eventually come to accept science.

I think it's better for you to remain skeptical until you understand the principles behind evolution, rather than just accept it based on what people say on this board. If you have any questions about specific issues, feel free to PM me.

 

[f U z ! o N]

Well, I remember a lot of your posts from hardcore YECists to hard core bashing YECism. Are you now more IDist or OECist, or are you back to YECism?

Anyway, I hope you still keep an open mind and continue to read and learn about science, regardless of whatever you believe. I find that rather than believing in science, which I hate it when people say that, I hope you'll eventually come to accept science.

I think it's better for you to remain skeptical until you understand the principles behind evolution, rather than just accept it based on what people say on this board. If you have any questions about specific issues, feel free to PM me.

i'll still read and have an open mind but that doesn't mean i will accept evolution. i love learning new stuff though.

 

[KittyPryde]

I found this experience to be very enlightening!

I was at Dinosaur Adventure Land, learning all the great facts of how our planet was created. Please forgive me if it seems I am making fun of someone's serious efforts to prove a creationist theory.

Leaving that day, I realized I no longer believed dinosaurs walked with humans and the world just suddenly appearing over night. The whole notion of instantaneous creation began to seem rather ridiculous.

After that day, I forever gave up believing the myths of Creationist Science.

{no plagiarism intended!)

 

[Hydra009]

I've heard this a few times. But do all living species theoretically go back to one common ancestor?

Yes, more than one common ancestor, actually. For example, if we compare humans and chimps, we not only have at least one hominid common ancestor but also at least one mammalian common ancestor before hominids ever existed and at least one chordate common ancestor before mammals ever existed, etc.

As Silent Bob pointed out, the term that is usually used is LUCA (last universal common ancestor). And as Michabo pointed out, lateral gene trasfer makes it impossible to claim any particular ancient species as the common ancestor of all life.

If so, what is that common ancestor that we all go back to?

Unknown. Bear in mind that not every species that ever existed has been recorded and while the big picture of the descent of high taxa such as phylums, classes, and orders are well-known and illustrated in phylogenetic trees, the exact ancestries of individual species usually aren't very well known.

Is a certain single-celled organism?

It depends on what two species you are comparing. Chimpanzees and humans have a much more recent common ancestor (with a common ancestor in the tribe Hominini) than humans and Tiktaalik roseae (with a common ancestor in the class Sarcopterygii)

I think I got that right. I'm not an expert in phylogenetic relationships, so if I got something wrong, let me know.

 

[JGL53]

so im at my christian gym, The Lord's Gym, and im reading the TIME magazine article about Titaalik Rosae (sp?) and this scientist said it was our great great great great cousin. I know im going to get bashed for this, but i found it so funny that i laughed at it, got up, and realized i was done believing in evolution.

…bash away.

So, then, this seems to be a form of argument from personal incredulity. Though a logically flawed argument, I certainly can understand it.

Ah, the memories - back to when I was about nine years old and was first exposed to the idea of naturalistic evolution. It seemed utterly unbelievable to me at the time, and impossible to the point of ridiculousness – in other words, laughable.

Flash forward a couple of decades – after years of reading books on science, including evolution, all in my spare time, it became obvious to me that evolution was no more laughable than any other rather counter-intuitive idea, e.g., the germ theory of disease, the atomic theory of matter, E = MC2, heliocentricity, a spheroid earth, the size of the observable universe, etc.

Plus, here’s the kicker - which idea is more ridiculous and laughable? –

1. Naturalistic evolution
2. An invisible immaterial super person who spoke the observable universe into existence out of literal nothingness, as is, complete with complex beings such as adult humans (with navels?), fully-grown bears, tigers, rabbits, cows, goats, horses, etc., all at some point in the past (30 trillion years, 5 billion years, 6 thousand years, or two seconds ago, what would it matter?)

The first theory is hard to understand, granted, especially for those lacking the intellectual capacity to ever understand it, or who have the capacity but lack the education.

The second idea is a fairy tale unworthy of any person who isn’t an aborigine living in a grass hut in a desert, running around buck naked while throwing pointed sticks at animals who are potential lunch.

Yeah – make me laugh, guys.

 

[Dal M.]

I think you missed April Fool's Day by about a month and a half, Fuzion.

If you're being serious - wow. Maybe you can answer a few questions for me:

• Like Random Guy, I remember you displaying quite a bit of disdain for YECism in the past. Now your profile says you're a YEC. Since disregarding the ToE doesn't necessarily mean you have to swing all the way to the other end of the spectrum, I'm curious what made YECism attractive to you.
• What do you now think of the evidence that points pretty unambiguously toward the ToE?
• How do you feel the ToE was threatening your faith?

 

[Doctrine1st]

it did at first, then i realized it was weaking my faith and it seemed absurd to believe in so i changed my views.

Well there you go.

It was the article that made you recommit to mythology, but not because it was in error. It was because evidence from science threatened your fragile world of believing claims of the untenable. So therefore, rather than accept where logic was leading you, you recommited yourself to something most psychologists would see as embracing the comfort of your denial.

For example, rather than realizing a love one is dead and gone, we create this comforting delusion that they went to this place called heaven awaiting our reunion.

 

[Norseman]

I've heard this a few times. But do all living species theoretically go back to one common ancestor?

Probably. It's possible that abiogenesis occurred in several seperate instances, but if we're talking about all life we've analyzed so far then the chances are pretty good that it all goes back to one common ancestor. DNA and common cell structures lend credence to this.

If so, what is that common ancestor that we all go back to? Is a certain single-celled organism?

Yes, the simpler the organism the more plausible the candidate it is for abiogenesis. The most likely first organism would be an anaerobic chemophille, which would replicate with the chemicals that were present where it began. Basically, it wouldn't be a whole lot more complicated than a self-replicating chemical.

 

[Split Rock]

Glad you saw the light. Since God is the Creator, it makes a lot of sense to hear what He says about our origins. He made us in His image. We are unique among all of God's creation and were created to be His children.

While all species are "unique," we are also animals just like our friend the fishapod was.

 

[DrFate]

There is a "LORDS GYM" in Vancouver Washington. The Quakers also hold meetings the building.

 

[Dr.GH]

so im at my christian gym, The Lord's Gym, and im reading the TIME magazine article about Titaalik Rosae (sp?) and this scientist said it was our great great great great cousin. I know im going to get bashed for this, but i found it so funny that i laughed at it, got up, and realized i was done believing in evolution.
bash away.

But talking animals are OK? Sure they are. You are OK too! Sure you are.

 

[Dr.GH]

There is a "LORDS GYM" in Vancouver Washington. The Quakers also hold meetings the building.

Hey, we held meeting at the local Whitter Ca, YMCA.

 

[Mocca]

For many it is derived from the idea that human origins can only be explained with reference to naturalistic causes. In that way it is a belief.

But this belief isn't the Theory of Evolution. So yeah, some people hold this belief, but this belief isn't the Theory of Evolution.