Ever heard it said, if you tell a lie long enough it will become truth? Or, in journalistic terms, if you have to choose between printing the truth or the legend, print the legend?
- “If you tell a lie big enough (common descent is a fact) and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State (Atheistism) to use all of its powers to repress dissent (Evidence & ID), for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie(common descent), and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State (Atheism).”(Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels)
Hmmm, I see a parallel here to evolution and global warming... Ok, Ok, just having a little fun.
THEORY:
In science a theory is as close to a fact scientists can get. Gravity is a theory, though we can be sure that if we drop our peanut buttered toast one hundred times it is going to fall onto the floor. And, if you are like me, it will land peanut butter side down every time. A theory is supported by evidence and repeated testing but can still be refuted if evidence surfaces that does so. The word theory is tossed around in science conversations loosely at times when what they really mean is hypothesis.
When it is said evolution is a fact, the evolutionist usually tries to apply this blanket statement to both variation, and adaptive changes within species, as well as to Universal Common Ancestry (UCA), also known as Descent with Modification. To the evolutionist, the small changes that are seen in nature, will over billions of years give rise to completely different organisms, which is the essence of UCA. This would include
whales evolving from 4 legged land mammals. Adaptive evolution and transformative evolution are two different animals. Adaptive evolution is a theory well supported by evidence and repeated testing. Adaptive evolution is non controversial and is accepted by all scientists. When you read about the overwhelming evidence for evolution, this is the type of evolution being talked about. The evidence for variations and adaptations is well supported and undisputed.The evolution lobby will criticize ID supporters by trying to promote to the public they deny evolution occurs when clearly it does. This is a misdirect. No one opposes evolution.Common descent on the other hand, has no such body of evidence and is well disputed.
EVOLUTION (variation, adaptation, minor changes)
all occur. This gives species reproductive advantages that leads to successful reproductive proliferation. For example; bacteria mutate enabling them to survive anti-biotic attacks. This is an a benefit. However, if a beneficial mutation does not randomly occur that is beneficial, the bacterial will die out. If the beneficial mutation does occur, then only the mutated bacteria survive and continue to multiply. Mutations are random rolls of the dice. It is only because of the high rate of reproduction and high rate of mutation that enables more opportunities for beneficial mutations to be passed on to new generations of bacteria. This is simply because they have not been killed off. So you could say, they have not been selected to die. The term selection suggests some intelligence involved and there is not. Natural selection simply means traits that promote reproduction are passed on because they are the ones reproducing. The others are dying off. The result is a population with the new trait or traits. Another example may the peppered moth. Generally a light colored moth some may have mutated and turned dark, almost black which helped to hide them from birds during the industrial revolution back in the late 1700's. Some scientists believe this helped them to avoid being eaten by birds as opposed to their light colored cousins who were easily scene in the soot covered trees. There was a rise in dark colored moth populations. If this is true it would be another example of mutational variation. This is still controversial.
HYPOTHESIS:
"A supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation."
EVOLUTION (Transformative, major changes resulting in new body plans)
This is where Universal Common Ancestry comes in, or as Darwin put it, descent with modification. This hypothesis proposes that every living thing on earth can be traced back to a single, single celled organism. It is based on limited inferred evidence. For example, similarity of features of different species, ie; a bats wing and a human arm have very similar
mechanical physiology. The inference is a common ancestor. For an other scientists it suggests a common design feature. Similarities in DNA in living things causes evolution scientists to infer a common ancestor. Though, the more DNA is dissimilar the evolutionist will use as proof of distance from a common ancestor. For example, chimps and humans are between 75% and 95% similar in DNA depending on who you listen to. The inference here is we are close on the evolutionary
tree of life. Other scientists infer a common design in programming as we are somewhat similar in physiology. Where there is far less similarity, that evidence is interpreted as a greater evolutionary separation. So in a way evolutionists have found a way to count less evidence as proof of their claim of UCA. More inference is made from fossil evidence though there are great gaps in the record and a lack of transitional forms. Instead the fossil record shows sudden appearances of organisms followed by stasis, which is no changes. There simply is no gradualism in the fossil record that Darwin wrote must be there for his "theory" to be valid.
The problems with the evidence that is supposed to support this hypothesis have been answered, so lets look at a couple.
Stasis in the fossil record has been explained by something called "stabilizing selection". Unprovable outside the hypothesis itself. Untestable because who has a millions of years to test it. Another answer to stasis is that the record is just incomplete so gradualism isn't observed. (is this testable?) Another is that the transitional forms just were not preserved. Another is evolution occurred too quickly so the transitions were not preserved. Science news articles are filled with stories of "rapid evolution" Do you see the problem here? Outside the hypothesis, nothing is testable. These are
ad hoc explanations to try and uphold the hypothesis.
FACT:
We read all the time evolution is a fact but is it? A fact can be defined as something that has been verified repeatedly by testing. It is petty much a fact that if you throw a ball into the air and nothing interferes with it, it will fall back to to earth. This is considered a fact because it has been observed many times and has never been refuted. Gravity is a theory that explains this fact. Theories and Hypotheses explain or interpret facts. Here are some more facts;
- You can't use the word evolution as a general term to cover both variation and transformation. Evidence supports one and not the other
- If you point this out to an evolutionist, you will be insulted.
- When you are insulted, you know they don't have an answer.
- Atheists have a large stake in UCA.
- Buttered toast always lands upside down.
- Science magazines are one of the sales and marketing arms of evolution.
Lets look at one paper in Nature. One of the countless marketing evolution. This one flat out states the debate is over, Common Ancestry is now fact!
Study proves Darwin's theory of universal common ancestry: "A large scale, quantitative test has proved Darwin's theory of universal common ancestry (UCA), linking all forms of life by a shared genetic heritage from single-celled microorganisms to humans, as correct." and how did it do that?
- "Recent molecular evidence indicates... may have undergone... In that case, some scientists argue,... Let's say...If so... could have... Either way, ... Harnessing powerful computational tools and applying Bayesian statistics,..."
Not exactly the language of certainty and fact is it. "powerful computational tools... statistics", code for evolutionary program written to find evolutionary connections. There are no facts here, and certainly no proof for anything. This article along with countless others is just another evolution marketing pitch. One which like all the rest affirms Darwin's supremacy and expresses common ancestry as a proven fact.