Why do you believe in the evolution theory?

[Followers4christ]

I don't see a denial of evolution as a failure to think critically. It's a theory for a reason and just like everyone says I shouldn't just accept things from the bible without critical thinking people shouldn't accept theories as fact. Micro evolution makes sense and is factual but the theory of evolution is not. Evolution is nothing more then a flawed theory. I've never seen a half monkey half man.... And where's that missing link again??? It can't be fact if it's not proven.

So if you believe in evolution tell us why.

 

[Audacious]

I've never seen a half-monkey half-man

That's because we didn't evolve from monkeys, but a common ancestor of monkeys.

And where's that missing link again?

We have transitional fossils for all kinds of things, but not an oddly specific one for man, because there is not a complete fossil record. It's about what you'd expect.

Before really getting into this discussion, I'd like you to give a clear and exact (for the purposes of said discussion) definition of micro-evolution and macro-evolution.

 

[Shemjaza]

I don't see a denial of evolution as a failure to think critically. It's a theory for a reason and just like everyone says I shouldn't just accept things from the bible without critical thinking people shouldn't accept theories as fact. Micro evolution makes sense and is factual but the theory of evolution is not. Evolution is nothing more then a flawed theory. I've never seen a half monkey half man.... And where's that missing link again??? It can't be fact if it's not proven.

So if you believe in evolution tell us why.

What's the barrier between micro evolution and macro evolution aside from population isolation and time?

Please explain the flaws of evolution and why macro evolution doesn't make sense.

And as to the old missing link, take your pick:

These guys might not all be directly ancestral, but they clearly show that the distinction of "ape" and "man" is meaningless.

 

[lewiscalledhimmaster]

I don't see a denial of evolution as a failure to think critically. It's a theory for a reason and just like everyone says I shouldn't just accept things from the bible without critical thinking people shouldn't accept theories as fact. Micro evolution makes sense and is factual but the theory of evolution is not. Evolution is nothing more then a flawed theory. I've never seen a half monkey half man.... And where's that missing link again??? It can't be fact if it's not proven.

So if you believe in evolution tell us why.

If you are going to do Science, you need to learn the terminology.

THEORY

'....In modern science, the term "theory" refers to scientific theories, a well-confirmed type of explanation of nature, made in a way consistent with scientific method, and fulfilling the criteria required by modern science. Such theories are described in such a way that any scientist in the field is in a position to understand and either provide empirical support ("verify") or empirically contradict ("falsify") it. Scientific theories are the most reliable, rigorous, and comprehensive form of scientific knowledge*, in contrast to more common uses of the word "theory" that imply that something is unproven or speculative (which is better characterized by the word 'hypothesis') **.Scientific theories are distinguished from hypotheses, which are individual empirically testable conjectures, and scientific laws, which are descriptive accounts of how nature will behave under certain conditions.....'***

~~~
Theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Compiled from the following sources:

*Schafersman, Steven D. "An Introduction to Science"
** National Academy of Sciences, 2008
*** http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_law

 

[quatona]

I don't see a denial of evolution as a failure to think critically.

That depends on the way you arrived at this denial.

It's a theory for a reason

Just like gravity theory a theory for a reason - and science doesn´t call something a theory without good reason.

and just like everyone says I shouldn't just accept things from the bible without critical thinking people shouldn't accept theories as fact.

You seem to have no idea of the standards required for something to be a scientific theory. "Theory" in science doesn´t mean "wild guess", empty assertion", or "the first half-baked idea that rushed through my brain".

Micro evolution makes sense and is factual but the theory of evolution is not. Evolution is nothing more then a flawed theory. I've never seen a half monkey half man.... And where's that missing link again??? It can't be fact if it's not proven.

I´m sorry to be so blunt, but it sounds like you don´t even know what evolution theory actually says.

 

[Simmeh]

"Creationists make it sound as though a 'theory' is something you dreamt up after being drunk all night."
― Isaac Asimov

 

[Phenotype]

Followers4Christ,

I have no confidence that you are open to, or actively seeking to learn anything. I'll assert that you're really not. You just want to preach.

You are actually bored, and I don't wonder. Is life really that sublime?

What books have you actually read authentically explaining the evolutionary account of life?

Evolution is no longer a theory. Richard Dawkins accords to it the preserve of a 'theorum.' That is a proven theory.

Genetics, paleontology, molecular biology, virology, bacteriology, all biology substantiates and is dependent on understanding evolution by natural selection and heritability. A genome is a recipe for making an organism, which is a survival machine for passing on its genes. Natural selection sorts out those with adaptive advantage in the competition for life, from among naturally occurring mutations, most of which are deleterious.

Look up the literature, the books to buy, order and pay for them online, eagerly await them in the mail and gratefully hunker down and closely read them. I use The Book Depository UK. Dawkins is an international treasure. So is Daniel C Dennett, equally to be valued. Dennett is an American.

Read The Blind Watchmaker and The Selfish Gene, R. Dawkins. Then read The Extended Phenotype, The Devil's Chaplain, The Ancestors Tale (awesomely beautiful, read it twice), River Out of Eden, Unweaving the Rainbow, The Greatest Show On Earth, The God Delusion, An Appetite For Wonder.These are by Professor R. Dawkins.

By then you should well understand. Good luck. Those in your world will put up resistance. You will be anathematised, an infidel. Apostate. Join an atheist public Forum for sanity's sake, and also to do some good. Find new comrades. At least atheist Forums don't have such annoying Smilies.

These recommended books will require focused attention and an educable attitude, also intellectual courage, integrity.

 

[Strathos]

Because what we see in nature makes it incontrovertible, unless you want to posit that God is a deceiver.

 

[lewiscalledhimmaster]

I think we might have frightened another butterfly.

 

[Phenotype]

I will repeat what Simon Laplace, French astronomer said in reply to Napoleon when he was summonsed to have audience with him. Laplace didn't know if it would go very well for him.

Asked about God, taught as Author of the Universe, Laplace answered Napoleon, 'je n'avais pas besoin de cette hypothese-la."

I have no need for that hypothesis.

Have you read 'There Was No Jesus, There Is No God.'? Raphael Lataster. An Australian academic, which is nice. Authentic historiography. An Amazon best-seller.

Did you know the gospels (what a mess of fabrications) were written well after the rantings of Paul?

A great, great book. He has a new one coming out.

 

[lewiscalledhimmaster]

I will repeat what Simon Laplace, French astronomer said in reply to Napoleon when he was summonsed to have audience with him. Laplace didn't know if it would go very well for him.

Asked about God, taught as Author of the Universe, Laplace answered Napoleon, 'je n'avais pas besoin de cette hypothese-la."

I have no need for that hypothesis.

Have you read 'There Was No Jesus, There Is No God.'? Raphael Lataster. An Australian academic, which is nice. Authentic historiography. An Amazon best-seller.

There are too many books to read and not enough which hold in their heart the key of knowledge. I said that.

Did you know the gospels (what a mess of fabrications) were written well after the rantings of Paul?

"Let's start at the very beginning ...." Julie Andrews sang that.

Do you believe Jesus existed? If not, read anything by Ben Witherington debunking the Zeitgheist Movie. If not, have you ever studied the synoptics, or are you just having a little rant? If not, please support your allegations with more than pontificating.

A great, great book. He has a new one coming out.

Not books, letters. Where did you study the Bible? Don't tell me. You've never read it, from front cover to back cover.

 

[Phenotype]

I think we might have frightened another butterfly.

Cryptospeak. Who's 'we?'

I don't flounce off or do a runner, myself. Reason can't get offended. I've seen plenty of Christians not handle the heat and cry 'hurt fawn,' commit every logical fallacy under the sun, 'special pleading,' etc, then flame out with the big dramatic departure. Where I engage, it is very hard indeed to get yourself banned.

I get bored rather easily. Then I have to remind myself, I was there once myself. I have made up lost time with education. I know all one needs to know about Christianity.

 

[lewiscalledhimmaster]

Cryptospeak. Who's 'we?'

I don't flounce off or do a runner, myself. Reason can't get offended. I've seen plenty of Christians not handle the heat and cry 'hurt fawn,' commit every logical fallacy under the sun, 'special pleading,' etc, then flame out with the big dramatic departure. Where I engage, it is very hard indeed to get yourself banned.

I get bored rather easily. Then I have to remind myself, I was there once myself. I have made up lost time with education. I know all one needs to know about Christianity.

I was bored before I was born.
Reason can only take a person so far, then one hits a ceiling.
It's called mortality.
Lying dying in a hospital bed, soon delivers one of all evil.
I actually have read it all, written a few books about it -- the next world.
Reason and faith are the gospel of skeptics and most Christians respectively, but what do you know of Jesus -- did he exist, was he a figment of the imagination, a poet's reverie, a mystics passion or was he the Son of God?
As we can neither put divinity or deity in a laboratory, we are left with only one option -- a personal encounter with God. Short of that we have zero.
Zero is a good start, it is better than x. (Or, is it?)
Who can live without knowing with some degree of certainty whether there is a world after this one.
I could, until I was told that my heart was too bad to fix.
What do you have, Mr Straight Shooter?

 

[Phenotype]

There are too many books to read and not enough which hold in their heart the key of knowledge. I said that.

That's called a 'deepity.' Daniel C Dennett satirises them in 'Intuition Pumps and other tools for thinking,' Penguin, 2013.

"Let's start at the very beginning ...." Julie Andrews sang that.

The next movie, she flashed her [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse].

Do you believe Jesus existed? If not, read anything by Ben Witherington debunking the Zeitgheist Movie. If not, have you ever studied the synoptics, or are you just having a little rant? If not, please support your allegations with more than pontificating.

Nothing at all to do with conspiracy theories or that movie. I didn't catch it. I guess that fictional movie is riding on the fact that the cat is out of the bag on the Jesus Myth with modern scholarship and internet access to antiquities.

Authentic historiography undertaken with ruthlessly honest Baysian methodology, identifying sources as primary or secondary and accordingly rating them for reliability, indicates no evidence at all for the existence of Jesus, especially for a biblical Jesus. The evidence is compelling that the biblical Jesus was fabricated, spurious, the Jesus Myth.
The book again is 'There Was No Jesus, There is No God.' A scholarly examination of the scientific, historical, and philosophical evidence & arguments for monotheism,' Raphael Lataster, 2013.

I have studied the synoptics, but more importantly, the best scholarship so far on the subject of the origins of the various gospels, some of which were left out of the Canon, for my very protection. I was a Christian for 13 years of my precious life. The intellect is most precious.

Not books, letters. Where did you study the Bible? Don't tell me. You've never read it, from front cover to back cover.

I went to Wesleyan theological college. I know about Calvinism and Pentecostalism, eschatologies and all. So formulaic, so boring. Study. Read.

You already have your pre-prepared rebuttal: "you never knew Jesus." Damn right there - nobody does. The Emperor's New Clothes.

 

[Shemjaza]

I think we might have frightened another butterfly.

Looking at the quite long posting history, I suspect they just recently got a bee in their bonnet about evolution and thought they would receive a much less confident response when they made their post.

 

[Oafman]

I don't see a denial of evolution as a failure to think critically. It's a theory for a reason and just like everyone says I shouldn't just accept things from the bible without critical thinking people shouldn't accept theories as fact. Micro evolution makes sense and is factual but the theory of evolution is not. Evolution is nothing more then a flawed theory. I've never seen a half monkey half man.... And where's that missing link again??? It can't be fact if it's not proven.

So if you believe in evolution tell us why.

I'm an athiest, so you're unlikely to listen to me. Instead,you should listen to the vast majority of the world's Christians, when they explain why they accept the facts of evolution

 

[Phenotype]

I was bored before I was born.

Snied bollocks. Make sense.

Reason can only take a person so far, then one hits a ceiling.
It's called mortality.

Throw away your intellectual potential then. The Prisoner's Dilemma. Better bank with Jesus, eh C S Lewis? Mortality ain't nuthin.' At least I found out in time and applied myself well. I'm cool to go. What survives me is my recordings and my reputation.

Lying dying in a hospital bed, soon delivers one of all evil.
I actually have read it all, written a few books about it -- the next world.

Next world? No, mate.

Reason and faith are the gospel of skeptics and most Christians respectively,

Another deepity. That's profoundly vacuous and a no brainer, in all respect.

but what do you know of Jesus -- did he exist, was he a figment of the imagination, a poet's reverie, a mystics passion or was he the Son of God?

The Jesus Myth was fabricated by certain individuals among the very few who had literacy, could not just read but could write too. They had influence. It's about self interest. It is propaganda. The society was a goat herding theocracy, much like Syria is today. It was the bronze age, my man. Superstition was the norm. Pre scientific, pre the Age of Enlightenment 17th Century western Europe.

As we can neither put divinity or deity in a laboratory, we are left with only one option -- a personal encounter with God. Short of that we have zero.

Yep. Materiality, empirical evidence and the necessary vulnerability to falsifiability for any truth claim not to be disqualified, is all there is. That discounts God, angels, Satan, the soul, spirituality, miracles, astrology... you get the picture.

Zero is a good start, it is better than x. (Or, is it?)

Make sense.

Who can live without knowing with some degree of certainty whether there is a world after this one.

Me. You don't know it in the legitimate, public sense of knowing something. That's called 'Special Pleading' in logical fallacies. What you are arrogating as valid knowledge is merely subjective. But I don't believe you actually, really believe it.

I could, until I was told that my heart was too bad to fix.
What do you have, Mr Straight Shooter?

How poetic. How self demeaning for you. I'm sure you don't rate as more moral than I, far be it for me to surmise on that one. I don't have onerous imperatives burdening me, so I'm not all repressed, maladaptive.

Education is transformational. Me telling you that...I guess I'm your best friend. Take it on. Capitulate.

Nobody tells me what my opinion is on anything. Did once. I reclaimed my autonomy.

 

[RickG]

I think we might have frightened another butterfly.

Uh Oh! The butterfly effect.

 

[RickG]

I don't see a denial of evolution as a failure to think critically. It's a theory for a reason and just like everyone says I shouldn't just accept things from the bible without critical thinking people shouldn't accept theories as fact. Micro evolution makes sense and is factual but the theory of evolution is not. Evolution is nothing more then a flawed theory. I've never seen a half monkey half man.... And where's that missing link again??? It can't be fact if it's not proven.

So if you believe in evolution tell us why.

I am not at all concerned whether or not you accept the theory of evolution as a fact or not.

What I am concerned about is whether that non-acceptance is based misrepresented information. As a Christian, I am extremely saddened by the fact that the vast majority of so-called Christian organizations you can access on the internet provide their rebuttals of evolutionary theory and other sciences through the misrepresentation of science; and almost entirely none of those people have any background whatsoever in what they are criticizing, much less experience or expertise. In my opinion, that is not good stewardship of the Christian faith.

 

[pgp_protector]

Why do you believe in the evolution theory?

I Accept the Theory of Evolution because of the mounds of Evidence.