I have studied this topic on and off for the three years I've been in school, and am now taking an evolutionary biology course at a public university in the US. I wanted to create this thread because from browsing these forums I have seen that there is a lot of ignorance and miseducation surrounding the topic of evolution. Many of it is the same false misconceptions that are passed on by religious leaders to promote belief in religious explanations of nature. In my opinion, these misinformation is hurting our people because it keeps us from understanding what the rest of the advanced societies already understand. I want to address these misconceptions so that we can start to begin our discussions involving religion and science from a common ground of knowledge.

One of the most hindering misconceptions to understanding evolution, is that evolution is not valid because we only have a theory and not a law. I want to make these two things clear upfront:
Laws are NOT applicable and make no sense in the context of biology - only math/physics.
and The word "Theory" in science has a very different meaning than the layman's term.

Biology operates based on collections of primarily non-mathematical facts. For example,
"Cells are the fundamental units of life"
"Cells use nutrients obtained from the environment to make copies of themselves and their DNA"
"DNA has a double-helix structure kept together by hydrogen bonds"
"Alleles are passed on in different frequencies every generation"
"Organisms can possess traits that help or hinder their survival"

Scientific theories are the most thorough set of explanations currently existing, that encompass and make sense of all of the facts related to the observed phenomenon at hand. Scientific theories are not the same as GUESSES or HYPOTHESES. The definition of a scientific theory is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than that of the word "theory" in layman's terms. People seem to be very unaware that the word has two definitions, so I will define it here:

A "theory" in layman's terms is "a conjecture, an opinion, a speculation or an assumption based on limited information or experience, not necessarily on facts."

A SCIENTIFIC THEORY is "a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment."

They are almost completely opposite meanings.

The Theory of Evolution EXPLAINS the biological FACTS that comprise the natural process of evolution. Here are some of those FACTS:
- Cells are the fundamental units of life and all of those cells contain genetic material.
- The collection of genetic material each organism posseses changes slightly from generation to generation because of mutations and genetic mixing via sex or other reproductive means.
- The genetic traits that contribute to or do not harm an organism's survival in its specific environment get passed on to succeeding generations. Traits that are deleterious to survival eventually eliminated from the gene pool of that population.
- Over many, many generations this process slowly creates new species - members of a population become so far removed genetically, that they can no longer reproduce with one another.
- This explains why we dig up ancient fossils of organisms that look very different than the ones currently living, yet still share some similarities (indicating common ancestry).

- This explains why we see organisms that are extremely well-matched to their present environments and biological niches - and why the "well-matched" organisms of the past are not the same "well-matched" organisms of the present.

- This explains why habitat destruction or tampering of any kind can be so harmful to wildlife.
- This explains why bacterial populations grown for thousands of generations in a lab became more and more genetically adapted to their environment each generation (experiment done by Dr. Richard E. Lenski, Michigan State University).
- This explains why DNA and RNA are the molecular units of genetic material present in every single organism on earth, and why organisms that share similarities in behavior, morphology, reproduction, etc, usually share very similar gene sequences.

The definition of evolution is simply the gradual change in traits of populations, through generations, over time.


Since Jean Baptiste Lamarck published the first cohesive theory describing evolution in the 1700s, and then Darwin (1800s) added some major changes with his discovery of natural selection as the means of evolution (rather than Lamarck's model of acquired characteristics) we have only been finding MORE and MORE FACTS supporting the theory.

This is why the theory still exists and has not lost its validity despite the high scrutiny of today's advanced scientific world. This is why it's still being researched heavily in every developed country (the US, Canada, Sweden, Japan, Germany, UK, just to name a few), why the top universities in the world all have an evolutionary biology department (including Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Campbridge, Columbia), this is why every peer-reviewed biological and medical research journal has tens to hundreds of thousands of hits for studies confirming evolution:
PLOS Biology
PubMed
Wiley Online Library

It is a confirmed fact (to the extent that humanity is able to confirm anything) that evolution is happening and has happened for all of life, that is not a matter of opinion. The very large amount of evidence we have does not point in any other direction. The Theory of Evolution as it stands today is simply humanity's latest and most refined description of that process and how it operates.

Thank you for reading.

@Cloudgoddess, you're doing a great job!!! Another common misconceptions is: 1.If we came from monkeys then why are their still monkeys.

@Cloudgoddess, you're doing a great job!!! Another common misconceptions is: 1.If we came from monkeys then why are their still monkeys.

^^^And, what were the last species to evolve? From what did they evolve to?
What species are undergoing evolution right now, who is observing this process?

75 Years ago naturalists observed that bats catch moths. Then came the discovery that bats produce sounds inaudible to the human ear and use echoes to locate their prey.

Now it appears that not only have moths developed soundproofing, but that they have ears specifically designed to listen in to an approaching enemy transmitter. To counter this advance, bats developed an irregular flight path, which confused the moths until they in turn came up with an ultrasonic jamming device. But bats still catch moths, and we wait to discover the next development in this drama of nature. This is evolution in action.

johnydon22:
Science section Goddess, this should be in the science section

I don't think that the people who need to see this most are going to be reading the science section... I put this here because I only post in the Religion section yet almost every thread involving creationism I'm having to explain evolution and it's getting quite tiring.

analice107:
^^^And, what were the last species to evolve? From what did they evolve to?
What species are undergoing evolution right now, who is observing this process?

Every species currently on earth is a product of the evolutionary processes that have been acting on it for many, many years. The process is ongoing, it will never stop until all life on earth dies out. It is happening right now for every species each generation.

It would be impossible to directly observe significant changes in allele frequencies in most non-microbial species (lions, elephants, dogs) because their generation times are way too long - major evolutionary changes typically take hundreds to thousands of generations, before any person could observe that, they would be dead long since.

However evolution is directly observed with fruit flies (usually drosophila melanogaster) and bacteria (usually e. coli) in biology labs across the world; since those species have short generation times (20 minutes for e.coli, 7 days for drosophila) and their DNA is easy to sequence (simplier organisms = less DNA). The organisms are allowed to reproduce for many, many generations, then their DNA is examined for the expected changes.

Hello to all. Since this thread is in the Religion section, I guess we should analyse Evolution from both the scientific and spiritual point of view.

Scientifically, Evolution is very obvious. It is a proven fact that bacteria have in the course of time developed genes that are resistant to Penicillin. What happened? The penicillin used to kill a majority of the bacteria, but the ones that had evolved and were resistant to the penicillin survived and created a new population of bacteria resistant to Penicillin. That's evolution at work.

On the spiritual side, it is blind religious faith - Believing without questioning whatever a religious leader or a religious book literally says - that pushes people to negate evolution. Evolution can be observed in the whole physical universe. Everything is cyclical: Birth growth maturity death then new birth. Everything evolves, nothing is static. Even the Universe is expanding at an accelerated pace.

So the law of evolution can be seen all over the universe. Why would a perfect God establish a law out of omniscience and later on break his own law? Why would God establish that man must born from a woman's egg fertilized by a man's spermatozoa, then later on come and create Human beings out of the dust without using neither eggs nor spermatozoid?

Some people would say it is because He is Omnipotent. I would then answer, there are things that are impossible to a perfect and omniscient God. God can't break his own law. Then it would mean his law was not perfect in the first place. Any change of law, is an indicator of imperfection. It is men that create laws then later modify or cancel them, since they are not omniscient. Besides, everyone will agree that God can't kill, steal, nor do anything contrary to his nature.

So Evolution is an expression of the will of God. And everything in the material sphere is the result of some form of Evolution.

Cheers to all.

Nice work op, I am impressed

analice107:
^^^And, what were the last species to evolve? From what did they evolve to?
What species are undergoing evolution right now, who is observing this process?

If you read the article, you wouldn't be asking this.

Sarassin:
75 Years ago naturalists observed that bats catch moths. Then came the discovery that bats produce sounds inaudible to the human ear and use echoes to locate their prey.

Now it appears that not only have moths developed soundproofing, but that they have ears specifically designed to listen in to an approaching enemy transmitter. To counter this advance, bats developed an irregular flight path, which confused the moths until they in turn came up with an ultrasonic jamming device. But bats still catch moths, and we wait to discover the next development in this drama of nature. This is evolution in action.

You guys can lie

LoJ:
Hello to all. ....

Nice post, but for the sake of clarity, when you use 'GOD', do you mean energy or a conscious invisible being aware of its actions?

"You guys can lie"................says the religious man who believes in talking ants and flying horses

sonOfLucifer:

Nice post, but for the sake of clarity, when you use 'GOD', do you mean energy or a conscious invisible being aware of its actions?

It is in my sensing impossible to define God. Both definition you gave are to some extend true, but deeply wrong. God is simply something/someone we can't understand. He is beyond definitions of personal/impersonal, conscious or unconscious.

When I write God, I am simply refering to the primitive cause (or being) out of which everything came.

Now to the question: How do you know there be God, since you can't even define him in concrete terms. Well, I know there is God from personal experiencing of the invisible worlds. It is not an evangelical/religious Truth, and I don't force it on others. Instead I encourage everyone to stick to whatever he is genuinely (not out of conformity or hypocrisy) convinced of. Time and experience always show us the validity or otherwise of our beliefs. Then if we are sincere we will reinforce them if they are true, or discard them.

To conclude, whatever I write is my opinion and the result of my experiences. People should feel free to criticize it and reject it. And it is by no means an attempt to change anyone's beliefs.

Greetings my dear "sonoflucifer".

LoJ:


Greetings my dear "sonoflucifer".

Good day to you too.

oluwalfa:

You guys can lie

Did you fact-check before coming up with this verdict.

So intelligent people believe crap about random mutations making living systems. What a joke.

UyiIredia:
So intelligent people believe crap about random mutations making living systems. What a joke.

If you do not believe, then what scientific model do you have that can disprove this? Please enlighten us.

CoolUsername:


If you do not believe, then what scientific model do you have that can disprove this? Please enlighten us.

Go to creation.com and other creationist sites and enlighten yourself.

CoolUsername:


If you do not believe, then what scientific model do you have that can disprove this? Please enlighten us.

common sense disproves it .

johnydon22:
I understand but once it is posted here many people who feels it threatens their beliefs will see it as another dogma aimed at destroying their beliefs.

So instead of seeing it as a piece of scientific enquiry and study they will look at it as a negating theory to counter their creation myths and beliefs

Scientific myths and beliefs like evolution aint fit to be the science section . Religion takes care of evolution

KingEbukasBlog:

common sense disproves it .

sorry. but the sense is only common to you

taurus25:


sorry. but the sense is only common to you

ok

KingEbukasBlog:


Scientific myths and beliefs like evolution aint fit to be the science section . Religion takes care of evolution

I hail your TROLL-ship.

CoolUsername:


If you[size=16pt] do not believe[/size], then what scientific model do you have that can disprove this? Please enlighten us.

At least you know its a belief - not observed , not witnessed

sonOfLucifer:

I hail your TROLL-ship.

buh its tru . The scientific model religion presents is the intelligent design - which makes more sense . Even science admits to intelligent design in some way - directed panspermia

@cloudgoddess - you attribute every natural occurrence to evolution : "That explains why ... " - that's called evolution-of-the-gaps .

KingEbukasBlog:

The scientific model religion presents is the intelligent design - which makes more sense.....

Makes sense? Lol, you must be kidding me.

- Man was made from clay.
- Sickness/illness is a result of man's disobedience.
- Woman was made from a rib.

This makes sense. This is scientific.

Wow.

KingEbukasBlog:


At least you know its a belief - not observed , not witnessed

I'm talking about believing the evidence. You know this, but you would rather attack the matter in a sleazy manner.

KingEbukasBlog:


common sense disproves it .

Depends on your definition of common sense. Tell me, do you believe that there was a global flood that destroyed almost everything but that a man built an ark to escape?