Do you believe in evolution?

[Fluffy]

I do. Because I know it's true, and I can prove it.

Most people that don't believe in evolution do so only because they have no idea what evolution really is. They think that evolutionists mean that if you let a motorbike stand still long enough, it'll eventually turn into a car. What the hell are they thinking? Stop getting your general views of things out of Hollywood movies like X-Men. (Evolution leaps forward every few hundred thousand years... yeah, right. Close, but no cigar)

To understand evolution, first understand that it only occurs in living things, basically all things that have DNA. Not in legos or motorbikes. Now, understand that it does not happen in leaps, like in X-Men. That's bullcrap. Evolution is a slow process, where for an example, the evolution of reptiles to birds took over a hundred million years. Although some changes have happened quite fast, relatively thinking, such as the transformation of prokaryotes to eukaryotes.

There are two main factors in evolution. The first one in genetical mutation. It happens every time a new organism is born. Even in asexual reproduction, the organism's offspring's DNA is not completely the same. The mutation slightly changes the DNA of the new organism and it has different attributes than the original organism. Big changes are rare, though, and this is why real changes happen so slow.

The second factor is natural selection. To put it simple, the organisms that are most suited for the environment, survive. Therefore the ones with the best suited DNA are the ones who reproduce.

Mutation causes changes, and these can be either good or bad. If they're bad, they die away. If they're good, they survive and their DNA passes on. Eventually species can turn into something way different.

Writing this is boring, so you can ask questions later if you didn't get what I was saying. Now for the proof.

The main proof of evolution are fossils. The age of the fossils tell what evolved from this species, and what was it before. You can be a creationist and say that God put all those dinosaurs down there just to tease us. If so, I have nothing to say to you.

The second proof is that we can actually see evolution happening. Take artificial selection for an example. We can select the largest cattle, and breed them. Their offspring may become even bigger than them if the mutation is being nice, and so we will breed the even larger cattle.

I am tired of writing so ask your questions away.

[homerofgods]

I believe, because it is true. Animals and humans adapt enviroments.  your little toe is little because you don't need it much, in many MANY years humans might not have little toes.  Right Fluffy?

[8th_account]

I do not believe. Belief would require some kind of faith. Evolution is fact wether you believe in it or not.

[Captain Ben]

god invented the monkeys

[Pie]

As opposed to the argument of God vs Evolution?
It is a hard thing to answer. One one hand you've got science which has brought us pretty much everything we have today, cars, computers the wheel. While on the other you have faith which gives people a moral justification to do things, don't drink or smoke, say grace ect ect.

So you've got the fact that people need to believe in something to give them a moral standing in life, a reason for being alive. While I do believe in evolution, which is kind of bleak but then again what isn't these days, I also consider the fact that it is nigh unlikely that humans could of just been produced from literally nothing. If evolution is truth, then we are a random spawning, our lives were that of chance, it is almost as likely for us to never even exist, if not likelier, which is again, kind of bleak.

It really boils down to a question of personal feelings, do you need something to give you a reason for being alive, or are you happier knowing that in all possibility you are on this earth by chance and that what you do will not affect anything that happens after you die. It's all down to personal opinion, not what is true or not, We will never know if evolution is true or not, sure the very fact of evolution present, but how do we know that a greater being isn't prompting that evolution?

[Boblekonvolutt]

people need to believe in something to give them a moral standing in life, a reason for being alive.

Exactly, that's why all atheists run around killing and raping.

We will never know if evolution is true or not

Start here.

[Aquarius]

I believe. Why?
Because there was no possible way for Noah to put all animal species on his ark. So most of the species had to evolve after the flood.

...nah. That's a joke. I don't believe in evolution ;-)

[Fluffy]

I believe, because it is true. Animals and humans adapt enviroments.  your little toe is little because you don't need it much, in many MANY years humans might not have little toes.  Right Fluffy?

Little toes aren't harmful to humans in any way, so I don't think we'll ever lose them.

I do not believe. Belief would require some kind of faith. Evolution is fact wether you believe in it or not.

I don't believe, I know. There are differences between proofs and beliefs.

...nah. That's a joke. I don't believe in evolution ;-)

At least try to make a point.

[Graham]

I believe animals and we adapt to our environments but I don't believe in evolution. I decided evolution was false before I heard about creation even. It just sounded too unbelievable.

[Psycho]

It may sound unbelievable if you think about it, but concider it is something that would happen very gradually over millions of years.

Its like animals adapting to their environment as you say, but they keep on adapting forever, and the result is something that will be very different from what it started out as.

[STM1993]

Evolution is probably a result of having an animal species becoming so adapted to doing something for a long period of time due to a certain circumstance that it causes the species to change into a completely new species. It is possible that there is such a thing as Evolution.

However, I believe that ultimately, there must be at least one thing to exist in the first place if there is evolution. Where does this thing come from before evolution even exists? Obviously, it has to be created by some means. But how, when, why, and by who, we do not know.

[8th_account]

I believe animals and we adapt to our environments but I don't believe in evolution.

So you believe in evolution, but you don't believe in evolution? Adapting to the enviroment IS evolution.

I decided evolution was false before I heard about creation even. It just sounded too unbelievable.

Magic, on the other hand, is easy to swallow. It doesn't require a lot of thinking.

[STM1993]

I believe animals and we adapt to our environments but I don't believe in evolution.

So you believe in evolution, but you don't believe in evolution? Adapting to the enviroment IS evolution.

I think what he's trying to say is that animals will find means to try and adapt to their environments but still keep their original preferences etc, so the animals do not actually change into one entirely new species as a result, which is what I define as "evolution".

I define "evolution" as a new, permanent adaptation which replaces original adaptations and lasts for a long time, causing the animal to change completely into a new, different species in both mentality and physical structure.

If you actually understand what I'm trying to say.

[Atticus]

It's just a hard concept to grasp because things do not change much in our lifetimes and we cannot see the evolution happening.

[Smegma]

it is almost as likely for us to never even exist, if not likelier, which is again, kind of bleak.

Everything possibility has a chance to become, but there most be one outcome.

[8th_account]

I believe animals and we adapt to our environments but I don't believe in evolution.

So you believe in evolution, but you don't believe in evolution? Adapting to the enviroment IS evolution.

I think what he's trying to say is that animals will find means to try and adapt to their environments but still keep their original preferences etc, so the animals do not actually change into one entirely new species as a result, which is what I define as "evolution".

I define "evolution" as a new, permanent adaptation which replaces original adaptations and lasts for a long time, causing the animal to change completely into a new, different species in both mentality and physical structure.

If you actually understand what I'm trying to say.

When animals adapt, they lose their "original preferences etc". That is the point of natural selection, since the "new preferences etc" are more advantageous. They can't have their cake and eat it too.

Also, your personal definition of evolution is completely insanity and has nothing to do with the scientific definition of evolution, which is, put in as few words as possible, the process of organisms changing from one generation to the next.

[Smegma]

I define evolution as false
.: its false

[tehsnipah]

I think I prefer believing in evolution that listening to all of the religious craps about how people were born in first plase.

[{LAW} Gamer_2k4]

The main proof of evolution are fossils. The age of the fossils tell what evolved from this species, and what was it before.

Of course, radiometric dating assumes that the amount of carbon 14 (or whatever element you're using) in the atmosphere is constant, or at least that it is the same as it was thousands of years ago.  If that's NOT the case (which is a possibility that creationism allows for), then carbon dating is ruined.  In other words, if you assume that the earth is millions of years old, carbon dating is accurate, since the amounts in the atmosphere have long since reached equilibrium.  If you assume that it's only a few thousand years old, and certain catastrophes altered the amount of carbon 14 in the atmosphere, then carbon dating (and other forms of dating that rely on similar assumptions) break down.  In fact, many discrepancies have been uncovered in dated fossils, which are often simply thrown away as "bad measurements."

So what's left? Well, I suppose you COULD just order fossils so that they look like they form a pattern (generally from small to large, or simple to complex).  Of course, you still have the issue where each fossil in that pattern is a distinct species of a creature, and you don't have any TRUE transitional states (such as a whale's teeth midway in the process of evolving to baleen).

You can be a creationist and say that God put all those dinosaurs down there just to tease us.

No, you only say that if you're an ignorant tool.  Creationists believe that dinosaurs lived a short time ago, at the same time as man.  Incidentally, I wonder if any dinosaur fossils have been carbon dated, or if they just don't do it because "We know that there wouldn't be any carbon 14 left."

As for the whole adaptation/natural selection thing, creationists believe in that too.  That's how we can explain Noah being able to take on two of each type of animal (you only need two dogs, for example; they'll diversify eventually).  We believe a lot of trippy things about the flood, which I'll explain further if you want.

Anyway, the thing that makes creationists different from evolutionists is that we recognize that mutations and adaptations can only work with pre-existing data.  If you mutate a fly, it'll lose wings, it'll have curled wings, it'll have different colored eyes, whatever, but it's still a fly.  If you mutate corn, it might change color or size, but it'll still be corn.  If you mutate bacteria, it might become disease resistant, but it will still be the same bacteria and have the same effect on its host.

Heck, let's even use Darwin's finches as an example.  If you relocate them to another island, they'll start adapting to live there.  If you move them back, they'll revert to the original finches.  Sure, the beak is capable of altering its size, but underneath it all, the finch is still a finch.  The whole "adaption == evolution" argument is a foolish extrapolation.  It's basically saying, "Since we have different hair colors, that proved we all came from a rock millions of years ago."  And that's complete garbage.

[LtKillroy]

I see evolution as the organism adapting to the enviroment over huger periods of time, eventually ending in a "new" organism. So yes, for the most part I believe. But I also go back and forth, I hear a new thing that would disprove it, I go back to not believing, etc. As with carbon dating, I think it is fairly accurate, but you always hear stories of, say, a fly inside a frog that was carbon dated something like six million years older than the frog. I don't see why Christians are so against evolution, an all-knowing all-powerful God is not allowed to take his time making species? (please note: I am a Christian)