My previous article has struck up a big debate and I want to further drive home my point with this one. The main point I am making is that the theory of evolution has the same characteristics as any religion. It has “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects.” (dictionary.com) Getting to the root of evolution requires an amount of faith to believe it as it can not be proven as completely factual.
There are numerous people of all religions who believe areas of evolution are true. We have learned that organisms will adapt to their environment and evolve in that manner. However, there is not one single iota of evidence to suggest humans have evolved from inorganic matter to who we are today.
Look at artwork, statues, cave paintings from hundreds and even thousands of years ago and people looked the same as we do today. Wouldn’t we have noticed changes in this time? Uh oh, in comes “evidence” that the earth is billions of years old and it took us millions of years to evolve into what we are today. Science couldn’t answer how we got here and evolution can create the catch-all for not having proof. The NCSE states that a theory doesn’t have to be proven correct only proven wrong.
Carbon dating, the Big Bang theory and lots of other sciences have spawned from this 150 year old theorem. There have been many hypothesis created from this theory which have been proven correct and great scientific leaps have been made. I am not even saying evolution is wrong, I am saying as a whole it cannot be proven. No evidence exists that we evolved from ape-like creatures that has not been widely debunked.
Evolution’s foundation is all creatures on earth share similar traits as other species. Each species had its predecessor who branched into other species through natural selection and genetic mutation. Picture a family tree. This family tree relies on the assumptions that genetic drifts within gene pools have created new species. There is no proof that a species has created another species. Dogs give birth to dogs, nothing else. This requires much faith to believe a theory like this.
Religions are “a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe” That is self explanatory. The rest of Dictionary.com’s definition of religion is: “esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.”
All modern religions can be traced back to a person; Buddha, Mohammad, Jesus, Confucius, etc. The thought of evolution has been around for centuries, however, Darwin and Huxley threw coal into this fire. Now I will say, that all I have read on Darwin suggests he truly loved science. His atheistic views could have played a part though, "Darwin wrote in his autobiography: `I can indeed hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true ..." M. Grano, "The Faith of Darwinism", Encounter, November 1959, p. 48.
Just as Creationists are one-minded thinking their way is the only way and will push for results claiming they are right, evolutionists will do the same. This becomes, “something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience.” (Dictionary.com)
It may not be clear, but I refuse to believe anyone will ever prove exactly how we got here. “we'll never know any of it, will we? We weren't there, and I just don't think this is a subject that can be talked about in absolutes.” Kyle Stryker, previous post provider. Since nothing can be proven it comes down to faith, religious faith.
You can believe that we evolved, "Given the facts, our existence seems quite improbable—more miraculous, perhaps, than the seven-day wonder of Genesis." Judith Hooper, "Perfect Timing," New Age Journal, Vol. 11, (1985), p18. Or you can believe we were created. I would even gamble there are many other theories out there too for you to believe.
I choose to say I was created by God.
Disclaimer: I have no clue what theory is right, if any. There is no way it can be proven right or wrong. My main point is evolutionary theory mirrors religious beliefs. It all comes down to faith in a guiding set of principles.
Joe Lawrence is a Christian freelance writer whose passions are leadership and growth as individuals. To follow his writing go to www.twitter.com/joeylaw or to www.inspiretomorrow.com/writer.
Comments
The reason evolution is not a religion is that it is not simply “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects.” It has survived the scientific method over and over again...meaning you can design experiments to test it's various hypothesis. There are no experiments that can be designed to prove we were created by God.
There is really no difference between organic and inorganic matter, this is a leftover misconception from the 1800s when chemists didn't know any better...right after our brightest thought there were 4 elements: earth, wind, fire, and water.
I could continue to debunk each of your points, but let me just finish with this. The delusion of Krishna, Allah, Yahweh, and even your Christian God is due to the anthropic principle. Big bang, universe, galaxy, earth, life, a rational thinking species of intelligent life, then God. You've got it backwards...we created God.
Nick, you made some good points. Religion can't be tested easily. You can explore the events and people named, but testing the validity of God is not an option. In most ways, I do accept evolution as a science. My issue is when it comes to talking about things that can't be proven, like inner species evolution or origins of the species theories. They rely on faith in the theory.
I highly disagree that we created God. All the different Gods, yes, but we didn't invent whichever higher being is the true one. No matter what theory you believe, science or reasonable logic cannot explain where the original matter came from that we evolved from. Even if you can get it all the way down to a single atom, where did that come from. The only logical answer is there is a creator.
1.Evolution merely describes part of nature. The fact that that part of nature is important to many people does not make evolution a religion. Consider some attributes of religion and how evolution compares:
•Religions explain ultimate reality. Evolution stops with the development of life (it does not even include the origins of life).
•Religions describe the place and role of humans within ultimate reality. Evolution describes only our biological background relative to present and recent human environments.
•Religions almost always include reverence for and/or belief in a supernatural power or powers. Evolution does not.
•Religions have a social structure built around their beliefs. Although science as a whole has a social structure, no such structure is particular to evolutionary biologists, and one does not have to participate in that structure to be a scientist.
•Religions impose moral prescriptions on their members. Evolution does not. Evolution has been used (and misused) as a basis for morals and values by some people, such as Thomas Henry Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and E. O. Wilson (Ruse 2000), but their view, although based on evolution, is not the science of evolution; it goes beyond that.
•Religions include rituals and sacraments. With the possible exception of college graduation ceremonies, there is nothing comparable in evolutionary studies.
•Religious ideas are highly static; they change primarily by splitting off new religions. Ideas in evolutionary biology change rapidly as new evidence is found.
2.How can a religion not have any adherents? When asked their religion, many, perhaps most, people who believe in evolution will call themselves members of mainstream religions, such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism. None identify their religion as evolution. If evolution is a religion, it is the only religion that is rejected by all its members.
3.Evolution may be considered a religion under the metaphorical definition of something pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion. This, however, could also apply to stamp collecting, watering plants, or practically any other activity. Calling evolution a religion makes religion effectively meaningless.
4.Evolutionary theory has been used as a basis for studying and speculating about the biological basis for morals and religious attitudes (Sober and Wilson 1998). Studying religion, though, does not make the study a religion. Using evolution to study the origins of religious attitudes does not make evolution a religion any more than using archaeology to study the origins of biblical texts makes archaeology a religion.
"No evidence exists that we evolved from ape-like creatures that has not been widely debunked."
This is flatly incorrect. Have you ever looked into anthropological literature? The evidence for the evolution of humankind is overwhelming. Not only did we evolve from primates, we ARE primates (Yes, that means you are a monkey!).
"No matter what theory you believe, science or reasonable logic cannot explain where the original matter came from that we evolved from. Even if you can get it all the way down to a single atom, where did that come from. The only logical answer is there is a creator."
Once again, incorrect. This is called the cosmological argument, and is flawed. Just because we don't know the answer to the origin of the Universe, doesn't mean it is acceptable to make up a Creator (one that is conscious). Some process 'creatd' the universe. We don't know what did it, but we can know what DIDN'T do it. The prospect of an intelligent creator is highly unlikely.
Talkorigins, you have made some good points. I am not a scientist. I couldn't begin to prove scientists wrong. However, evolutionists say one thing and creationists say another, both with solid points. These are all extremely intelligent people and the close-minded thought that some process (out of no-where) created everything is insane. Both evolution and creation are founded on impossible circumstances. Because we have ape-like qualities doesn't mean we came from an ape. Birds and airplanes both have wings. Airplanes must have evolved from the birds billions of years ago. There is NO PROOF that we came from apes. While you accept that you are a monkey, I choose to believe I evolved from a wolf. I just haven't found that link yet, but it does exist...I promise.
Until, someone can provide a shred of proof and not just similarities between animals...evolution requires faith in it to exist. The founding priniciples are seductive, but just not complete. The same as some view God.
Joe, creationists do not have one solid point and Simply saying we don't know something so that means god did it is fundamentally wrong. Does close-minded thought mean people who don't believe in ghosts,fairies,bigfoot......is that insane? You would require some good evidence to become open minded. Joe, open your mind to the info that is out there. We now have DNA evidence that proves chimpanzees (not monkeys) and humans both had a common ancestor in the past. I am pleased to tell you that you and I are indeed members of the ape family. If you still disagree, go to a crowded place like a mall, sit down and observe.
Will you admit that you have no real, believeable proof that your christian god who answers prayers exists and just admit that you believe for no good reason and that's good enough for you. People like me can actually accept that.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!