In 1859, Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of
Species by Means of Natural Selection, which proposed the theory of
evolution. This book, along with others that followed, began the long
dispute between evolutionist and creationist. Were we created
by a supernatural Supreme Being, or did our creation occur purely by
chance? First, lets look at the two conflicting theories. Common usage of
the term “evolution” is that living things in our world have come into
existence through unguided naturalistic processes beginning from a
primeval mass of subatomic particles and radiation, over 20 billion years
ago. The idea of Creation comes from the first two chapters of Genesis
which states that God created the heavens and the earth and all that is
in them in six, twenty-four hour periods of time. Throughout this paper
substantial scientific evidence will be presented to attempt to disprove
the theory of evolution and prove that creation is the only logical
explanation for our existence.
In order for evolution to have occurred, we would have needed a
favorable environment for life to evolve and be sustained. So lets begin
with the atmosphere. Our current atmosphere consists of 21% Oxygen,
and 78% Nitrogen. The presence of oxygen in a hypothetical primeval
atmosphere presents a problem for self-assembling molecules. If oxygen
is present, there would be no amino acids, or sugars because oxygen
reacts with these substances to produce carbon dioxide and water. So
because it is impossible for life to have evolved with oxygen, evolutionist
theorize an early atmosphere without oxygen. Instead they propose an
atmosphere consisting of free hydrogen. The problem with this theory
involves the layer o...
... middle of paper ...
...r was to present the major weaknesses of the
evolutionary theory. So far there are only to theories for how we got here,
evolution and creation. If evolution has so many flaws and missing links
then that leaves one option, creation. In my opinion it takes more faith to
believe that we evolved from nothing than to believe that God created
us, and everything around us. When you step back and take a look at
the complexity of the whole universe, not to mention we as humans, a
Supreme Creator is the only logical explanation. C.S. Lewis once stated “
You have to go outside the sequence of engines, into the would of men,
to find the real originator of the Rocket. Is it not equally reasonable to
look outside Nature for the real originator of natural order?”11
Bibliography
Creation Science Home Page.
Http://emporium.turnpike.net/C/cs/index.htm
...h events on radically different timescales from those that characterize evolutionary change.” (Dawkins : 605) Even if Darwinism is a theory of slow cumulative processes, there are billions of fossils that date to millions of years ago. None of these include a structure with cumulative natural selection gradually happening to it in the process of evolving. According to Darwin, evolution and cumulative natural process is in a continual state of motion. If this is true, one might constantly wonder why we haven’t seen it or why fossil records aren’t found with examples of structures leading from the less evolved to more evolved. Therefore, until this day, we still wonder if Dawkin or Paley’s “design” theory is the proof for our existence. We may never know the truth, but at least we are exposed to these complex arguments of our existence that let us wonder continuously.
My research of Darwinian evolution has led me to believe that there is little room for spirituality of any kind in a truly rigorous scientific theory of the origin of life. This is disconcerting, to say the least. Obviously we have outgrown a strictly creationist lens, but has religion become completely obsolete? Does spirituality have a real place amongst the scientific tenets of evolutionary theory, or is it merely a crutch that we lean on? Can God and Darwin co-exist?
These days, most of the textbook only presents evolution theory as a fact to interpret the origin of life and the earth. More and more people get to reject creation unconsciously because they had no opportunity to compare and evaluate both worldview in same degree. I interviewed my three close acquaintances and heard a various responses from many people including my interviewees. Some of them had same belief with me, but some people had significantly different opinion with me. As a consequence of evolution theory’s monopoly in education, non-believers and Christians are unconsciously influenced by this secular worldview.
Another counter-argument to the argument from design is evolutionary theory or Darwinism. This theory explains the appearance of biological design in nature (Himma). Scientists have demonstrated that the chemical origin of life is compatible with certain natural laws. Scientists have also explained the mechanisms by which life developed from simple to complex and how it continues to develop. The most important factor is that blind chance is not the only alternative to divine design; it is instead the cumulative process of natural selection. Therefore, the theory of evolution provides a much more convincing explanation that the argument from design because science provides a workable and testable explanation of how complexity came from simplicity.
For years, people have disputed over how the universe came to be. There are many different theories: Darwinists believe that evolution is what brought us here. Creationists, on the other hand, look to the creation story in the book of Genesis for their answer, stating that God created the world in only seven days, and that evolution is a lie. Kenneth Miller, author of Finding Darwin’s God, has a different theory. Miller is a Christian, but also a scientist. In his book, he observes the arguments from both sides, and ultimately concludes that creation and evolution are not meant to contradict each other; evolution actually reveals the work of God.
environments. Evolution is the idea that while organisms exhibit certain traits, they are not fixed and are able to be altered through progressive adaptation. Adaptation occurs through the passing of traits from an organism pa...
The twentieth century has witnessed the escalation of the creation - evolution debate through famous court cases and Supreme Court decisions on the teaching of evolution in public schools, culminating most recently in a Kansas Board of Education decision. As this highly controversial issue of the teaching of evolution in American classrooms rages on, it may be difficult for some individuals of Christian faith to form an alternative belief other than the extremes of creationism and evolutionism. Before discussing this issue any further, when I refer to strict beliefs in creationism or evolution as extreme views I am not necessarily implying that they are wrong, but are simply two views on completely opposite sides of the creation - evolution debate spectrum. For some creationists, accepting God as Creator as told in the Book of Genesis means the simultaneous rejection of evolutionary theory. For some evolution believers, accepting evolution ultimately results in the replacement of God as Creator with the process of evolution.
Creation or evolution? Such a question holds significant importance to the human race, raising further questions such as where did we come from, how did we get here, and more importantly where are we, the human race, going and where will we end up? Creationism, as cited from Oxford Dictionary, is “The belief that the universe and living organisms originate from specific acts of divine creation, as in the biblical account, rather than by natural processes such as evolution,” answers in its very definition one of humanity 's great questions referring to our origin. A religion such as Christianity, stated by the Bible and religious doctrine has its own set of answers to our origin as a human race. Similarly, the theory of Evolution is, as stated by the Oxford dictionary “The process by which different kinds of living organism are
After Sir Charles Darwin had introduced his original theory about the origins of species and evolution, humanity’s faith in God that remained undisputed for hundreds of years had reeled. The former unity fractured into the evolutionists, who believed that life as we see it today had developed from smaller and more primitive organisms, and creationists, who kept believing that life in all its diversity was created by a higher entity. Each side introduced substantial arguments to support their claims, but at the same time the counter-arguments of each opponent are also credible. Therefore, the debates between the evolutionists and the creationists seem to be far from ending. And though their arguments are completely opposite, they can co-exist or even complement each other.
In this philosophical scientific research paper, I will proceed as follows. First I will address the pros and cons of creation and evolution. Second, I will analyze the philosophical scientific causes of this issue in light of St. Augustine and Charles Darwin. Last I will infer my own results and therefore propose some scientific suggestions.
There was a Dutchman named Hugo DeVries who found something interesting one day. He found a flower that had mutated. All of the Evolutionists went crazy over this and thought that this was their big breakthrough as to how life evolved. But scientists refute this claim because they can find no incident where a mutation is good. Every mutation that they have come across has hurt or damaged the organism. They describe a process called natural selection.
The theory of evolution, as set forth by Charles Darwin in 1859, stated that all plant and animal life evolved over long periods of time from simple to more complicated forms through mutation and adaptation. He also taught that only the fittest of each species would survive. He further postulated that the first living cell evolved in a "warm warm little pond" and that it took billions of years for the present diversity of living things to evolve. At the time, it was thought that the few "missing links" in the fossil record would be soon filled.(Darwin, 1927 ). Today, however, there is today a considerable body of scientific evidence that refutes this entire theory.
Monastersky, Richard. (2004). Society Disowns Paper Attacking Darwinism. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Vol. 51, Iss. 5, A.16.
There is a major controversy brewing in the educational field today. Scientist, teachers, professors, and many others are debating where the world and its habitats originally came from. This is the debate of Intelligent Design (ID) and Evolution. The main debating question of many scholars being, "Is the universe self-contained or does it require something beyond itself to explain its existence and internal function?".
Creation Vs Evolution “The greatest mystery of existence is existence itself” (Chopra). Chopra, a world-renowned author, perceives the existence of life as a truly mystifying celebration. The pending question that many scientists, and even theists, attempt to answer is how life ultimately began. Currently, the mystery is left with two propositions, evolution and creation. While both approaches attempt to answer the origins of life, evolution and creation are two contrasting concepts.