Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

Only in the past one hundred years have men finally put aside their Biblical and mythical tales about creation, and looked to the facts in order to piece together a logical explanation for the origin of mankind. In turn, men were now able to explain the enigma of their origin without the presence of a supernatural being responsible for their creation. At the head of a slew of men trying to uncover logical reasons for mans derivation was Charles Darwin. Darwin was the most accomplished of these men because he was able to put forth a logical conjecture that was based upon facts and observations. This theory, for a short time, was able to end the feud among educated men because many now put their trust in this new “theory of evolution”. Unfortunately, this revolutionary new theory threatened the religious beliefs about creation and soon a new rivalry emerged between the creationists and evolutionists.

According to Charles Darwin man began as one of a few species on this new planet striving for survival. However, man was better equipped with certain traits that allowed him to pass through the filter of natural selection. Man was supplied with both physical and intellectual traits that were responsible for allowing him to surmount the other species living beside him. He was able to use his physical traits in order to become the greatest predator, and severely diminish the possibility of become another species prey. His physical traits were also very adaptable and so man was able to change with the environment and continue to flourish, as other species became extinct. Man was also able to use his mind to continue winning in the game of survival. He created society, which set him apart from his animal counterparts, which had evolved from the same ancestor. It is foolish to say that man is wholly responsible for his rise because he played absolutely no role in choosing the characteristics that helped his species flourish. Man rose from his humble beginning to the summit of the organic scale more by chance than intent. He was lucky enough to have possessed the traits that were best suited to the environment and allowed them to become the ruling species. Nevertheless, man again was set apart from the other animals because he was able to use these traits, and intensify that which separated man from animals- his mind

The idea that man was in no way responsible for...

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...h they have been taught every week in Sunday school. But in no ways can they work to create a new theory based on scientific fact that would logically explain the origin of man, as does Darwin’s theory of evolution. “I know, but I cannot imagine what potential data could lead creationists to abandon their beliefs. Unbeatable systems are dogma, not science”-Stephen Jay Gould.

In essence Darwin’s theories do not threaten the belief that God created the universe, because Darwin himself was a devout Christian. His theory merely presents another view of creation. Instead of thinking that God created man in its present form, Darwin sheds light on the possibility that God created man’s ancestor, and from then on evolution took over to mold and change men into their present forms. Darwin’s theory is an ever expanding and changing set of ideas as seen with the addition of Stephen Jay Gould’s and Niles Eldredge’s theory of punctuated equilibrium. The theory makes clear man’s ever growing interest in his origins, and presents the idea that man could reach astronomical heights if he makes use of all the traits given to him by the hand of God and molded to near perfection over the past years.