Evolution is real. Its a real thing that really does happen and did happen. Gah!

[Navvan]

It doesn't matter what some monkeys believe, it doesn't stop Evolution from being the truth, no matter your messed up belief system. I also hate how people claim creationism is a theory as much as Evolution is. A theory in scientific terms means more than just a geuss, a theory in science is a closely examined possibility with EVIDENCE to back it up.

Dinosaurs were put there to test our faith. Get fuckin' real.

Yeah, but that doesn't ultimately disprove thousands of years of belief in a higher power. Its like we have two different kinds of assholes on either side:

A. Assholes who think that everyone who isn't in there religion is burning in a hell.
B. Assholes who think that everyone who is in a religion is an idiot and wrong.

C. People who aren't strictly opposed to religion per se, but think that if a particular belief runs counter to what has actually been proven, then there is no reason to hold on to that belief just because of inertia.

Creationism has not been proven. Evolution has. Therefore, to hold on to creationism as the truth for no reason other than believing a book written and rewritten many times during the last couple thousand years over fully tested and peer-reviewed scientific proof is folly, and should be recognized as such.

I said two different kinds of assholes. I wonder what your post is similar to right now.....

Now then, its just as wrong to follow a book as wrong is it to follow "evidence" that scientists brought in a said as their theory's. I'm not saying Evolution or the dinosaurs were not real, but I am saying its wrong to just blindly follow whatever a bunch of people you've never met are saying because they did some tests.

And before the "hypocritical" idea is brought in that says "So why do you blindly follow Jesus?" Because it's called a fuckin' faith. Believing. You know, something you put out as a risk.

The basis for how evolution works can be described with only statistics and hard math. It is directly observable, and anybody can replicate many of the studies if they choose to or demonstrate this through relatively simple experiments. Not believing in the fundamental aspects of evolution is about equivalent to not believing 1+1=2. I'm not saying that to be condescending but to illustrate the statistical foundation that evolution is based on. The only reason not to believe in those fundamental aspects would be if you don't understand it. Speciation (one species becoming two species) in turn has also been and can be directly observed if one chooses and is a unique extension of the previously mentioned statistical basis.

What is a bit more murky is saying that species X evolved from species Y or that species P and species Q had L as a common ancestor. We can only rely on rare fossil evidence and very technical molecular analysis that is limited to trained professionals. However the building blocks of how evolution works and how might species X evolve from species Y is entirely replicable by the average Joe if they so choose. It is true that most people simply take comfort in the either the success of science (proven track record of technology, medicine, and so forth) or in the idea that they could perform the experiment if they so chose. However this is not faith as the belief is still based on something empirical (science has given us a computer or I and many others have replicated experiments before and they always turn out to be true). However it isn't sound logic and remains a poor argument to convince someone else of your belief. A creation deity has the trust of those who choose to believe in them for no other reason but faith or unique personal experiences.

Believing in evolution and creationism are not the same even for a non-scientist.

 

[xanderkun]

And it's still happening. We didn't come from monkeys but we do share a common ancestor and having a tail would totally be fucking awesome. Period.

 

[Terminate421]

Now then, its just as wrong to follow a book as wrong is it to follow "evidence" that scientists brought in a said as their theory's. I'm not saying Evolution or the dinosaurs were not real, but I am saying its wrong to just blindly follow whatever a bunch of people you've never met are saying because they did some tests.

No, it is not 'just as wrong'. One is supported by facts. The other one is supported by nothing. It's the difference between using a bridge to cross a canyon, and trying to walk on the air to get across.

And before the "hypocritical" idea is brought in that says "So why do you blindly follow Jesus?" Because it's called a fuckin' faith. Believing. You know, something you put out as a risk.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, I'm not exactly a religious scholar after all.. But isn't one of the tenants the idea of 'testing one's faith'? A scientist has faith in his theory. So he tests it. A religious person has faith in a higher power. Should they not then test it?

We are testing it. But we don't feel in something the same as you.

Is this whole belief thing that big of a problem? Really? The way I see it, my religious side is like the gun in my closet. I know its there and I have it for when I need it, and every once in a week, I take it out to clean it, look at it, and possibly use it on target practice (Practice it, not shoot people who don't believe in it).

This doesn't mean I don't go out and look at other guns and admire their capabilities or what that can do or even research them to see their statistics, but I feel that "My gun" is really "My gun" as in, it fits, it totally fits my style in every format. (If you get this whole Metaphor, good for you)

So far this entire thread has been downgraded from "I state my opinion on something and walk away" to "Holy shit, piss off, I believe in this, you're wrong I'm right and thats because for the past 100 years scientists wrote down things"

This whole argument thing in this thread feels like my ending to Mass Effect 3, I got three different "Fuck yous" I get to choose from. So instead I pick the fourth one and say "I did my mission, I believe in a higher power and creationism and there isn't anything one post on the internet can do about it".

 

[Cpu46]

Also, it technically it's still a theory. It isn't right but like all beliefs it isn't wrong.

Sorry if someone else has replied saying the exact same thing.

When people outside of the scientific community say "I have a Theory!" what they really mean is "I have a Hypothesis!"

A Hypothesis is essentially an Idea that seems to support what is going on.

A Theory is a Hypothesis that has overwhelming evidence for it's support. It is the highest form of credibility in the scientific community. Sure there is the chance that it is not 100% correct but it's core principles are almost irrefutable.
For example we may not be 100% accurate in our mathematical understanding of gravity but nobody is going to jump off of a cliff to try and prove it wrong. No matter how wrong we may be about the math you will still hit the ground with the same force, because any error in it will not change how gravity works just how we understand it.

I'm assuming I used the word "Theory" wrong, yes?

Sorry if I seemed condescending, your wording makes it a bit confusing to tell if you were using it wrong or not.

Saying that it is "still a theory" makes it sound like there is some higher form of credibility it can achieve so I assumed you were confusing it with Hypothesis.

 

[Lethos]

snip

I'm sorry, I just skimmed this thread, but most people weren't going after you because of your beliefs, they were going after you because you were misinterpreting evolution.

 

[CastIronWin]

the primary reason you could take a biologists word on such things is really due to the work that they (or others in the field) have done to prove it. yes, having a greater understanding of it can never hurt your attempts to argue the matter but there really is too much to learn for a 'casual interest' on the subject.

 

[renegade7]

"A starfish plus a grain of wheat does not equal a dog, and that is what evolutionists are trying to teach out children." I forget what her name was, but she was running for some high-ranking government office in Wisconsin.

 

[Conn1496]

Why are people so fucking stupid?! I don't get it!

In the last two days, I've actually come across several people in my daily life that legit think evolution is a conspiracy, a farce, *insert derogatory name here* etc.

Evolution is a measurable thing that we can WATCH HAPPEN! STOP THE STUPIDITY!!!

End rant. Someone please tell me these people are not the norm. Someone! Anyone!

Share your stories about interactions with people who say its not real.

People are entitled to thier own beliefs... yada yada... stop calling people stupid for thier beliefs... yada... Evolution is still only a theory (one I think is true, but still, no need to call everyone who doesn't believe in it stupid.)... yada blahda... other moral stuff... yada yada ya.

In short, stop calling people stupid because they don't believe in what you do. This isn't a rant. This is just some angsty evolutionist baiting people who don't believe in evolution from what I can see.

TL;DR: People are entitled to thier own opinions, so stop acting like an ass.

 

[Roggen Bread]

Evolution did happen. Evolution does happen.
But somehow, I can't shake the feeling, that a higher power has had it's influence.

If only reality was guided by people's feelings... Does it do you any good to think that there's a god behind the curtain?

Nah.
Doesn't do any harm either.

Don't you agree?

 

[Moosejaw]

If I encountered someone who believed clouds were marshmellows, seriously believed this, I would not verbally accost the poor fellow because I thought he was stupid. Because that would make me kind of a jerk. Because at the end of the day, his theories on the composition of clouds are entirely insignificant to everyone but himself.

It just seems to me that anyone vociferously calling people out about this kind of thing just want to beat people over the head with how smart they are because they read something in a textbook and are astonished that people don't believe it. Creationists are just as bad when they do it the other way around, but honestly I see the other guys smugly lambast them faaaaar more often than not, such as the creator of this very thread. We get it, OP, you read a textbook and agree with what everyone else says. You are clearly an incredibly intelligent individual to notice a common belief and adopt it as your own, which is obviously a task far beyond the capabilities of the savages you are making fun of.

Creation or evolution, what the hell does it matter what any one or group of individuals thinks of the origin of the human race? When those individuals come around to force you to believe what they believe, I'll tell you to file charges. Until then, what's the point?

 

[Talvrae]

Don't be completely short sighted, evolution is only a theory.

If it were real, and we evolved from monkeys, how come there are still monkeys around? You can't explain that.

Next you'll be claiming that the world is round like that dude in the other thread. What's wrong with you people, has the world gone mad.

We don't have evolved from monkeys, does your homework, Monkey and us share a same ancestor, but we don't come from them

 

[nepheleim]

Dont they still call this the "theory" of evolution? Meaning its not 100% fact?

Yeah, the people who call it just a consipracy are ignorant, but just calling them idiots is just as ignorant. Actually study and look into this stuff before you make a decide whats up.

They call it a theory because that's how they refer to these things. Like how they still say "Theory of Gravity".

You never ever ever ever say "evidence to PROVE" in science, only "evidence to support", even if there's overwhelming evidence that the theory is, in fact, fact.

The theory only attempts to explain observable phenomenon. In the case of evolution, the observation is that there is a broad diversity of life in existence, and the theory attempts to explain why. There are some holes in the theory, as Darwin pointed out in his book "On the Origin of Species", just as the Theory of Universal Gravitation (Gravity is a force, not the theory, and the observation is that things tend toward falling down) doesn't hold up at extreme micro or extreme macroscopic scales.

 

[Moosejaw]

In short, stop calling people stupid because they don't believe in what you do.

This isn't about one belief versus another belief. This is about one belief versus proven facts.

If someone said that 2+2=5, and you show them the proof that 2+2=4, and they still persist, then you have to wonder about them.

So whenever you encounter someone who has a fact wrong, you correct them, and if they still insist they are right you begin to make fun of them until they get annoyed with you and leave?

You must be a nice, friendly individual anyone would be glad to know.

 

[darthzew]

The smarter Intelligent Design supports I've come across are the ones who don't deny the Theory of Evolution in its entirety. They acknowledge micro-evolution, that being that individual species can adapt and improve over time, but they deny macro-evolution, that being that an organism can become an all-new species.

They're actually able to make a case for this that I've understood to be reasonable.

I'm no scientist, so I prefer not to discuss these things. Any argument I make will be one based more on ignorance than knowledge, but I thought raising this point would be interesting for discussion's sake.

 

[Conn1496]

In short, stop calling people stupid because they don't believe in what you do.

This isn't about one belief versus another belief. This is about one belief versus proven facts.

If someone said that 2+2=5, and you show them the proof that 2+2=4, and they still persist, then you have to wonder about them.

This is the exact attitude I'm talking about. I believe pretty damn firmly that the theory of evolution is correct. There's nothing to change that view. But there's no reason for people to act like complete dicks if something someone believes in even slighty contradicts what you think. Religious people are likely to believe in the theory of creation and that's something we have to respect. At a time like this, respecting the views of others is pretty damn essential, since tensions are high anyway, and we have people like this who are so close minded that they just can't accept that people believe otherwise. People who believe in creationism are not stupid. People who can't see and accept that people have different views are the stupid ones.