Poll: Do you support evolution?

[StormShaun]

I am a Christian, but as a human I cannot deny our hard work to find out the origins of our species.
So in this case I do believe in evolution due to the evidence at work, even though we are not 100% sure what has happened (Yet, although that might not be possible). I do believe in my faith, but the Bible and such was written by humans and we ALL know that humans have many faults.

And the Bible was written a long time ago so it could contain some false information which was accidentally contained due to a misunderstanding. So they said the Earth was made in 3 years was back then, but they could of meant 3 million, billion and etc. So yeah, right now I believe in it, but anything can change I guess. (Though I do believe that God created the universe which made the big bang and etc. I kind of refuse that God would make something so simple.)

Other then that, I have faith in both religion and science.
Heck I think the two can coexist, hand in hand.

And looking at the poll it seems that this is being viewed as a competition. (I had hoped that most of us were smarter then that)
Also I give a hi-five to those who had a similar opinion to mine.

 

[RyQ_TMC]

there are no conflicting passages in the Catholic or Protestant texts

This kinda depends on which Protestant tradition you mean. While mainstream Christianity (i.e. Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox churches and various Lutheran and Calvinist sects) has never really submitted to literal interpretation of the Bible (or abandonded it at least since Origen, back in the 2nd/3rd century), there are some Protestant sects which base all their teachings on biblical literalism. This is where modern creationism finds its source.

To my knowledge, there is a marginal phenomenon within the Catholic Church which embraces creationism as a reaction to modern atheism embracing the theory of evolution as something approaching a "holy text". But it does not flow from the teachings of the Church, which holds a position that it claims authority in matters of faith, not science, and therefore does not require its adherents to accept or reject scientific theories. The vast majority of Catholics don't have a problem with the theory of evolution.

I hate the conflict hypothesis and find this "Team God vs. Team Science" dichotomy offensive, mainly because it seems to imply that I (a practising Catholic and career scientist) am some kind of mythical beast, and that at best I suffer from split personality. Religion has never been an obstacle for my studies and research.

So, while the poll would place me in "Team Science", I choose not to vote.

EDIT: Cleared up my original post a little. Didn't add anything significant though.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

I have a problem with the wording of this topics title.

Evolution isn't Santa, you don't "believe" in it, you either trust the evidence that show it to be true or you have some sort of counter-argument since evolution is a scientific theory, not magic or religion or the necronomicon or w/e.


I believe in the awesome power of social links, in the power of love and dreams, in inherited will , in the soul of the blade. Evolution, I simply accept to be true.

 

[RyQ_TMC]

doesnt matter if you believe in it or not when you get infected with a bacteria thats evolved resistance to all current bacteria and it either kills you or someone you love thats pretty firm proof in the yes it exists category

As far as I know, modern creationist would either say "adaptation, not speciation" (I've encountered this argument before) or "no proof that the strain originates from a previously treatable one". Modern creationism has gone a long way since "Biblical creation is the only truth!" It certainly appears more "scientific" than it used to and, with the majority of the public (and even many zealous proponents) being ignorant in those matters, it seems more attractive.

 

[UniversalRonin]

I'm a bit saddened that this is really a contest. The evidence is clearly in favour of evolution. I say this as a Christian.

So yes, Chalk me up as one for team science I guess.

Same sentiment exactly.
Although I threw my hat into the abstaining ring, I don't like debates.
Personally, and this has been pointed out already:

Bingo. I've mentioned this before. Evolution totally happened. It's just that alot of religious people can't adjust their views to the idea that the all-powerful god - who is, you know, all-powerful - made all this shit happen. Universe from an initial boom? Let there be light. Adam and Eve? The ascension of primitive man from something more animal than intelligent being to an upstanding hairless mammal. Obviously, I'm speaking only from the Catholic perspective, but you see where I'm going with this. The point is that we don't have to be afraid that science is going to go all Hitchhiker's Guide on us and make god disappear in a puff of logic. In any belief system where the diety is everywhere and nowhere and omni-lots-of-things and very mysterious, there is no reason why science should be a threat. God obviously knows science too!

Yep, that right there.
Maybe I'm not convicted in my faith enough or whatever but I never saw why science and religion can't coexist. The systems of science are obviously there, they clearly exist, I don't see why I can't say that God put them there.

No let me just get this because I know the can of worms a statement like that can open.

I'm surprised a few of you don't have one, you are braver men than I.

What's really nice, is to see several people who's opinions match my own. (Although with the limited choices up top, I picked Science.)

 

[trollnystan]

I'm agnostic - leaning towards full-on atheist - but I was raised a Catholic. Never was I told by anyone in the church, priest or nun, that evolution was not a scientific fact. Several times during Religion class[footnote]I'd call it Sunday School but it only took place on Sunday once we were 15-16 years old.[/footnote] some of the teachers would even bring up evolution as a fact not to be disputed.

In fact, at the church-run summer camp when I was nine, there were two Oriental Orthodox girls - cousins to one of our kids who invited them to come - who were adamant that dinosaurs never existed because "Earth is only 6000 years old", and the rest of us Catholic kids, even their cousin, kind of ganged up on them: "What, are you stupid? Of course dinosaurs existed! The world is MILLIONS years old!" etc, etc. Feel a bit bad about it now actually; poor girls were just parroting what their parents and church had taught them.

What I'm saying is: don't tar all religious people with the same brush, please.

 

[Caiphus]

Certainly, just as every sensible person, regardless of religion, does. Straight up, if you don't believe in evolution you're not bring sensible, and that's not a controversial statement. In fact this thread almost has no discussion value, really.

Absolutely. As it has been pointed out so far, we might as well have a poll on "Do you believe in gravity?" or "Do you believe that the Earth is round and orbits the Sun?".

EDIT:

What I'm saying is: don't tar all religious people with the same brush, please.

As someone who also had a bit of a religious upbringing (Catholic as well; my mother's family is Italian), I was never fed the anti-science propaganda. Although I am now squarely in the agnostic camp so I don't have any rustled jimmies, it's not a competition and the wording of the poll is unfortunate.

That said, the denial of evolution - as if it is something that can be reasonably denied - is almost entirely faith-based.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Oh dear Quaxar, look where we are again. This thread is like my inner demon. It pains me so but i HAVE TO LOOK. AHHHHHHHHHHHH.

OT: I've watched a bacteria adapt and evolve on a genetic level by sequencing its DNA before and after. I've personally done it. It took less than a week for it to develop a new feature. If the world is 4 billion years old i can see how more major changes might occur if it took a week for the bacteria to change its DNA to that degree. Macro evolution is just a LOT of micro evolution happening. Ive seen one. I know its been happening for ages. So naturally the other must have happened since its just the other over a long period of time.

 

[LAGG]

No, both are wrong.
Or both are right.
Or one is right and the other is wrong.

Either way, Edwin Abbott is right:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland

 

[Anti Nudist Cupcake]

I don't "believe" in anything. I associate that phrase with having faith in something that is to a degree, unlikely.

I just acknowledge that a bunch of guys in lab coats who have put way more effort into the subject and have vastly more experience than me have judged that we evolved from more primitive versions of ourselves. It doesn't sound far-fetched so I accept the theory.

Edit: Lol, you changed "believe in" to "support" in the topic title....
In that case, GO EVOLUTION!!! WOOOOT!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!!!

 

[Phrozenflame500]

I consider myself an Apathiest, which is fancy for saying "I really don't give a shit about religion at all".

But seriously, science and religion aren't mutually exclusive and most reasonable Christians believe in evolution as a non-literal interpretation of the Bible.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

...Evolution isn't something to be believed in, it's a natural process that takes places over the course of multiple generations. Evolution happens whether or not it is believed in; like photosynthesis and, light refraction. If there is a God, Goddess, etc then hopefully they will forgive me for not believing in the idea that they created...all of this...for us.

 

[Mr Dizazta]

I have always view evolution more fascinating then intelligent design. My view, I would rather believe that God created only lowliest bacteria or hell a single cell just to see how far that organism would struggle and adapt to its surroundings passing on its genetic code to its descendants where they too will face their own hardships in a harsh unforgiving environment. The descendants will keep adapting until they are no longer the same thing that their ancestor was. Why would God in his(or her or what ever the fuck it wants to be's) infinite wisdom just create all life with a simple wave of his hand? Life has no meaning unless there is struggle.

 

[Jenvas1306]

My parents arent religious, so they allways explained things to me in a scientific way as best as they could. When I heard about creationism in school it just went into the same category as santa and the toothfairy: myths

well you got that one theory that explains everything quite well and makes a lot of sense while showing how big and wonderful this world is.
then you got the explanation with magic and some dude who gets grumpy if you take his apples.

you know, there is a worm, a parasite, that eats its way through the eyeball of an african child. the worm has no other way of exsisting. I prefer to not believe that it was created by someone just for this purpose.

I dont like religion, it allways seems to me like it tries to teach the people to be satisfied with being stupid and accepting to not understand.

 

[Alleged_Alec]

As a biologist, I'm somewhat annoyed at the phrasing of the question. Believe implies there is no evidence and you have to take it on faith. It should be, in my opinion, "accept".

 

[zumbledum]

Yep, that right there.
Maybe I'm not convicted in my faith enough or whatever but I never saw why science and religion can't coexist. The systems of science are obviously there, they clearly exist, I don't see why I can't say that God put them there.

well the issue is that people had gone around preaching the holy books were literal and true. and science has, well taken a big steaming dump all over that , but its been easy enough to back pedal and say its more a metaphor and shouldnt be taken literally, well Christians have anyway ,but then Christians have never been shy of picking and choosing as the needs of the time dictate, but then it had to exist in a mostly secular power structure, well after the dark ages anyway. i think Islam still holds the Quran to be literally true and my last boss was a Muslim, intelligent educated man who out of hand dismissed evolution and the big bang "theories". many a debate was had
Darwin and Einstein both believed in god after all.


I dont believe in evolution myself anymore than i believe in this keyboard or the chair i appear to be sitting in , the evidence speaks for itself in my opinion.

 

[Astoria]

Of course I believe in it and I don't really see how anyone couldn't, even religious people. It makes perfect sense and there's heaps of evidence for it, we can see it happening now with bacteria because of antibiotics. I'd have thought religious people would actually like evolution because they can go 'look this is how god works, this is proof of his existance'. It only proves the bible wrong which doesn't make any sense anyway.

 

[Ryan Hughes]

OT: Please do the entire community here a favor and familiarize yourself with the term: false dichotomy. Then, make certain to take your new found knowledge into account before making another flame-bait thread. Thank You.

 

[Headsprouter]

Certainly, just as every sensible person, regardless of religion, does. Straight up, if you don't believe in evolution you're not bring sensible, and that's not a controversial statement. In fact this thread almost has no discussion value, really.

True, bringing this kind of poll to the Escapist and expecting it to be representative of the general population is insanity.

If that doesn't make it clear as to what I think, yes, I believe in evolution, and everyone else in this mostly atheist/agnostic website will think so, too. Your year-old polls are more currently representative than this site ever will be.

 

[masticina]

One does not BELIEF in evolution.

BELIEF is based upon FAITH, a RELIGIOUS entity

EVOLUTION is based upon SCIENCE, it can be tested, measured and even predicted upon.

Hence why I support the idea of Evolution. It is the best explanation we have of how things currently work and are. It is perfect, no, there are still allot of details we are working on. Evolution is not just one thing it has allot of sub hypothesis and theories that are worked upon.

Do I as person understand it all, no, but for what I have seen for what I can understand with my level of knowledge. It just works!

And the best part about evolution is that it is a scientific theory. So if there are any small errors they are fixed.

And in the end "god did it" answers nothing. I mean if your car is gone and you we're certain you parked it right there. And you come to me [lets say I am a police guy] about this very situation. And I say "Oh god did it" .. you would not be happy with that answer.

So I can't support the religions "god did it"