Evolution is just imagined

[dairyfreelife]

jennysblessednest.blogspot.com/2012/05/evolution-faith-vs-fiction.html

It is so difficult to remind people that the Darwinian Theory of Evolution is just that... A theory. It isn't rooted in fact, but in imagination, and sprang into widespread popularity from one bitter man's desire to disprove God.

That's how it starts.

Add to that the fact that many evolutionary scientists have an atheist agenda

Jenny ought to have done her research first.

[Maggie Mae]

Does she not know the definition of Theory is different in science?

[Swamptribe]

Gravity is just a theory too.

[sage]

Theory... that word: I do not think it means what she thinks it means.... :roll:

[aubrietta]

This isn't exactly related, but nearly...I just don't get how people who believe the world just sprang into existence with a word from God think it's totally crazy to believe that the world just sprang into existence with a big bang. Isn't it....exactly the same thing?

[crassy]

Yes, but an imaginary friend lacking in any sort of evidence is totes real!

What a fool.

[Soldevi]

a theory that few people realize has more holes than Swiss cheese and a base rooted in science fiction and mystic crystals.

Mystic crystals? I have sat in many, many biology and ecology lectures and I have never heard a word of mystic crystals. I think I am not really part of world-wide conspiracy :shock:

[holothuroidea]

As an atheist, I would really like to be clued in as to what my "agenda" is. I'm pretty sure the only things on my agenda today were to attend playgroup and fold the laundry.

(And the laundry didn't even get folded, so whatever it is that they are adding to my agenda needs to wait until the towels are put away.)

[Lainey]

Dammit, creationism pisses me off! I just can't leave well enough alone.

I forgot to ask her about the mystic crystals...brb.

[SealFan1963]

I'm totally out there because I think it is a combo of both. I think there is a God or a being or whatever you want to call them/it. So the Bible says God created the world in 7 days, but how do we know how long a day was. . . I'm thinking each day was millions of years. Thus, dinosaurs were the first critters and of course man and the dinos did not exist at the same time because they were created millions of years apart. God created man in his own image - okay, but they were Neanderthal or Cro-Magnon or whoever the first people were, I don't remember at the moment and I'm too lazy to look it up.

That's my theory and despite it's many flaws I'm sticking to it. :D

[BelieveinScience]

My high school biology professor refused to teach us evolution because of his beliefs. It was supposed to be required but he refused to and he also walked around with a bible near him.

[BelieveinScience]

I'm totally out there because I think it is a combo of both. I think there is a God or a being or whatever you want to call them/it. So the Bible says God created the world in 7 days, but how do we know how long a day was. . . I'm thinking each day was millions of years. Thus, dinosaurs were the first critters and of course man and the dinos did not exist at the same time because they were created millions of years apart. God created man in his own image - okay, but they were Neanderthal or Cro-Magnon or whoever the first people were, I don't remember at the moment and I'm too lazy to look it up.

That's my theory and despite it's many flaws I'm sticking to it. :D

I know a few people who believe this.

And you also believe god created the men folk wearing pants right? :D

[SealFan1963]

I know a few people who believe this.

And you also believe god created the men folk wearing pants right? :D

With zippers! And don't forget Jesus and all the other folks in the bible had blond hair and blue eyes! ;)

[emmiedahl]

I'm totally out there because I think it is a combo of both. I think there is a God or a being or whatever you want to call them/it. So the Bible says God created the world in 7 days, but how do we know how long a day was. . . I'm thinking each day was millions of years. Thus, dinosaurs were the first critters and of course man and the dinos did not exist at the same time because they were created millions of years apart. God created man in his own image - okay, but they were Neanderthal or Cro-Magnon or whoever the first people were, I don't remember at the moment and I'm too lazy to look it up.

That's my theory and despite it's many flaws I'm sticking to it. :D

I was that person in biology who was like "creatures evolved in the same order they are listed in Genesis!!!"

I wish fundies could see that there is no contradiction. Genesis is a Bronze Age description of evolution. Blow duh mindz.

Seriously, evolution is so beautiful. It is elegant and wonderful. It also is the basis of all life science, so suck it fundies. I am not giving up teh eebil science just because your minds are too small to wrap around a theory of this magnitude.

[synchroswimr]

Dammit, creationism pisses me off! I just can't leave well enough alone.

I forgot to ask her about the mystic crystals...brb.

Let us know what she says in reply! (I'm not holding my breath that she'll reply, of course...). It is a good thing I was busy trying to do homework all day ( didn't succeed very well) and not here on FJ. I would have spent all day ranting at this lady. Creationists piss me off, but fascinate me as well. I keep trying to figure out a way to include the creation "museum" in my dissertation...

[luckystone]

I really don't understand how people can think like that!

[alba]

Gravity is just a theory too.

OK, I said this in the Evolution Test thread, but I think it bears repeating because some other idiot has said the whole "Evolution is just a theory" thing. Tim Minchin says he loves these people, because if gravity is only a theory, too, they'll float away.

Seriously, though, a scientific theory is, IIRC, something that is considered the best explanation and treated as fact, but cannot be proven incontrovertibly, and thus is not a law.

[FlorenceHamilton]

It is interesting to me that Science holds open the possibility that the current understanding of things could be erroneous no matter how much evidence mounts to support it and that Religion insists that the understanding of things is absolutely true no matter how much evidence mounts to refute it.

[crassy]

OK, I said this in the Evolution Test thread, but I think it bears repeating because some other idiot has said the whole "Evolution is just a theory" thing. Tim Minchin says he loves these people, because if gravity is only a theory, too, they'll float away.

Seriously, though, a scientific theory is, IIRC, something that is considered the best explanation and treated as fact, but cannot be proven incontrovertibly, and thus is not a law.

The actual definition of a scientific theory is: a set of principles that explain and predict phenomena. Scientists create scientific theories with the scientific method, when they are originally proposed as hypotheses and tested for accuracy through observations and experiments. As with all forms of scientific knowledge, scientific theories are inductive in nature and do not make apodictic propositions; instead, they aim for predictive and explanatory force.

A scientific law (such as gravity), is often interchangeable with scientific theory. They can, just as with theories, be proven incorrect (see Einstein disproving Newton). Scientific laws are generally those that can be summed up in a mathematical equation. Evolution is far too complex to fit into that category. The Law of Gravity merely quantifies the force of gravity between two objects - this tells us absolutely nothing about how the force is mediated or created or how it travels between the two objects - for that you need our current Theory of Gravity which is Einstein's General Relativity (and we know this is an incomplete theory yet still very powerful). So, because gravity can be shown as an equation, it gets the title of law.

FWIW, we know MUCH more about evolution than we do about gravity. It is just a minor difference that causes evolution to be classed as a theory and gravity to be a law.

[MrsYoungie]

There are people for whom the Bible *must be* absolutely literally true. It's too bad because a thing can be essentially true as well. Jesus spoke in parables in the New Testament - why would God not speak in parables in the Old? Is a parable less true because there wasn't really a literal prodigal son?

Not that I believe any of this now, but it was how I believed back in the day. Bible stories were just that - stories.

Being a literal believer is so limiting. Sad for them really, because they can't even really discuss their theology in an intelligent manner. I guess that's why memorization is more important to them than actual meanng.

[alba]

The actual definition of a scientific theory is: a set of principles that explain and predict phenomena. Scientists create scientific theories with the scientific method, when they are originally proposed as hypotheses and tested for accuracy through observations and experiments. As with all forms of scientific knowledge, scientific theories are inductive in nature and do not make apodictic propositions; instead, they aim for predictive and explanatory force.

A scientific law (such as gravity), is often interchangeable with scientific theory. They can, just as with theories, be proven incorrect (see Einstein disproving Newton). Scientific laws are generally those that can be summed up in a mathematical equation. Evolution is far too complex to fit into that category. The Law of Gravity merely quantifies the force of gravity between two objects - this tells us absolutely nothing about how the force is mediated or created or how it travels between the two objects - for that you need our current Theory of Gravity which is Einstein's General Relativity (and we know this is an incomplete theory yet still very powerful). So, because gravity can be shown as an equation, it gets the title of law.

FWIW, we know MUCH more about evolution than we do about gravity. It is just a minor difference that causes evolution to be classed as a theory and gravity to be a law.

Ah, thanks for the explanation ^_^ It's been a while since I studied science.

[Handmaiden of Dog]

Seriously, evolution is so beautiful. It is elegant and wonderful. It also is the basis of all life science, so suck it fundies. I am not giving up teh eebil science just because your minds are too small to wrap around a theory of this magnitude.

I feel the same way about evolution as fundamentalists feel about The Bible-- I think it is The Greatest Story Ever Told and I can even get a little misty-eyed over the perfection of it. It is so neat and logical yet with some wild cards thrown in to keep it interesting.

One thing I hate about myself: Every time I hear about some new pre-historical discovery my first thought is "What will the Fundies say about this!?" because of course I know what the fundies will say about it, either a) Science is flawed or b) Satan. There is nothing you could show to them or say to them to make them change their minds. In fact, my fundie father-in-law confessed as much to me. He told me that he had to believe Bible as the Word of God in its entirety-- word for word-- because if he started questioning some aspects then his faith would crumble.

On the other hand, my mother at 74 is questioning more and more of the Bible. She was raised Methodist (her father was a minister) and today she even questions the divinity of Jesus. She certainly doubts the story of Mary's impregnation by the Holy Spirit. I chalk it up to an open mind and a very progressive minister at her church leading Bible Studies.

[asinglevoice]

As an atheist, I would really like to be clued in as to what my "agenda" is. I'm pretty sure the only things on my agenda today were to attend playgroup and fold the laundry.

(And the laundry didn't even get folded, so whatever it is that they are adding to my agenda needs to wait until the towels are put away.)

As an atheist *and* a lesbian, I'd like to know the answer to that same question!

[Minerva]

*sigh* Just because you take things seriously with little to no evidence and don't check anyone's credentials before believing them completely doesn't mean normal people do.

[pomology]

Seriously, evolution is so beautiful. It is elegant and wonderful. It also is the basis of all life science, so suck it fundies. I am not giving up teh eebil science just because your minds are too small to wrap around a theory of this magnitude.

Well said. I'd have far more respect for a God that came up with the idea of evolution to create biodiversity than a God who spoke biodiversity into existence. One of those Gods is creative and clever. The other, not so much.