Evolution Vs Creationism Debate

The question of our origin is probably one of the oldest and most controversial issues in the entire history of science. Is man only a written creation greater than in many religious texts, or is man merely another creature that has developed from nature? One of the main themes for this dilemma is the limitation that exists in our universe to be in a position either to measure one of these theories because of insufficient skills or to validate them.

Discussion

Scientists have proven in thousands of ways and even convinced the Supreme Court of the United States in 1986 to oppose the teaching of the Bible in the word of science. Not everyone knows that Charles Darwin was meant to be a priest, when he began his studies at Cambridge. The Church of England honored him by burying him near the church of Westminster Abby near Isaac Newton. Many scientists held strong religious beliefs, but they called the Genesis creation story as did Newton in 1681 to Thomas Barnett: “As to Moses … he described realities in a language artificially adapted to ye sense of ye vulgar…. Where natural causes are at hand God uses them as instruments in his works, but I do not think them sufficient for ye creation …”(Von Sydow, pp. 141-156)

Many religions find logic in the premise that science should only explain the limitations of natural laws of creation that God might have to use. Divine intervention cannot be used to explain many scientific theories, including evolution, biology, and physics, although many religions try to use it to justify the inconsistencies between science and religion. Proponents of creationism tend to distort science to make their case, and it is not uncommon to find that they distort even their own beliefs in the process. However, opponents do not all necessarily suggest atheism in evolution either. Many tend to give more flexibility to God in the tools that he used to create as well as the timeline.

Scientists have convinced the Supreme Court of the United States in 1986 to oppose the teaching of the Bible as science. In the first trial many religious groups sued the state of Arkansas to ban the theory of “scientific creationism” because this provision allows the penetration of specific religious doctrines into schools. (Ospovat, pp. 243-6) Judge William Overton wrote in 1982 that this is clearly an effort to introduce the biblical version of creation into the curriculum of the schools. Evidence to establish the definition of “scientific creationism” is the first 11 chapters of Genesis. The proposed concept is simply acceptance of the fundamentalist version of Genesis. Creationists do not support their beliefs by collecting data, collecting also conflicting scientific data, and ultimately reaching a conclusion. Instead, they take literally what is written in Genesis and try to find a scientific support, whether reasonable to the scientific community or not. The theory of evolution through the cycle of data and theories that were before the scientific community for decades. The arguments presented by creationists are not based on new scientific evidence. (Kent, Carolyn and Daily, pp. 108-12)

To best understand the theory of evolution, is is helpful to examine a few examples why the scientific decision making process has led scientists to accept the theory of evolution as opposed to “scientific creationism.” Scientists are attacking a problem by inventing a number of hypotheses – educated guesses. They then test these theories to try to refute their own predictions in several independent observations. After making these observations, the scientists abandon or edit changes in their predictions. Due to the fossils available and science proving their origins and ages, scientists have been able to all but prove their theories regarding evolution. Many new scientific theories were coming to light when evolution was first brought to the forefront of modern thinking, but other scientific theories were also very popular at the time that it passed. For example, Newton’s theories about gravity was a significant theory that was gaining round at the same time as evolution, and they possibly gave each other the ability to flourish.

Few scientists believe that the theory of evolution explains everything about our creation. Scientists are constantly searching to further their knowledge and expand on the theories they hold, and evolution does not include the source of the universe. The general theory of evolution claims that all life is closely related and has one common ancestor consisting of multiple or single cells. Many processes, including random differences between animals of the same sex, are also caused by the natural selection of successful variations, new forms and numerous amounts of species evolving over time. (Van Wyhe, pp. 11-13) Creationists do not have clearly formulated models of the theory of creation science but the conventional view can be found from a July 1980 summary of the Journal of the Institute for Creation: Acts and Facts. Acts and facts according to the article presented theory is the same as the literal interpretation of Genesis.

It is understood that the Institute for Creation science is very clear in this area: “The only way we can discover the true age of the earth is God going to tell us himself. Because he told us very clearly in the Bible that it is several thousand years and nothing more is to be discussed. This is supposed to close the book for all the basic questions about the chronology of the Earth. To support it they use a variety of dating methods and processes based on their level of error. For example, many of them use periodic processes that scientists do not find to be supportive of their beliefs. Similarly, events cannot be used to assess periodic age of the earth. Many places on earth show the progression of earth int he layers of soil that have been deposited over time and created fossils. Creationists explain this evidence away as being placed by God to test their faith.

Another indication is the presence of radioactive isotopes in rocks. Each of them shows that the earth was created some time ago. But of the 48 isotopes have a half-life of from one thousand to one hundred million years, many have to stay here in large quantities. In samples isolated for thousands of years, only three of these isotopes remained minimal. Because both layers of calcium and radioactive decay are well-known science, you can use them to date fossils and rocks accurately and consistently. For example, FA Olsen studied the sediments 40 million years along the Newark Basin in New Jersey and found a correlation between the isotopic dating and the dates given by record rainfall. He found a substantial link between variations of precipitation resulting in a layer of crust’s movement. He found this with cycles of 12,000, 25,000, 44,000, 100,000 and 400,000 years. (Von Sydow, pp. 141-156) This variation can explain the discrepancies discovered between fossils that have been carbon dated to different periods within the same or nearby layers. Creationists use the discrepancies as evidence that science is incorrect, but science again prevails to prove its worth.

Conclusion

Science is not always perfect and is always changing based on new discoveries. Theories that were once believed in the absolute truth, have now been shown to be false, whereas, the theories that were ridiculed in the past, are discovered to be true later. So what does this mean for us as human beings to interpret the scientific findings and adapt them to our beliefs? We can only follow our hearts and minds, although all people will never agree on what they believe. The creationist theory is wholeheartedly believed by many, while believers of evolution see it as nonsense. As a believer of evolution, it is hard to understand why creationists continue to hold their beliefs beyond the science that seems to prove evolution, but each person will choose their own beliefs and what they perceive to be fact.

Work Cited

Bowden, Malcolm. Science vs. Evolution. London, England: Sovereign Publications, 1991, pp. 19-24.

Campbell, Neil A., Reece, Jane B. and Simon, Eric J. Essential Biology with Physiology. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings, 2007, pp. 36-8

Kent, Allen, Hall, Carolyn M. and Daily, Jay E. Encyclopedia of Library and Information, 2008.

Desmond, Adrian; Moore, James. Introduction to the Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. London: Penguin Group, 2006, pp. 108-12

Browne, E. Janet. Charles Darwin Voyaging. London: Jonathan Cape, 1995, pp. 96.

Von Sydow, Momme. Darwin – A Christian Undermining Christianity? On Self-Undermining Dynamics of Ideas Between Belief and Science. in Knight. David M.; Eddy, Matthew D., Science and Beliefs: From Natural Philosophy to Natural Science, 1700-1900, Burlington: Ashgate, 2005, pp. 141-156

Van Wyhe, John. Darwin: The Story of the Man and His Theories of Evolution. London: Andre Deutsch Ltd, 2007, pp. 11-13.

Ospovat, Dov. The Development of Darwin’s Theory: Natural History, Natural Theology, and Natural Selection 1838-1859. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001, pp. 243-6.