"... taxonomy can prove that my house cat is biologically related to to the zoo's lioness, not that one is evolved from the other. "

Is this really the common understanding of evolution out there?

I suppose that if I didn't understand the basic concept of gravity, I'd be arguing that the world was flat....

Gene363

great site. i am printing articles to read outside when the temperture warms. right now it's about 60, too cold to go outside.

00camper

"why can't the police solve a murder that only happened last week?"

don't you watch "cold case files?" not the network program, the ones on the history or discover or tlc or one of those satellite channels.

patman

you have made the leap of faith and are a peaceful man because of it. good for you.

coda

if you have some time, you might enjoy the book "flatland"

http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/flatland/ 

I don't see how evolution and creationism goes hand in hand, or how they are not conflicting. You either believe God created Man and all the other creatures in the world, or you believe most every creature came from simpler creatures through evolution. Can someone who believes in both explain to me their thinking.

Evolution doesn't happen overnight. If you see the vast amount of animals that exist, and see how homologous their DNA is concerning certain important genes, you would be surprised. Many essential genes that humans need, are very similiar in several species from worms, to flies, to elephants, which supports a common descendent.

Also, human mitochondria contains two cell membranes and an extra set of foreign DNA. It is theorized that human mitochondria was once a bacteria or single-celled organism, which was engulf by a larger organism to put it to use for the larger organism, thus allowing the larger organism to proper.

And if you look at early development in several species, you notice that during the embryonic stages, there are so much similarities between the species in physical, chemical, and biological ways. Even embyonic humans look like they have a tail, but it slowly diminishes, yet humans still have remnants of a tailbone which is now useless.

Fossils they have been found show many pre-cursors to hemans and to the animals that we see today. There is so much more evidence of evolution, I would be here teaching a whole course in it for a few weeks. But those are just some key examples that I remember.

As you can tell I believe in Evolution.

choner

choner

Couldn't God have created the elements and started the evolutionary process?

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Rickster:
Read "Flatland" a lonnng time ago. Longer than I want to say.

Choner:
I agree with your rant.

The unresolvable conflict is between a literal 7-day personal creation (Creationism) and a million-year long impersonal process.

But outside of Creationism, it is often accepted that a personal creator and evolution are not mutually exclusive.

God created us to evolve. JonR

"Blessed is he who believes and does no see"
This is a temporary world. I am a believer in Christ and thus the creation of man. My mind can’t even begin to control or understand the motivations of my own heart and will let alone the origination and direction of an entire world.

Therefore I will do the best I can in all that I do until the day I meet my maker and then I will praise him for eternity.


Yes, I did a cut and paste, I couldn't have said it any better!

Wow!

Have you noticed the pleasant exchange of ideas on this thread?

Thank to BOTL Rick for starting it and for all that are participating.

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choner

the leap of faith is an expression that means i believe in god and will except it on my faith alone.

it does not rule out for the religious people, god works in mysterious ways. those that are not blinded by whatever blinds some people can still believe in evolution as god's way of creating.

if you have read any of my posts, you will have seen, i have no interst in a god, but i do feel the necessity of understanding other people's leap of faith.

the strict "god made man in six, 24 hour days" people are not worth talking to, they have made more then a leap of faith, they have made a leap of dumbness.

Gene, I guess you can say God created the elements that started Evolution, but that's not what Creationism is. As I know it, creationism was that God created Man and everything on Earth instantly. We can debate forever about what created what, you will never know whose right. I guess that's what faith is all about. I choose not to believe in God, and try to understand the world as I see it and not let faith alone make my judgements.

Rick, good points.

choner

Simply put, I don't know enough about the heart or time of God to say how or when this place I am fortunate enough to call home is or was created. All I know is that he loves everyone the same. Man, woman, black, white, American or otherwise. All I need to do is try to do the same and the rest will fall into place. No need to complicate things anymore than they already are. As I said before, "Belssed is he who belives and does not see" that happens to be a quote from the worlds best seller. It was in there for a reason... Leap of faith or pushed off the edge its all the same, you end up in the hands of God. It aint always comfortable there but its better than anywhere else.

you must have faith,GOD is love and JESUS is coming...

Okay, I didn't want to have to do this, but fact is *I* am God, and while I kind of like most of you, there are a couple of you who are starting to piss me off.

You know who you are.

Watch yourselves.

that I maybe mistaken for the number 1...

What Gene363 said!

Cigarick,
I would believe the theory of evolution to be the correct explanation for the world in which we live if there were ample evidence in support thereof.

The comparison between my house cat and the lioness was not the correct way to say it, so I will state the argument in another way:

A scientist examines fossilized bones found in a rock seam uncovered by a construction crew several feet below grade and decides they resemble those of the lioness and, to a lesser degree, those of my house cat. The scientist then declares that both the lioness and my house cat are both decended - evolved - from the Great Cat unearthed by the road crew.

Fossilized bones of other creatures are located in similar ways throughout the world and other scientists make similar observations and then declare that present day animals are decended - evolved - from the Great Animals whose fossils have been assembled into skeletons and displayed in museums.

No one questions the scientists. They must be right, mustn't they?

The point is that there are other explanations, besides evolution, for the similarity of present-day flora and fauna to that of times past:

[1] The Little Demon Theory
The Little Demon Theory holds that little demons created the fossils in their hidden laboratories and, having the ability to pass through solid rock with ease, placed the fossils where people would find them and believe that they died and were entombed there.

[2] The Seed of Aliens Theory
The Seed of Aliens Theory holds that the earth was originally populated by creatures now extinct and that aliens from GXYLIUNZ-AG decided long ago to use earth as a petri dish. All other creatures which could threaten the experiment were sterilized off the planet for the sake of science. Rumors persist that the alien scientists are disapointed with mankind because he is far too passive, that the instinct for total war sought by the aliens is not emerging as planned, and that the experiment may be terminated in favor of mosquitoes.

Examples one and two probably seem laughable to those of you convinced that evolution is the only answer while the idea of evolution seems comical to those of us who believe in a creator God.

Coda,

All objects in space have a gravitational field, even flat ones.