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Evolution and creation (view source)
Revision as of 22:11, October 24, 2019
, 22:11, October 24, 2019Reverted edits by FlagrantSystemError (talk) to last revision by DavidB4-bot
The [[theory of evolution]] and the [[creation]] model address major aspects of the [[origins debate]].
The [[theory of evolution]] and the two main doctrines of [[Creationism]] address three major aspects of the [[origins debate]]. About 15% of American adults are [[evolutionists]], 40% are [[Old Earth creationists]], and 45% are [[Young Earth creationists]].
Acceptance of evolution in the [[United States]] varies from to survey to survey, but acceptance in the United States is lesser than in most other countries.
==Origins debate==
The origins debate is the age-old conflict of ideas about how the [[Earth]] was formed and [[life]] came into being.
It also concerns the timing and process whereby the various kinds of [[animals]] and [[plants]] came into being, and
how human beings appeared on the [[Earth]].
===Major views===
Most people throughout [[history]] have ascribed origins to a [[first cause]] - [[God]] or various [[gods]]. Materialist views, i.e. that our creation happened due to natural circumstances, have also been put forth in this debate, some as early as [[ancient Greece]].
[[Judaism]] and [[Christianity]] posit that "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." ([[Genesis]] 1:1) Then He created plants ([[Genesis]] 1:11-13), animals ([[Genesis]] 1:20-23), and finally people (Genesis 1:26-27). Other major religions have similar creation stories.
[[Materialism|Materialistic]] views are many and various.
The prevailing contemporary view in the natural [[science]]s (i.e., [[astronomy]], [[geology]] and [[biology]]) among those who hold to a materialist [[worldview]] is that the [[Big Bang]] theory explains cosmic origins and the [[Theory of Evolution]] (in this case necessarily including [[abiogenesis]]) explains the emergence of plants, animals and people.
[[Teleology|Teleological]] views of origins recognize purpose and therefore design in nature and are not in general in conflict with [[science]]; rather they are in conflict with any [[worldview]] that posits that no references to a creator, purpose, or design is necessary.
There is considerable debate over whether there is any viable middle ground between the materialist views and the [[creationism|creationist]] views. Some would hold, though, that a viable middle position could be found if both sides recognized how miraculous any theory of creation is, whether it is perfect conditions for development or a Prime Mover such as God.
A 2001 Gallup poll showed that 37% of Americans believed that human beings "evolved" in a process guided by God, 45% believed God created human beings in roughly their present form, and 12% believed a process of natural selection over millions of years developed humans completely independent of God.<ref>[http://www.unl.edu/rhames/courses/current/creation/evol-poll.htm]</ref>
<!-- If anyone can find a more recent poll, that would be good. This data is 7 years old. -->
== Acceptance ==
Surveys show differing distributions of origin belief in the USA. Some surveys indicate that about 15% of American adults are [[evolutionists]], 40% are [[Old Earth creationists]], and 45% are [[Young Earth creationists]]. Other surveys show similar figures, such as 13%, 27% and 55%, and 10%, 39% and 49% respectively.<ref>Religious Tolerance.org, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, About origins: Results of public opinion polls on evolution and creation science [http://www.religioustolerance.org/ev_publi.htm]</ref> However, the basic fact remains that roughly half of all Americans currently believe God created Man in his current form within the last 10,000 years. From an international perspective, America is unusual in this level of belief in Theistic Origin, with five times fewer people in the UK, for example, believing in such origins. In a survey of 34 countries in 2005, the only country that had more widely held Theistic Origin beliefs was Turkey. In the US, this belief has increased in the last 20 years.<ref>Owen, James, [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/060810-evolution.html Evolution Less Accepted in U.S. Than Other Western Countries, Study Finds] ''National Geographic News'', 10th August, 2006.</ref>
==The fossil record==
==The fossil record==
Naturalistic geologists and biologists conclude from this that forms of life came into being over a period of hundreds of millions of years.
Naturalistic geologists and biologists conclude from this that forms of life came into being over a period of hundreds of millions of years.
Old Earth creationists agree with evolutionists about the meaning of the fossil record.
Old Earth creationists agree with evolutionists that the fossil record indicates the appearance and disappearance of living things over time.
Young Earth creationists see the vast majority of the rock layers as a sequence that was laid down during the [[Flood geology|Genesis Flood]].
They argue on biblical grounds that the earth is less than 10,000 years old (usually arguing for around 6,000 years old), and that the fossils in flood-laid sediments must also be around 4,300 years old.
== Kinds, species, and baramin ==
The Bible describes God creating living things "according to their kinds".
In the [[Latin]] translation of the [[Bible]], the word "kind" is ''species'', so [[Linnaeus|Carlos Linnaeus]], who invented the [[Linnaean taxonomy|system of taxonomy]], chose this word as the basic unit of his [[classification system]].
However, the definition of ''species'' as used by scientists today is somewhat arbitrary and problematic.
For example, one aspect of the definition of ''species'' is that to be considered the same species, living things have to interbreed ''naturally''.
Thus two groups of squirrels on opposite sides of the [[Grand Canyon]] are classified as two separate species despite being able to interbreed, because they cannot do so naturally, due to being separated by the canyon.<ref>Lubenow, Marvin L., [http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2007/0214hobbits.asp “Hobbits” were true humans!] 14th February, 2007 (Answers in Genesis)</ref>
As ''species'' is defined by the ability to interbreed, it is impossible to determine the species of creatures known only from the [[fossil]] record, but [[palaeontology|palaeontologists]] categorize fossils into species anyway.
Young-Earth creationists have coined the term ''[[baraminology|baramin]]'', from the [[Hebrew]] words for "created kind" and have begun researching and classifying living things according to their ''baramin''.
==Why new forms of life appeared==
==Why new forms of life appeared==
Physical causes (such as [[mutation]]) can alter the [[genetic]] material in the member of a species. These changes are passed on to the member's descendants, although [[natural selection]] tends to weed out detrimental changes. Depending on the changes, enough might accumulate to the point where some of the descendants are not interfertile with others, so they will be classified as a new species. This process is known as ''speciation''.
According to evolutionists, every species of life descended from other species, all the way back to one-celled organisms. They believe that natural causes alone are sufficient to account for the emergence of all forms of life.
Not all old-Earth creationists accept [[common descent]], especially in regards to [[people]]. They also disagree about the sufficiency of natural causes: God must have intervened to make all major changes (see [[macroevolution]], [[missing link]]).
Young Earth creationists agree that speciation occurs, but deny that it can introduce new features, and argue that it can only occur within the created kind (baramin).
Thus they reject common descent.
== Compatibility ==
Evolution and creation are generally seen as being opposed to each other, but there are ways in which some see them as compatible.
The most direct conflict is between those who define evolution as the gradual appearance of new [[species]] of life and those who support the biblical account of God creating all [[baraminology|kinds]] of life just a few thousand years ago.
But others try and harmonise the two views in various ways.
Some [[old Earth creationists]] accept evolution in all except for its underlying philosophy of [[naturalism]], believing instead that evolution was God's method of creating.
Others believe that God created each new kind of creature over the claimed millions of years of Earth's history.
There are also a number of variations on those basic ideas.
The Catholic Church has never formally accepted evolution, but informally has accepted much of it.
However, [[Pope John Paul II]] wrote:
:" ... if the human body takes its origin from pre-existent living matter the spiritual soul is immediately created by God."<ref name="RC">Pope John Paul II, [http://www.cin.org/jp2evolu.html Message to Pontifical Academy of Sciences], 22nd October, 1996</ref>
:" Theories of evolution which ... consider the mind as emerging from the forces of living matter, or as a mere epiphenomenon of this matter, are incompatible with the truth about man."<ref name="RC" />
== References ==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Evolution]]
[[Category:Origins Debate]]