Monday, August 24, 2009

Comment Posted as Blog

I've had plenty of biology and science classes both in high school and colleges. As I have successfully passed all those classes, it stands to reason that I have a fairly basic understanding and familiarity with the definition of laws and theories and the ideas behind evolution.
I don't deny facts. What evolution does not do for me is apparently what Christianity does not do for you - in other words there is no bullet-proof defense for it.

Someone told me today that they can't believe that I am as tall as I am and still wear high heels. OK...so in that one statement there are two facts: 1) I am tall, and 2) I wear high heels. What the person who said that is doing, is he is taking those two facts and making an assumption that they are associated in some way, or that they should not be associated (i.e. only short people need high heels). And I propose that neither fact has to do with the other and are therefore coincidental facts, though they are undisputable. Furthermore, the man that said that is using his own attitude to interpret the association (he was shorter than me and we know how men like to be taller than everyone). The reality is that high heels have more to do with fashion than necessity of added height. I can reach the top shelf flat-footed, but in heels i just look much better doing it. This is what I think people who have created this evolution theory have done. A certain portion of history will always be a mystery and people will always want to fill in the gaps with ideas. But to what degree of certainty can the theory actually be tested and proven?
The same is true with what we know of the Bible, I think. I give you that. But I also believe in two things: 1) the Holy Spirit exists to communicate with us, and 2) that God's ways are higher than mans' so we need not worry about what we don't know - because God will reveal it to us when it is time.

Reality is never the problem. It's one's interpretation of reality that usually gets us all into trouble. Interpretation depends on whatever filters you have up. Lots of things go into putting up a filter, or attitude, about something. What you've been taught, what you have learned, what you have experienced...usually as nothing to do with actual reality at all.

Another thing you need to understand is that I do believe that over thousands of years certain species have adapted and potentially evolved based on their environments. However, I do not believe that we all started from the same mass. There are actually a lot of scientists who also believe in Creation. After having a conversation with a very intelligent and well-educated atheist, I did some research and found a really good article written by a Christian scientist. Sorry, I can't site it now. It's been a while....I'll see if I can find it.

Here is the bottom line with my opinion of evolution. First of all I feel it is improbable...but I won't get into that because I already typed it and it was like forever long. I will leave you with this. What is the pleasure in believing it? When the Creationist states we were made in the image of a loving God for a purpose, why would someone then choose to believe that humans came into being from simple organisms by accident? When you look at your baby girl's face, do you see just a successful accident with no apparent purpose in life but to be born, live, and die? Or is she a gift with a purpose to grow up, do great things, and bring you joy?

Next question, where do things like morals, love, and joy come from? If we evolved based on mutations and adaptations to our surroundings, and those mutations and adaptations were based on our need and instinct to survive, what use are those things? Although I see common threads amongst humans and some animals such as dogs, dolphins, and some primates, none of those animals need love or joy to survive - yet humans do. We search for joy in our relationships and other things. Most animals don't. We recognize the need for moral living, doing unto others, etc, but animals don't or at least not beyond their normal instincts, and certainly not to the degree that we do. Why have those traits if they don't preserve our own bodies? Could it be that we have a higher purpose than merely survival?

What is the benefit of believing in evolution? Nothing. It offers nothing past this life. There is no peace, rest, comfort or hope to be offered from that belief. Yet the Creator offers all of those to his children.

PS, I have never heard of the theory of gravity. I've only heard it referred as the law of gravity. And I watch a lot of Discovery and Science channel.

But apparently we both have a lot of time on our hands.

1 comment:

Taylor Glen Muse said...

"Interpretation" is a funny thing. Especially, when you're talking about something like Evolution. Because our interpretation doesn't matter at all (to anyone but us, that is). What I mean is, either Evolution occured or it didn't, either the earth is 4.5 billion years old or its not, either god devinely created mature organisms 6000 years ago or he didn't. Whether or not you believe these things doesn't make them more or less likely to be true.

I know there are some really intelligent Christian scientists, (take the lovable Francis Collins for example), but even they accept Evolutionary Theory. You can find some "scientists" that believe in creation as well. I used quotes because the idea of creation can't be arrived on by using the scientific method, so saying that some scientists believe it is not much more useful than an umbrella made of toilet paper, especially when you consider what a minority they are.

If you're basing the merit of an idea on its personal benefits for you, then its safe to say that you won't find much comfort, purpose, or promise of eternity in a labratory. Evolutionary Theory is not a religion. It doesn't exist to make us better people or provide us with forgiveness or love or whatever else we tell ourselves religion provides us. I don't believe in Evolution because I think it will get me into "Science Heaven," I believe in it because the facts support it. That being said, if we make discoveries proving it wrong, I won't have any qualms about giving it up and neither will the scientists.

As far as morals go, Evolution does shed some light on morality. Its not hard to imagine that behaving altruisticly aids in the survival of social groups and we are the most social of the social.
For love and joy, I have no idea where you get love and joy from. I know where I get them from but my answers won't be of any use to anyone else. I think if you really jumped into a study of animal behavior, you'd find that there are some that do share a lot of our traits when it comes to their relationships and social patterns.

I remember one night watching tv and the doccumentary "Jesus Camp" was on and it was the part where they're showing the kids the plastic fetuses and saying how we've got to be more than just a cluster of cells and yada yada purpose yada yada god already loves you yada yada. I was holding Harper and I looked at her and said, "At one point you were just a cluster of cells but that doesn't make you any less beautiful." I guess what I'm trying to say is that you don't have to believe in the Judeo-Christian god to have purpose, beauty, morals and life in abundance. But that's neither here nor there, all that to say that watching the entire process of pregnancy and birth, if anything, cemented my views on Evolution.

In summation,
1. Evolutionary Theory stands up as long as the science supports it.
2. It doesn't offer us any "benefits" unless you count an understanding of life and our place in the universe as a benefit.
3. Not knowing the answer to a question does not give us license to construct a supernatural answer.
4. (for Seth) If you haven't seen any transitional fossils, then it is probably because you haven't looked very hard.
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-transitional.html
And I assure you, I'm not splitting hairs on the definition of "Theory" in scientific context vs. informal usage.
Good times.