Alternatives to Evolution
I used to blog for my old company, but they took the blog down. I am
not actually allowed to own the writings I put up on that blog, but as
I reference them on occasion in my writing I am putting those articles
up in my archives here for reference sake. I'll put the tag GS on those
articles noting that they were originally published on the http://schoolfinder.globalscholar.com/blog/
Alternatives to Evolution
June 5, 2008 – 8:42 am by Brendan
I’m not a Scientist per se, though I did a good impression when teaching 4th grade. As a pretend scientist I do know that the Theory of Evolution will always be a theory. It’s a theory mainly because if we knew everything life would be pretty boring. I also know that that there is no other theory that comes as close to explaining life.
I’m also a good Catholic, though I go to a Lutheran church. I guess that means I’m not a good Catholic, but hey give a few props for honesty please.
The point is there is this whole bible thing where God created the earth in six days and all of that rigmarole. I think most reasonable people, with the exception of Mike Huckabee, understand that the whole notion of taking the Bible literally just doesn’t work. I’m not talking what you believe, but just the number of times the Bible contradicts itself.
That being said let’s talk about Creationism, Intelligent Design, and Strengths and Weaknesses. According to this New York Times article another group is trying to get Texas to change it’s Science curriculum. They can’t openly require schools to teach Intelligent Design, so they want to make sure everyone knows the Theory of Evolution has strengths and weaknesses. Can I hear a “Well Duh”. Of course it does it’s a theory.
Did you know there is a Theory of Gravity too? It’s not perfect, but we don’t have groups trying to change schools curriculum to make sure students understand that we actually might be kept from flying into space because as the t-shirt says “the earth just sucks”.Theories get changed, adjusted and sometimes even thrown out, because they don’t explain everything they are supposed to explain. The thing is those parts that don’t fit too well, that’s where scientists look the closest at the theory and try to figure out what they did wrong.
If you want to think that somehow God wasn’t smart enough to plan the evolution of the human race from a couple of single-celled organisms floating in the primordial soup fine. If you don’t want to think that we might just need a bit more evolution to become a better image of God thats fine. When you meet your maker though I wonder if you will be able to tell him you didn’t think he was intelligent enough to create life in such a complicated fashion.
If you’re dead set on finding an alternative to the Theory of Evolution then try the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. At least they are willing to accept the fact that perhaps they might be wrong. Seriously though there is no need to separate science and religion. If God made the world then God also made up the rules that we live by. He has no need to break those rules to show his power. If God ever feels the need to break those rules he created then I think the universe he created would also break. As we learn more about the worlds though we will learn more about God also.
Comments
You didn't say this, but those anti-science evolution-deniers who talk about the strengths and weaknesses of evolution don't know what they are talking about. Evolution has as many weaknesses as gravity - exactly zero weaknesses. Evolution is how the world works, there's nothing weak about it. There are points for future understanding in evolutionary biology, but only an uneducated Christian hick would call these research opportunities "weaknesses". The truth is the basic facts of evolution are the strongest facts of science, thanks to extremely powerful evidence from molecular biology.
Also, just to be sure you understand, and you probably do already understand, a theory is the highest level of understanding in science. Unfortunately even some scientists incorrectly use the word theory, but if some idea becomes a scientific theory, it has already been tested to death and found to be true beyond any doubt. A theory is an explanation of facts, and a theory is used to make predictions. But calling a scientific idea "just a theory" (I know you didn't do that and wouldn't do that) is dumb because in science even laws are lower than a theory.
What I said above is not so important, but the following paragraph you wrote really bugs me:
Seriously though there is no need to separate science and religion. If God made the world then God also made up the rules that we live by. He has no need to break those rules to show his power. If God ever feels the need to break those rules he created then I think the universe he created would also break. As we learn more about the worlds though we will learn more about God also.
Don't need to separate science and religious woo-woo? Any real scientist would strongly disagree. Even a competent religious scientist would disagree. Science and the idiocy of religions are two completely different subjects and they should never be mixed together, absolutely no exceptions.
Of course you don't really believe God made the world even though you said that. Unfortunately some Christian extremist invoke God for everything but scientists don't need the god hypothesis to explain the formation of solar systems (and they don't need the magic god fairy for anything else).
The big problem I have with the above paragraph is your idea that "God also made up the rules that we live by."
Sorry but that's really being childish. The magic man didn't write any rules. Natural processes, including biological evolution, did not need a supernatural inventor. Certainly you don't think the magic fairy invented gravity. It didn't invent or write rules for evolution either. Also, your fairy had absolutely nothing to do with the development of the human ape species for the same reason it had nothing to do with the evolution of cockroaches. It's all natural processes, no magical inventor or rule maker required.
It's now 2010 and it's fair to say there has already been enough scientific progress, enough amazing scientific discoveries, to completely rule out the ridiculous god invention. The final nail in the coffin of the imaginary god fairy was pounded in by Darwin and the thousands of biologists who came after Darwin. Their discoveries have killed the god idea, and I say good riddance to the human race's worst mistake.
http://darwin-killed-god.blogspot.com/