Is evolution merely a theory?
As much as people might talk about evolution, do we really understand what it's about?
Take a moment to share a helpful insight into what the theory is about. Perhaps you might like to say why it's not "just" a theory.
Have you learned much about it in high school?
7 Replies
I don't think that evolution can be called a mere "theory" anymore, as it is commonly accepted by the majority, if not all (or 98%) of people within the scientific community. Although some people who are devout religious believers will deny evolution and defend creation, it is hard to argue with the scientific discoveries and fact. Instead, there can be a common ground within the two, found in "evolutionary creation", where one believes that evolution is, in fact, the path which led us to where we are now, but that it was designed and played out by God, or the Creator. This is the way that I see evolution and creation, and I find it beneficial to assume a position which accepts religion, but also accept science.
I don't think that evolution is a theory, but I do believe that is is possable to believe in creation by "God" and evelution. Creation says that "God" created everything, and "God" could have created the base for every animal, the first one. Over time these bases evolved into the animals we have today according to evolution. Each bases offspring chose a path different to each other, thus creating many different variations of creatures on the Earth.
I believe in the theory of evolution just as I believe in God. In my personal opinion, God triggered Evolution rather than creating the final outcome. According to me, God was the one Who created a basic otline of our universe and let it take its own course by allowing it to evolve in its own pace. I do not actually believe in the catholic belief of evolution in six days, rather i believe that God created an outline, or a rough sketch of the universe and it evolved over time due to different natural condition.
I don't think that evolution is not a theory anymore because there are some facts that prove us humans have lived in earth for a long time and we evovlve to a more complex and intelligent human being. In reality, the theory of evolution is more than a theory. People especially scientists prove that evolution actually existed because of extensive observation. Most biologist believe the earth's life forms, have in fact, evolved over billion of years. There are a lot of proofs and evidence that evolution is not just a theory and it actually makes sense.
I agree with what many of you said. I do not believe you can say that evolution is merely just a theory. There is a lot of scientific evidence that proves its existence and much of the scientific community agrees upon it. I believe I sit in the category termed "evolutionary creationist" as defined above by Devan. I believe that there is a God and that He created the Universe, Earth, and everything on Earth. However, I do believe in evolution in that the world He created did not appear as it does today. He set evolution into motion and thus created both the original beings that each organism on earth evolved from. However, He also created us as we are today as he designed the evolutionary path that was to be taken by our ancestral humans.
If anyone is wondering, a commonly accepted theory which fuses both creation and evolution, as stated in the other forums here, is called "Intelligent Design", which is pretty self explanatory. It claims that God or the Creator is the mastermind behind all life on earth, and through evolution, has "perfected" life forms like humans. The examples most often shared by those who believe in Intelligent Design are biological complex organs or structures, such as the eyeball. They claim that something so complex could not have occurred by chance; rather, God designed and improved it through evolution.
As Devan previously mentioned, ‘evolutionary creation’ is a great middle-ground viewpoint that employs both a scientific and a religious outlook. This position not only highlights creationism, but also depicts evolution. Through this perspective, we cannot disregard evolution and simply claim it is a ‘theory.’
In Denis Lamoureux’s book, I Love Jesus & I Accept Evolution, the author writes: “God created the universe and life through an ordained, sustained, and design-reflecting evolutionary process. This position fully embraces both the religious beliefs of biblical Christianity and the scientific theories of cosmological, geological, and biological evolution.” This quote does an excellent job of displaying why evolution is not “just” a theory while still keeping in mind creationalist perspectives.
Devan Larson
Mar 6, 2012 at 2:56 PM