Creationism v. Evolution

[Big!]

The creation-evolution controversy (also termed the creation vs. evolution debate or the origins debate) is a recurring political dispute about the origins of the Earth, humanity, life, and the universe, between those who espouse the validity and superiority of a particular religiously-based origin belief (i.e., creationism), and the scientific consensus, particularly in the field of evolutionary biology, but also in the fields of geology, palaeontology, thermodynamics, nuclear physics and cosmology. Within the scientific community and academia the level of support for evolution is overwhelming, while support for biblically-literal accounts or other creationist alternatives is very small among scientists, and virtually nonexistent among those in the relevant fields.

This debate is most prevalent in certain, generally more conservative, regions of the United States, where it is often portrayed as part of the culture wars. While the controversy has a long history, today it is mainly over what constitutes good science, with the politics of creationism primarily focusing on the teaching of creation and evolution in public education.

The debate also focuses on issues such as the definition of science (and of what constitutes scientific research and evidence), science education (and whether the teaching of the scientific consensus view should be 'balanced' by also teaching fringe theories), free speech, Separation of Church and State, and theology (particularly how different Christian denominations interpret the Book of Genesis).

Do you believe in creationism, evolution, or something else? Do you believe in divine intervention?

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[c4m]

Evolution 100%. I don't believe in any religion stuff. I do, however, believe in the possibility of super-natural events, beings, whatever. Not like you see on those corny-ass TV shows, though. Those are just engineered to bring in advertising dollars.

[Memento Mori]

I believe Creation is a load of tosh. I believe Christianity is a load of tosh. (Sense a trend here?) TBH, I believe just about all theistic religions are a load of tosh. And I don't know enough about atheistic religions to pass comment.

And if you hadn't guessed, I'm areligious.

[Big!]

I'm areligious as well. Organized religion is too prone to corruption. That's not to say I don't believe in a higher intelligence. I'm just not arrogant enough to think that if a higher intelligence exists that it, for a lack of a better word, sits around pondering my meager existence. For all I know, we are all higher intelligences to even less forms of existence and we definately are not aware of them.

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[c4m]

Yes, that reminds me of something I've thought about on and off for a few years. What if we are living on an electron (sort of), going around the sun (nucleus), and we are just as insignificant as a single atom to some extremely large form of life, who might not even know we exist? Maybe there are similar situations on what we consider electrons? Just an interesting thought, you know?

[A Prophet Of Fortune]

I believe Creation is a load of tosh. I believe Christianity is a load of tosh. (Sense a trend here?) TBH, I believe just about all theistic religions are a load of tosh. And I don't know enough about atheistic religions to pass comment.

And if you hadn't guessed, I'm areligious.


Atheistic religions? I am an atheist and usually when you're an atheist you're a naturalist, which I am.

A small amount of atheists subscribe to eastern meditation and the like but I doubt they'd call it their 'religion'. Atheism and religion are like electricity and water, they simply don't mix.


Oh and back onto creationism, it's a joke. another example of religious stupidity. These people believe some startling things about our world.


Science for the win.

[Big!]

Yes, that reminds me of something I've thought about on and off for a few years. What if we are living on an electron (sort of), going around the sun (nucleus), and we are just as insignificant as a single atom to some extremely large form of life, who might not even know we exist? Maybe there are similar situations on what we consider electrons? Just an interesting thought, you know?

Yes, that's what I was getting at. You're not the only person I've heard that theory from, either. I've considered that possibility before myself and have heard others propose it as well. It's an interesting idea.

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[A Prophet Of Fortune]

If you watch the Simpsons they have a intro which is similar to what you guys are talking about.

[Big!]

Oh and back onto creationism, it's a joke. another example of religious stupidity. These people believe some startling things about our world.

The creationist museum that they opened here in Kentucky, unforunately, has statues of saddled dinosaurs with children riding them. Insanity!

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[A Prophet Of Fortune]

I think that was actually an Aussie dude who built it, or thought it up or something.

Can you imagine how ashamed I feel right about now?

[Big!]

Me too. LMAO! It's in my state. Atleast you don't live within 100 miles of it (I'll covert to km if you like).

Back to creationism, alot of religious people I have talked to claim they couldn't get through the day without believing in God. This harkens back to the underlying subject matter of The Matrix and V for Vendetta threads, it's a matter of ignorance by choice. It is of my nature to seek certainty. I, for one, cannot just blindly accept what I am told.

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[Memento Mori]

Atheistic religions? I am an atheist and usually when you're an atheist you're a naturalist, which I am.

A small amount of atheists subscribe to eastern meditation and the like but I doubt they'd call it their 'religion'. Atheism and religion are like electricity and water, they simply don't mix.


Not all religion is based around a 'God'. These are atheistic religions.

[Big!]

Doesn't the Church of Scientology worship aliens instead of God?

[A Prophet Of Fortune]

^ I know what you're saying but no atheists I know have any real religion. As far as that goes I don't think there are any atheistic religions, except maybe Buddhism, but then again it's debatable whether that even is a religion.

[Memento Mori]

I know what you mean. Anyone who is atheist and follows an atheistic religion would almost always name their religion directly when asked about their beliefs. Anyone who is areligious tends to just use the word atheist instead. Maybe it is subconsciously related to their contempt for 'God', or it could just be something that has fallen into common practice.

[Big!]

The word atheism originated from a-theos, Greek for no god. At one point it was used to describe those who did not believe in the "state-sponsored" God. At current, the meaning more closely resembles it's Greek origin. There is an entire branch of philosophy dedicated to linguistics, due to the everchanging meaning and use of words.

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[whipcream453]

you guys know nothing about religion or creationism, i'm guessing you believe animals and humans just magically appeared out of thin air.

[Rudolf]

Doesn't the Church of Scientology worship aliens instead of God?


OMG don't let Tom Cruise hear you say that, he will jump all over your lounge

fanatical" Scientologists believed 20-month-old Suri Cruise was fathered as the result of a sperm donation by Scientology's dead founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

The mind boggles :)

[shifted]

I would believe in the religion thing if there was ONE religion. ONE god. FOR ALL PEOPLE of the earth. not that we have fuck knows how many religions (and im not trying to offend anyone) but if each god claims to have done this or that then im fucken confused.

evolution seems the right way regardless. but i reckon there must have been something/someone who started it all.

i find that, being educated in a catholic private school, was the biggest mistake i made. i found all the teachers there to be hyprocritical of their religion. saying one thing, and doing the other. and also focusing on money more than anything. so you can guess my view on christianity is not the best right now itself either from this..

[whipcream453]

"Shifted" what the heck is wrong with you, most of the teachers are priests, or nuns and they take a vow of poverty, so regardless money is not normally a problem, although the idea of one religion might work, but free will prevents that, one of God's gifts, but they is One God, people just don't all know of Him.

[mrnicksta]

i don't believe in creationism, in that i don't believe the world (and the universe?) was created in a mere 7 days (6 if you don't count god resting on the 7th) - it's an absolute pile on nonsense.

evolution on the other hand seems to be the most reasonable explanation that can fully explain the vast and varied species whose home is our planet, Earth.

but now my opinions are out of the way, i wish to raise another point: can you actually directly compare and contrast creationism and evolution? evolution only explains the variety (and continual change) of life on Earth, and does not explain the initial origin of life itself. Whereas creationism does touch upon the matter of life on Earth, it cannot be said to solely concerned with this. Alongside the creation of varied life on Earth (all of which attributed to God), Creationism also attempts to explain the creation of the universe itself (and that of course deserves a whole other topic), unlike evolution. So is it really fair to compare, contrast and converse on these two topics?

[whipcream453]

who are you to define how long a day lasts, a day may have lasted numbers of years.

[mrnicksta]

i know that they may not have been literal translations into days, but even if each day was 100 years, then the time scale is still outrageous - to fit in the creation of the universe, the formation of planets and eventually origins of life into 700 years is just ridiculous

[whipcream453]

how is that ridiculous?

[mrnicksta]

here is why it is ridiculous:

everybody knows the grand canyon, right? well it has been carved out by water running through it. for every centimetre of depth in the grand canyon it apparently took thousands of years to erode away. now if a single centimetre or rock can take thousands of years to erode then surely it is unreasonable to assume that the entire universe was created in 7 days (as is the story) or 700 years (as i said to prove that even "if a day isnt a day" it's still ridiculous)

please note the facts here may not be entirely accurate, but they are merely used to enforce my point