jay_a2j wrote:PLAYER57832 wrote:Evolution can occur during several stages of development, including in the creation of gametes, embryonic development, etc.owheelj wrote: Evolution essentially only occurs during meiosis - ie. in the period of time where the DNA from the parents of a life form combines.
Per the "E" versus "e". Usually a capitol letter indicates a proper name, in this case the theory of Evolution. It is broadly simply the change of species over time, but in specifics involves a lot more. It is a convention, but not universal.
That said, however you distinguish, there is a theory of Evolution and there is the fact of evolution, both.
If evolution was a fact then they would most certainly stop teaching creation. How many people do you know that teach a flat Earth? Hmmm I wonder why they don't? Aaah that's right! They have proof that it is round!
It's one thing to believe in evolution. If you do, good for you. But I can't stand when people say it is a fact. It is not a fact! If it was you could show me proof of it and this conversation would end. But the FACT is, you CAN'T prove evolution any more than I can "prove" God.
First, why it is taught has to do with poor funding in schools, a generation of poor science teaching and a misguided idea that this is about freedom of religion, not facts versus fiction.
However, I have to clarify here.
First, there is the term "evolution" which just means that things change over time. That happens. It IS a fact. It IS observed and proven. If you question, I will be happy to provide you with some citations and such. Evolution is also a theory or even a set of theories. The broad, overall idea is that life began here on Earth. To simplify, material formed into proteins which then became more complex and eventually became life, which eventually changed, adapted and diversified until we have the diversity of life we see now, including human beings.
Within that theory, however, are parts that are quite certain and parts that are not. Life did change here on Earth, the species we see did start out as simple forms and then evolve into more complex ones. BUT, how did we first get here? Was there some protein on an wandering asteroid, for example? We cannot say for absolute certain.
Which species gave rise to exactly which other species? In some cases, the fossil record is pretty clear. In some case, living examples of prehistoric animals still persist. (The Ceolocanth fish, for example (only discovered off the coast of Cameroon a few decades ago), the horseshoe crab, lamprey, even alligators are examples of early species.). HOWEVER, there are sections that are simply not known, there are places where we may never know exactly what happened.
HOWEVER, and this is an important point, you don't have to know how each and every species came to be... that is, you don't have to know each and every ancestor to know that evolution happened. Right now, we have so much information that the possibility that Evolution is completely wrong ..that is, that species got here through some process other than gradual change is very, very, very, very remote.
As for Creationism... sorry jay, but the REAL truth (and yes, I can prove this) is that the only way for the Earth to be 6000 or 12000 years old is if God made the Earth appear to be that old. However, this is not Dr Morris or the Institute for Creation Study's assertion. It is not what is being put forward and taught as "Creationism" or "Intelligent Design", etc.
Question this?
No problem..give me any piece of information, any data and I will answer. Or, will find someone who can (I am not, for example, a geologist).
Here are a couple of links that tackle the issue overall:
"equal time"
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/R ... Time.shtml
"10 questions"
http://ncseweb.org/creationism/analysis ... -questions
http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurri ... nsense.pdf
These are very general and a bit old. Creationist websites are constantly changing so that claims once made are deleted or watered down, at least within the websites. (interesting that, in and of itself!).
A big point I want to make about the tactics. Most people really do think this issue is over and done and gone. What happens is they will queitly teach kids, even outright tell them not to challenge anyone, don't get into debates, because they will lose. They let these kids grow up and then, when you have several hundred in one area who have never ever been taught real Evolution, only what Dr Morris translates as "evolution", then they come before the school board and simply ask, quite "innocently" well.. why can't our version be presented, too.
School boards then either face a lawsuit or changing the curricula. It is an illegal tactic, but we believe in religious tolerance, many school board members themself don't really understand that this is a true attack on the entire field of science, not just a "petty little issue", and folks just don't have the time, energy or money.
Even when those folks are not before your school board, you may well find that your children's teachers just don't have enough knowledge to properly teach.
My son, for example, "learned" that frogs are invertebrates and that there are no feather fossils.
Maybe the original poster just wanted to hear themselves talk if that's the case.
