When a friend tells you he "does not agree" with the concept of evolution

[Dfskelleton]

Remember, people, remember: Evolution is a THEORY. It has yet to be proven, despite some good supporting evidence. Who cares if he doesn't believe in it?
However, here's a point I've wanted to make for a long time: WHO GIVES A FLYING FUCK? I don't care where we came from, I don't care how we got here, and I don't care what we evolved from. We should be more worried about making the future than understanding the past. Yesterday has come and gone, but tomorrow is still ahead. People who could be finding cures to diseases or discovering/making amazing revolutions in the fields of science instead search for proof that we all evovled from primates. Even if they did prove that we evolved from primates, I don't think I would really care. I wouldn't awaken into some superbeing with hightened senses and abilities. I'd still be an attractive, sarcastic, cynical male with sexy glasses and a dark sense of humor, and I like it that way.

 

[Thaius]

I can perfectly understand his point of view. Maybe it's just me, but the evolutionary process for me has always seemed a bit far-fetched. Maybe if it was 100% verified and I could see it, but regardless of the fact that evolution is taught as a completely undeniable fact of life, there still remains quite a lot of holes and missing links in the whole thing.
I know most people on this site would disagree with that assessment, but that's been what I've observed. It's the most convenient way to explain life on earth without involving a creator, and as a result I think its been taken as THE ONLY TRUE ANSWER far too quickly.

"I, myself, am convinced that the theory of evolution, especially to the extent to which it's been applied, will be one of the great jokes in the history books of the future. Posterity will marvel that so flimsy and dubious an hypothesis could be accepted with the credulity that it has."

-Malcom Muggeridge

How is believing in a scientific theory any different from believing in a religion? Science isn't the end all and be-all of reality.

I'm just quoting these two for truth. They hit the nail on the head.

In fact, I might go so far as to say MoeTheMonk's statement regarding explaining life on earth "without involving a creator" is exactly why the theory of evolution has been so intensely pushed and universally accepted despite its lack of any real finality. Our culture is so desperate to separate itself from the idea of a divine entity, and I'm not sure if it's because we have become unable to accept the possibility of existence outside our own or because we don't want to answer to a higher authority. Maybe both. Point is, I think maybe we are not trying to explain our world so much as trying to remove the concept of God from it. And that base is more than a little biased considering the weight of human understanding it holds.

 

[Turing '88]

How is believing in a scientific theory any different from believing in a religion? Science isn't the end all and be-all of reality.

Same shit. If we assume God is a constant in our universe then I have made a theory of a deity that can not be falsified, and is thus a valid theory.

Whoa.

What does God have to do with this? I'm not getting into a religious debate, the point is if you don't belive in something please explain why. If you use stupid reasoning in this explanation expect to be called on it. What is so wrong with that?

A fact is something that happens: i.e. Gravity, objects fall downwards if not stopped is a Fact. The theory of gravity explains and offers predictions about future behaviour (all objects are attracted to each other with a force inversely proportional to their displacement from... blah blah blah)

That organisms mutate and change over time is a Fact. Evolution is the most basic sense is also a Fact. The theory of evolution (survival of the fittest and all that) is a theory that could be wrong, and if you know why please enlighten us and get ready for your nobel prize.

I guess my point is that if I came on here and claimed that time dialation doesn't actually happen people would quite rightly call me an idiot and point me at GPS satellites.

When you can literally track your position around the globe using GPS, beliving in the science behind it is much easier and more justifiable than beliving in some invisible guy in the clouds.

 

[Xaio30]

Explain the concept of evolution to him.

1. Does he not understand it, but denies it anyway? Answer any possible questions he might have.

2. Does he understand, but still denies it to be true? Make him show evidence to counteract the evidence for evolution.

3. Does he not have any counter evidence, but still denies it to be true? Then he fails logic/arguing/whatever 101.

 

[Grathius22]

It's his view, just shut up and leave him alone. He's smart, so he obviously thinks it's more logical that evolution is flawed. I'm not saying that's true, but that's what he thinks and he has a right to do so.

 

[Some_weirdGuy]

I don't believe in gravity. I mean, its just a theory, and the bible doesn't mention gravity once, so i reckon its just a load of BS.

It doesn't even really make sense, magical energy is holding us all on the planet? and you say i'm the dumb one for believing in God. If gravity is holding us down what's holding down gravity? More so, they say everything has its own gravity, so why can't I walk on walls using their gravity?

You're just stupid if you believe in that crap.


--

 

[Bobbity]

Before you stop and stare at him in disbelief, make sure that you've cleared up any misconceptions that he might have. A species does not intentionally evolve in a single direction, but is rather always changing, and in different ways. Only the most successful of those changes make survival likelier, and, as such, ensure that future generations have those traits and characteristics.

When you argue it like that, it's very hard to see why someone could choose to disregard it, although wilful ignorance and disdain are pretty common reasons.

 

[ScorpSt]

The best thing to do in this situation is never bring it up again. If it never comes up again, you can just forget about it. If he brings it up again, he's the one being an ass.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

I don't believe in gravity. I mean, its just a theory, and the bible doesn't mention gravity once, so i reckon its just a load of BS.

It doesn't even really make sense, magical energy is holding us all on the planet? and you say i'm the dumb one for believing in God. If gravity is holding us down what's holding down gravity? More so, they say everything has its own gravity, so why can't I walk on walls using their gravity?

You're just stupid if you believe in that crap.


--

I know what you are trying to say but that is a god awful argument as Gravity is a lot more observable than Evolution which is the problem.

OT: Ok I am opening this can of worms one more time but this time I am going to explain it nice and clearly. Evolution is scientific fact and it is a theory. As a theory it is not absolute fact and subject to change. Take for example our understanding of atoms and light and how that has evolved over the years. Yes evolution is observable and there just look at how we have the modern yellow desert banana. The problem is that we do not fully understand evolution and we find out new mechanics about how it works.

So yes Evolution as a Theory could be completely fucking wrong and in future years so many people on the internet could look like the biggest twats ever. Same as how light is still there but we now know that it is not a beam of particles or a wave but a photon.

 

[Filiecs]

Wait, WHAT?

I'm religious myself and I know that evolution can, will, and has happened, there is just too much proof to say it's impossible for evolution to happen.

Whether or not it happened on a ginormous scale and is responsible for all life on earth however, that is a different matter that has NOT been proven.

 

[tipp6353]

I am a Christian and I'm not saying evolution is false, but there's a problem with it. If we really did evolve from monkeys wouldn't the old form die out or change?

 

[Ogargd]

Clearly he either hasn't seen the facts or he'd not a critical thinker.

 

[OutforEC]

Wait, WHAT?

I'm religious myself and I know that evolution can, will, and has happened, there is just too much proof to say it's impossible for evolution to happen.

Whether or not it happened on a ginormous scale and is responsible for all life on earth however, that is a different matter that has NOT been proven.

Evolution has nothing to do with the initial creation of life, the two are completely separate.

 

[Ogargd]

I am a Christian and I'm not saying evolution is false, but there's a problem with it. If we really did evolve from monkeys wouldn't the old form die out or change?

Well they wouldn't have to change, humans would have just been in a separate area where different traits were desirable, and as it turns out the common ancestor of humans and closely related APES has died out/been out bred.

 

[Kathinka]

threat him with mild kindnes, for he is, sorry to say it, mentally ill.

he's pretty much on the same level like people claiming that the world would be a disc.

 

[Ogargd]

Wait, WHAT?

I'm religious myself and I know that evolution can, will, and has happened, there is just too much proof to say it's impossible for evolution to happen.

Whether or not it happened on a ginormous scale and is responsible for all life on earth however, that is a different matter that has NOT been proven.

Evolution isn't trying to explain why life is on earth, just it's diversity. And I'm sure you would agree that the billions of years the earth has been around would give such diversity plenty of time.

 

[Zukhramm]

Most people who try to argue against evolution do not actually know or understand what they are arguing against which, although maybe unintentional, makes the argue against a strawman.

 

[ecyor0]

So what we have learned here is:

Refusing to accept a widely accepted and evidence-supported theory due to a pre-existing belief does not mean that someone is mentally deficient, nor does it mean they are incapable of high-level academic thought.

...I know why this surprises people, but it saddens me that it does.

 

[Spineyguy]

There are plenty of very legitimate and really quite clever arguments against Evolution out there, not everyone says 'cus the bible says so'.

Michael Behe's Argument from Irreducible complexity highlights the fact that there are structures within cells which could never have worked unless they were complete. The Flagellum motor found in human sperm cells, for example, would not work if any of its parts were missing. Now ignoring the minute chance that the components of the motor actually could occur randomly, the probability of which is so close to zero as to be negligible, even in the context of billions of years of evolution, this biological mechanism could be seen as 'evidence' for intelligent design.

Now this argument is full of holes, but without looking really quite deep into the origins of the Flagellum motor and its evolutionary heritage, it's difficult to object to this argument. So if your friend follows one of these well thought-out arguments then he's not the Torah-bashing nut-job that he would appear to be.

That's not to say that the vast majority of creationism isn't based on poorly considered and religiously biased arguments, because it is, but the theory of Evolution is not, as some people believe, watertight.

Edit: I do not, in any way, believe in intelligent design. I am Atheist and I'm not ashamed of it.