What proof does anyone have for evolution?

Question

I don't beleive in evolution, nor will i ever. I beleive God created everything, because its completely obvious. So give me your best shot at trying to convince me :)

Answer 1

If God created everything, people probably wouldn't have tail bones (because we don't have tails).

people probably wouldn't have wisdom teeth, because unlike our chimpanzee-like ancestors, our mouths aren't really large enough.  

people probably wouldn't have appendixes, because unlike out chimpanzee-like ancestors, we don't eat foods which necessitate appendixes to process.

whales probably wouldn't have vestigal arms on their chests that serve no purpose that they inherited from their rhino-like ancestors.

I could go on (and on and on).  But to each their own.  If a belief in God makes you happy, then you should ignore everything everyone here is telling you, and just believe whatever you feel like.  No joke.  Best of luck.

Answer 2

Nice.  Asking a question, and admitting you have a completely closed mind.  I suggest to spend more time in the lab, Dr. Behe, and less time on Yahoo Answers.

Answer 3

evolution is the most retarded c**p i have ever heard next to the big bang c**p...

i also believe that God did create everything.

Answer 4

You're quite welcome to believe in whatever you want, just know that you're ignorant.  The process of evolution is a proven fact that has been observed many times, the theory of evolution only has to do with the mechanisms which lead to evolution.  Put simply, we KNOW things evolve.  This is an irrefutable fact.  What we aren't entirely sure about is HOW they evolve.

Here is a recent example of the observed fact of evolution:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/...

Here are a lot more:

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-spec...

And here is an index of the mountains of evidence for common descent:

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/

No one is going to convince you, though, because you're close minded.  You can continue to believe in a magical sky daddy who snapped his fingers and made everything just the way it is 6000 years ago if you want.  Anyone with any kind of education is going to think you're an idiot, though.

Answer 5

evolution isnt real...Everything was born as it is....Man didnt come from a monkey. Its theoretically impossible. If Man came from monkey, why would man be walking outside, and monkeys are in cages, and still exist...

Answer 6

Evolution does not approach explaining the complexity of the human brain.

Answer 7

There are many scientists who are Christians. Believing in God and / or any religious teachings does not preclude accepting the results of reasoned inquiry into the workings of the universe.  The written Bible is a communication from God.  It tells us of His love and it tells of how to live a righteous life and achieve salivation.

Have you heard someone say that the world around us is proof that God exists?  The world is also a “communication” from God.  Since a “bible” is, at its core, a communication from God the existence of the world really constitutes a second Bible.  There are really two Bibles- the written Bible and the natural Bible.  The natural Bible is the universe we live in and its rules that tell us of the existence and nature of God.  Each Bible has its “message.”   As stated in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”  The key words here are, “in righteousness.”  Using English rules it could be clarified as, “…is profitable for doctrine in righteousness, for reproof in righteousness, for correction in righteousness, for instruction in righteousness:”  The written Bible is a book of God’s love, of how to live a righteous life and achieve salivation.  It is not a scientific text.  Those who use the written Bible in ways for which it was not intended are dishonoring God and his creation – the universe and everything in it.

The power of the written Bible does not lie in it being word-for-word literal.  The power of the written Bible lies in its ability to go outside the literal.  The verse in Mathew 5:13, “Ye are the salt of the earth:” makes no sense if taken literally – we are not salt.  But it becomes beautiful if taken metaphorically.  Because the written Bible has metaphor and allegory and other literary devices it must be studied to understand its true meaning.  Without Bible study it is possible to misinterpret the written Bible.

The natural Bible is the most direct communication we have from God.  It is right in front of us, under our feet and over our heads, everyday.  Whereas the written Bible is, at best, a copy of a copy of a translation of a copy of a translation of the original text – the natural Bible consists of the world and universe we live in and the rules God set down at the creation of the universe.  These rule are with us today and these rules are everywhere the same.

The natural world and its manifestations – the animals and plants, the rocks and fossils, the land masses, the planets, stars and galaxies are all as a result of the rules laid down at the creation of the universe.  But, just as you must study the written Bible, so too you must study the natural Bible.  At first glance, as a child, I thought I lived on a flat Earth with the Sun going around the Earth.  Man had such an initial view of the universe, too.  It was through study of the natural bible – the world As It Is - that we found that God’s universe was more beautiful and profound than that first simplistic view.  Those who want to take away the majesty of the universe and force it into a constricted, literalistic view taken from the written Bible are dishonoring God and his creation.  Each Bible has its area of validity.  Just as Social Darwinism was wrong because took lessons from the natural Bible and tried to apply them into the world of human conduct – so, too, creationism is wrong because it takes lessons from the written Bible and tries to apply them into the world reality that is here before us.  To use the bible in this way dishonors the world that God created.

Just as a atheist can read the written Bible and understand the power of a verse like Leviticus 19:18, “… thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself…”  so too an atheistic scientist can study the natural world and uncover the God-given rules that exist in the world today and have existed since He created the universe.  The rules, so discovered, are just as valid as if uncovered by a Christian who is a scientist if both use a developed capability to reason given to man by God.  The key here is SCIENTIST - "one who seeks to know."

Answer 8

There really is no factual evidence, there is just a lot of strong assumptions and speculations.  That's the only thing that is allowing the whole Creationism theory still stand.  There's no proof for either side, and probably will not be for a while, if ever.

Hope this helps.

Answer 9

There is a great deal of misunderstanding in the world about BOTH evolution and Creationism. (And a lot of what is thrown around by both sides is straw-man arguments. Not all of it is that way -- but much is.) So first learn all you can about both. (Evolution involves more than just one principle. Some principles are more easily understand than others -- and some are more easily verified than others. For example, natural selection is one aspect of evolution that is readily apparent even in one human lifetime of observation [and even less time than that] and once you truly understand natural selection, I doubt that you will dismiss it.)

Also keep a humble attitude. Adherents of the Christian Bible have a long history of adamantly believing various things only to be eventually proven wrong. Indeed, the persecution of scientists such as Galileo by the Catholic Church was often more about the Church's defense of Aristotle than the Bible. Some uniformed Christians only THOUGHT they were standing up for a Biblical principle. Instead, they had allowed Aristotle's writings to skew their interpretation of the Bible. As a result, in our day we look back at them and they appear merely stubborn.

A brief summary in Yahoo Answers will no more "prove" evolution to you than a brief summary will convince an atheist that the Bible is true. Human experience is much more complicated than that. And most things worth knowing well take considerable study.

Keep in mind that many believers in Creation also believe in at least some aspects of evolution. I'm not saying that you must believe a particular way or that you are wrong to have strong opinions. (Nor can I predict your final conclusion.) I'm saying that you will do well (for your own understanding no matter what) to learn more about BOTH belief systems.  You will find that it is not as simple as you first thought.  And I say that as someone who does believe that God created everything -- and also that God used mechanisms such as natural selection to shape the created world. Don't be afraid of being exposed to the opinions of others and new information. (There is too much of that kind of fear expressed daily in this section of Yahoo Answers.) Too many people only read that which is published by people who believe only what they do.

I wish you well in your search for truth.

Answer 10

well evolution only talks about how life changes over time, so don't expect an explanation for how life started(if you want that look up abiogensis, but be warned that the explanation isn't complete yet)

proofs of evolution;

observational evidence(both written record and lab experiments)

comparative anatomy

Proportional Genetic Similarities

Fossil record(transitional forms have been found contrary to the claims of creationists)

if you have a few "talking point" arguments in your mind, than click on the link in my source that give you a list of arguments against evolution and provides an explanation as to why they arn't valid.

Answer 11

well, first off, i am slightly offended by this question. if you think it's completley obvious that god created everything, why are you asking?

anyway, i'll stop my ranting. take a look at fossils. take a look at fish or pretty much any type of animal. watch how they evolve in the smallest of changes, so slight and gradual. THAT my friend, is evolution. Millions of years ago, you used to look like this- http://bhowc.files.wordpress.com/2006/03...

now, we've evolved-

http://affordablehousinginstitute.org/bl...

ps- how did one single man create the earth in a week? i'd sure like to know.

Answer 12

Im with you dude! Oh and to the fossil lady, well its just bones from the past....a million years from now, our bones will be fossils to those people...theres no proof!

Answer 13

I Believe God created everything too, but i do believe in evolution, to a fact. when i was little i always believed in evolution. but i mean, think about it this way.

We may have started out as monkeys, but maybe that's God's image of us. maybe he created us in his image, *a monkey?* knowing that we would change into humans over time. maybe it's so that we don't know everything again. it's God's way, to leave us wondering. its a test of our faith. i bet God's upstairs laughing at how we all fight over evolution. Him and the angels, getting a good laugh.

There's the theory where humans were created on a later day, i forget which one... but that the days to God are like hundreds of billions of years to us. so maybe he started with ashes and molded them for billions of years until he had every star. Then he molded his heavenly angels and they flew around and protected the stars. Keeping them from harm as God continued his work. Maybe then he had a beautiful image of color and decided to create it, taking the shades of sand and molding them together until they were just right to his imagination. then he took the color and placed it on a large orb of sand amongst the stars, and he called it the sun. maybe then he looked around and thought "oh, wow, this color is so beautiful, there should be more" maybe he didn't even call it color. but maybe it was there in his mind the whole time. so what if he just decided he wanted there to be more color because the stars and the sun were so brilliantly bright and wonderful and he was so proud of all of the light.

so lets say thats how the sun was made. well maybe then he had an image of the opposite of sand. so he took a giant ball and slowly molded it into his liking, set up several other balls of sand, and laid them in order along the line of the sun. Maybe he liked the way that the sun shone off of the sand, and decided to dig holes in the orbs. then when he saw the shadows, he was delighted and spit in them. immediately they filled with his spit and he was happy. but the color was too dry and stale for his enjoyment so he blended the sand a different way and came up with the most brilliant blue in the world. he spread it around the water and laughed at how marvelous it looked. he built little islands and a giant land mass in the center, because he still enjoyed the feel of sand.

so then he looked around and realized that his sky was utterly blank. so he glanced around and squished some sand into tiny balls and hurled them through space. he was sad when some crashed into his pretty planet, so he decided to build a protective wall of heat around his perfect world. it burned all of the sand balls that came at it, saving his planet from more and more harm. but his giant sand island was already ruined. it shattered and floated apart, but God was not sad. For he saw possibility in these tiny islands. his head filled with the images of little creatures running around, prancing and living together. So he made creatures and he gave them the ability to have children so that he could marvel at the young. When the animals started to go hungry, due to their eating habits and the dying off of certain species, he changed their legs so they could swim, moved their teeth so they could hunt more. He gave them bigger brains so they could think a little more like he could, and he was happy.

So now all of the animals are going hungry, and this makes God sad. So God created plants. Huge cliffs and valleys and rivers filled with different types of fish and animals. He built trees which towered over his animals and gave them shade when they got too hot, he created clouds to further shade them when there were no trees. But he was not happy, for this wonderful world had no color, besides the water. So he invented all different shades of color and filled his little world with it. He went out to his universe and decorated the sky and all of his little planets, for which he was saving for later. Today, he built Earth.

So all of this world had color but his little animals were still going hungry. So he changed some of their teeth, some of their minds, some of their bodies. Now animals could evenly eat. Some could eat meat, others could eat plants. Some could choose. However, God soon learned he was starting to not enjoy his animals as much, mainly because he couldn't get them to see his world in color the way he loved it. So he took an ape and he changed it. He formed it into a taller, stronger animal that could run and hunt and swim and think for himself. God talked to the man, whom he named Adam, and God was very happy.

However, as Adam looked around he began to wonder where HIS mate was. So one day when he and God were talking, Adam asked God if he could have a mate too. God laughed and said yes, and while Adam was asleep he took his rib, as the story goes.

just an idea. btw. i'm 13.

Answer 14

Hahaha.

"I don't beleive in evolution, nor will i ever...So give me your best shot at trying to convince me"

What a moron you are.

Evolution is fact, it is observable, it is irrefutable.

Does God make things fall to the earth? No, it's gravity. Do you believe in gravity? Of course not, because gravity is not something you believe in, it is observable, it is irrefutable. The theory of gravity is our best explanation of the phenomenon known as gravity. If our theory is proven in correct will things suspend themselves in mid air? Of course not, the world is not governed by our theories. We will just come up with a better explanation.

Same goes with evolution dipshit. The fossil evidence, the DNA evidence, observation, etc... It's irrefutable! EVOLUTION IS FACT NOT SOMETHING SCIENTISTS BELIEVE IN! The theory of evolution is our best explanation of this phenomenon. If this is proven incorrect will evolution be brought to a screeching halt? No, we'll just find a better explanation.

Get your head out of your *** and explore the world of SCIENCE.

I am a Christian, morons like you give us a bad name. Go dig yourself a hole and hide from science. The world will be better without you.

Answer 15

1. Fossil record and geology.

2. Embryology and the similarities between related species at this early point in development

3. The mechanism exists in DNA

4. Evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria

5. Adaptation shown in galapagus finches from year to year and hte food source changes.

6. Artificial selection gives us a huge variety of breeds within species. Natural selection works the same way without consciousness because only the organisms that survive can breed, so it selects for animals most suited for survival.

There's really no point in trying to educate a die-hard creationist anyway, it seems to me that most of them ask to 'be convinced' ust trying to stirr up trouble or draw attention to a debate that most of the world, including the pope, long ago decided was finished.

Why don't you try to cinvince us that creationism has some evidence? Most creationist arguements only try to put down evolution and don't provide any arguments FOR their own 'theory'.

Or better yet, why not try to actually learn what the theory of evolution is with an open mind and no half-truths.

Here's an experiment you can try: Draw some beetles on scraps of paper. Colour them either black, grey or white. Then imagine that there are birds which prey on these beetles, and that the white ones are easier to see against the black rocks that they live on.

Now roll a dice. On 1, 2 or 3 take away a white beetle (it was eaten). On a 4 or 5 take away a grey beetle. On a 6 take away a black beetle.

roll the dice twice, and breed the 4 beetles you have left. Consider black and white beetles to be homozygous and the greys are heterozygous.

Run it for a few generations and you will see this population of beetles adapt to be darker and darker.

That's a principle of evolution.

Answer 16

- Homologous structures

- Fossils

- Documented studies in microevolution

- The simple elegence and functionality of the process of natural selection

You wouldn't believe that god created everything if no one had ever told you so.  The only reason you believe in god is because someone told you that he exists.  If you just went and looked at the world you wouldn't come to the conclusion, "oh, this was obviously all created by a man in the sky".

Answer 17

in actuality evolution is VERY hard to prove. In fact its just one of many theories that scientists find most likley occured. almost like the big bang theory.  But when you look at it genes are what make you who you are, so if we keep pulling out our wisdom teeth is that going to somehow change our genetic makeup and eventually we will be born with no wisdom teeth. I don't believe it will.

Answer 18

Evolution did in fact happen. I don't care if you don't or won't believe, I'm typing this up to tell you the proof. There have been fossils that prove it. Man has evolved from hairy apes. Everything you see has evolved from something. I don't really know how to explain it.

Answer 19

Obviously no amount of evidence is ever going to convince a person like you to even give the theory of evolution a second thought because the only reason you would ever post a question like this is so you can provoke others into playing your foolish little game. You don't want evidence evolution nor do you want to test your faith, you just want to make a statement to others that evolutions can't back up anything they say and no matter what they say, they can never shake your blind faith. You think by posting dumb questions like these will make you look better and make a fool of people who support the theory of evolution. Am I right? So I'm probably wasting my time trying to answer your question, but what the h**l, I have nothing better to do.

1) Theres been piles of transitional fossils that show similarity between one species and another. Ie. Archaeopteryx, Tetrapods, Australopithecus, ambulocetus, and a lot more that I'm too lazy to mention.

2) Virus and Bacteria evolve all the time in order to resist drugs that we make. They do this at a faster rte because they can reproduce a lot faster and therefor quickly adapt and evolve to resist drugs.

3) No single person is exactly the same as another person (unless they are identical twins), DNA has already proven this. A child gets half their DNA from each parent. Therefor no single person has the exact copy of another person's DNA except foe identical twins. Now when the kids have kids, the kid's kid's DNA will be even more different from their grandparent's and their kids will have DNA even more different from their great grandparents. Since we all have our own DNA, we are subject to change. Now even if we are all identical twins, there is still mutations, a spelling error in the copying of DNA that occurs once in a while. With the shuffling of our parent's DNA, and the random mutations, with a given amount of time, we will eventually change as a species altogether or evolve.

[edit]

4) For thousands of years farmers have been selecting what specific plant and animal to breed. For example, fat pigs are more favorable to lean pigs so farmers breed fat pigs only. They continue to breed fat pigs until they have a strain of pigs that are really fat. The same goes for domestic dogs. Domestic dogs are just specifically selected gray wolves bred with human interference. Over time these specific gray wolves are continually bred to be loyal, small, and favorable pets to humans. Until we have the dogs that we have today. Although gray wolves bred into domestic dogs to suit the human liking, and not to suit the environment around them for better survival, it is still irrefutable fact that species change over time. In this case, gray wolves to domestic dogs. And this changing of species from one to another is pretty solid evidence for evolution.

Theres more evidence for evolution you can search up on the internet (that is if your not afraid of the overwhelming pile of evidence shattering your blind faith).

Answer 20

Science does not deal in proof - only mathematics and logic use proof.

Science deals in *evidence* - and there is a virtual mountain of evidence supporting evolution (and zero evidence against it).

There is far, far too much to list here: every time a scientist uncovers a new fossil, or sequences a new gene, this is supporting evidence for evolution.

Check the websites below for example evidence of evolution - but a quick summary of the major areas of evidence is:

[1] Paleontology.

Fossils are found which show a clear progression of evolutionary changes (the evolution of the horse, for example). Different organisms arise and become extinct at different points through history (no rabbits in the Precambrian era, for example)

[2] Comparative Anatomy.

Homologous structures have derived from the same basic model - like the pentadactyl limb of all terrestrial vertebrates, or insect mouthparts. Organisms retain vestigial structures that are no longer of any use (like the appendix, wisdom teeth, and the plantaris muscle in humans).

[3] Biogeography.

More closely-related organisms are most often found near to each other - like the marsupials (and no placental mammals) in Australia.

[4] Comparative Biochemistry.

Closely-related organisms share similar biochemistries. Like New World primates having only 2-colour vision, while Old World primates (inclusing humans) have 3-colour vision.

All organisms have the same genetic code - not just that they use the same 4 bases in their DNA, but that the same 3-base codons code for the *same* amino acids.

[5] Comparative Genetics.

Furthermore, DNA sequences vary according to the "relatedness" of organisms in a manner which correlates *exactly* with anatomical changes. This also occurs in non-coding "junk" DNA, where there is exactly zero reason for the variation to have occured, unless caused by evolutionary changes and genetic drift.

[6] Observed evolution.

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Pesticide resistance in mosquitoes. The new 'flu virus every year. Industrial melanism of the peppered moth. Observed speciation in laboratory strains of Drosophila fruitflies, in the Hawthorn fly, in E. coli bacteria in long-term evolution studies, in the evening primrose after hybridization and polyploidy, and more.

Answer 21

Your right to do so evolution is a myth but is considered scientific fact because it is the most logical explanation we have

You have to remember that evolution is a theroy i dont personally belief it but it is one of those things like global warming

global warning is a myth as well it hasnt been proved yet but it is the most logical reason for the rise in tempeture

i doubt anyone can convince you it is true never compared to god anyway :)

Answer 22

If material evidence like the fossil record, similarities between species, specialization of similar species that live near each other, etc. are not proof enough for you...  How about using some plain old fashioned logic?  The only three things required for evolution to occur are:

1.  Variation (not all individual members of a species are exactly alike)

2.  Heredity (an individual's traits are often passed on to it's offspring)

3.  Selection (not every individual will survive and breed)

Evolution is the logical result of those three things.  Can you find a fault with any of them?  If you want to 'disprove' evolution, then you have to disprove one of those three things.  If you cannot do so, then perhaps you should open your mind and actually consider that evolution occurs.  By the way, this idea is completely compatible with the idea of life being created by your god.

Answer 23

if it makes you feel better to believe what you do, it's ok with me.  it's useless to argue with a closed mind.  when you come up with specific questions about evolution you'd like answered, ask them when you become a little more informed.

Answer 24

I don't give a c**p if you agree with me or not, but there is no credible evidence that God exists, either.  The fact that there's a theory trying to give an explanation, other than the fact that your imaginary friend spent a weeks creating stuff, works for me.  It's not at all obvious that God did anything.  

Answer 25

http://www.allaboutcreation.org/evidence...

I myself agree with evolution, but everyones views are different.

I believe in jesus, that he was a great person who helped others but I don't believe in all the "magical" things he did. Just doesn't add up. It's like a game of telephone if you know what I mean. People twek stories every time they are told. Good luck with finding the proof you need.

Answer 26

You can believe God created everything and still believe in evolution. Why do people always think you can't? That's stupid. Evolution pertains to the adaptation of organisms according to their surroundings. The Big Bang Theory has to do with how it all began. If you're going to not believe in something, know what it's about first. Or at least what you're talking about.

As for evidence of evolution. Take a look at bacteria. Washing your hands with anti bacterial soap kills most of the bacteria, yes, but some bacteria resist and grow immune to the soap. The bacteria EVOLVES into a state in which it is resistant to the soap. Go google examples of evolution. It isn't that difficult to understand.

Answer 27

If god created people, then why didn't he make everyone Christian?

And because all the fossils! Idiot! God, don't you listen in Biolgy?!!?!?!

ALSO:

1.     the fossil record of change in earlier species

2. the chemical and anatomical similarities of related life forms

3. the geographic distribution of related species

4.   the recorded genetic changes in living organisms over many generations  

Answer 28

since no data will change youyr mind and you prefer to BELIEVE something as if you have some actual uncanny ability to KNOw the truth is commomn for people who have neither the ability nor desire to actually learn anything...you wish for someone probably a pastor or the like tell you what to believe  and what not to belive ...Your argument from "authority " ( well I just know ) usually means one has no data, no evidence , and no ability to even look at all the evidence that exists contrary to their wishful thinking. Why try to convince you ...your conversion to actually thinking is unimporatnt ...evolution still exists and is the very best explanation for all that we have observed and analyzed. Your approval is not necessary

Answer 29

If you are being honest, your opening sentence says that nothing will convince you.  Your own mindset would negate any answer.

People noticed that organisms appeared to change over time long ago.  Many forms of evidence exist to show this is true:  the fossil record, homologous structures in related animals.  Many organisms possess structures that would be "too sloppy" to be accounted for by individual creation (we, for instance, are really not all that well built for walking upright).  Individual creation would not need to use existing parts, it would allow for new parts to be designed that are better fit for the purpose.  Evolution is difficult to contemplate because we have limited capacity to understand time.  A billion years is a LONG time, small changes add up. (Of course, if you believe Bishop Usher's time scale, this won't work.  Even the church denounced his findings, but people still quote them).

If you want short term evidence of evolution, look at the mutations of bacteria over a few generations.  Bacteria change (evolve) and become immune to antibiotics.  This is a big challenge in the field of medicine.

Perhaps God created life and evolution took over.  I have a question for you:  If you were pondering the answer to spiritual questions, would you trust a biologist to be the best source for an answer?

Answer 30

There is tons of evidence for evolution but none at all for any gods. It is certainly not obvious that God created anything, any more than Marduk the Babylonia creator, Brahma the Hindu creator, etc., etc. did. Who is going to try to convince you of anything? You just said you would never "believe in" evolution. That shows science means nothing to you. Science is not about "beliefs", it is about "evidence". You should at least learn the full meanings of word you use. the Pope accepts evolution, and all intelligent and liberal Christians do. It is just ignorant fundamentalists who try to deny it, in spite of the overwhelming evidence. You are just making a fool of yourself to be in this category. Stay in R&S that is more suitable for you.

Answer 31

Is it completely obvious? If it was how could anyone ever refute your Gods existence? It is impossible to if it's completely obvious:)