How evolution works

[bladespark]

I have recently been passed links to a couple of videos that are the best explanations of evolution (and deconstructions of silly Young Earth Creationism and so-called Creation Science) that I've ever seen.

Here's a link to the youtube account of the guy who makes them. Go, watch!

And so that nobody misunderstands my own stance on creation vs. evolution, I'll explain it.

I think that people who feel that the theory of evolution somehow threatens their religion lack faith. That short, that simple. And honestly, if you can't think of ANY way Christian belief and Evolution science can both be true, you're you're not terribly bright, and if you think that the entire world believing in evolution is somehow going to destroy Christianity, than you sure don't have much faith in God or Christ. AND, I'll add, if you think that the theory of evolution is completely untrue, and life doesn't evolve, you're either criminally ignorant, or you're just plain dumb.

That may be harsh, but there it is. Evolution is a fact. It's real. It happens. Science has strong, valid, and internally consistent answers for every single objection I've ever heard a Young Earth Creationist raise. The Young Earth Creationists just aren't listening, they have their heads in the sand, or possibly buried somewhere less pleasant and anatomically probable...

But you notice how I'm saying "Young Earth Creationist" here. Technically I am a Creationist. I believe that God was the First Cause of all that followed. He said that He created the heavens and the earth. He did not, however, say exactly how, or exactly when.

The Bible wasn't written to be a book of science. It wasn't intended to cover every detail of everything in the entire universe. It's a spiritual guide. Christ didn't tell his followers about how to farm, or fish, or even make furniture (though he must have at least known how to do the latter, being a carpenter and all!) He didn't speak about the mundane, except to use it as a metaphor for the sublime. He talked about things of the mind, heart, and soul. He never spoke a word about the origins of species, save to acknowledge God as ultimate creator of all.

I believe the Bible to be the True Word of God, but so? That doesn't mean it's the True And 100% Literal In All Cases, Always, Word. Everything in it is true. In some way or another. Some of the truths are probably literal. Some may be allegorical, or metaphorical. They are all inspirational! Take from religion what religion is meant to give, a guide to how to be a more spiritual person. Don't try and twist religion around to apply to things that have nothing to do with it. I find the way Young Earth Creationists, and evangelicals in general, abuse scripture to support their own notions to be frankly rather blasphemous.

Anyhow, all that said, go watch those videos! Especially the "How Evolution Really Works" one and the "Evolution IS a Blind Watchmaker" one, those I found particularly good and useful. Even if you're not needing to argue with crazy fundamentalists, they're just plain good science, and wonderful examples of the way evolution works.

Comments

[ekmahal.livejournal.com]

I find the way Young Earth Creationists, and evangelicals in general, abuse scripture to support their own notions to be frankly rather blasphemous.

So did Jesus. Remember the Pharisees?

[firebyrd.livejournal.com]

Thank you! The only thing I would put in a similar rant if I had written it is that I don't think science is going to prove that evolution was done by God, because God uses natural processes, so of course it looks natural. I get so frustrated with people who can't understand why I can have the beliefs I do while still accepting evolution as fact (well, duh, because it is!).

[thalass.livejournal.com]

Woo! You and Syn: My refreshingly sane Christian friends.

[reaverta.livejournal.com]

The science is mildly flawed-through-simplification, in that I'm finding myself going "...ehn, it's not /quite/ that simple", but other than my sciency-nitpicks, it is still fundamentally accurate in what it portrays, and overall very good.

However, I adore The Blind Watchmaker http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcAq9bmCeR0 - for it is utterly solid in the science, even more so than the previous - which makes me confident the previous oversimplifications were deliberate. Which is jolly good all round. :)

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm quite sure the simplification is deliberate, these are aimed at laypersons. They're about on my level. *grins*

[reaverta.livejournal.com]

It just makes me twitch to think of 'the top 25%', when it's more like 'those above a value of X, and then the rest up to 25%', so to speak. If you have a big rash of wrong-coloured, the predation will spike, is all. >.>

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

*patpat* The predation level isn't really important to the end result though. If you plug in realistic predation, the large version he used at the end still looks the same, I'm pretty sure. So easier to just give it an arbitrary value than to try and be perfectly accurate with it.

Plus in the smaller simulations used for most of it, if you have realistic predation, you actually risk losing your breeding population, should chance give you a high number of deleterious mutations in a given generation.

[thalass.livejournal.com]

These simulations are great! I was looking for a program to do this a year or two ago, before I heard of Spore (which is, by it's nature, more of an exercise in intelligent design :P), but the best that I found was one that varied the length, and number of tails a dot had, and it's method of swimming. This determined whether or not the bug got to the food pellets before starving.

Very interesting to watch!

[reaverta.livejournal.com]

This is entirely true. Like I said, it's just the inner pedant making me twitch. ;)