(Hopefully) big debate....

[falcompsx]

I feel compelled to start a debate.

Do you believe that the theory of evolution is correct? If so, state evidence to support your view!
Let's try to keep this discussion civil and scientific, shall we?

Note that this is NOT a religious debate!!! While many people believe that the existence of one or more gods is mutually exclusive to the occurrence of evolution, this is incorrect. There are 5 possible explanations for the origin of life:
1. Evolution did not occur; one or more gods created life through supernatural means.
2. Evolution did not occur, and no gods exist. Life was created through a physical process we have not yet discovered.
3. Evolution occurred, but was influenced by one or more gods through a combination of supernatural and physical means.
4. Evolution occurred, and no gods exist. Evolution progressed through purely physical phenomena.
5. Evolution occurred, and was influenced by extraterrestrials through purely physical means.

As for me, I'll retain my religious anonymity, and I plan to continue that way.

[Barney]

I choose for whatever theory that doesn't involve a God. There you have your religious debate. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/biggrin.gif

[stylin19]

um......suggest you go here and join the debate...wear flame retardant underwear.

the neverending debate (http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b8531c24e08.htm#top)



[This message has been edited by stylin19 (edited 08-28-2001).]

[Dudster]

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif I choose what I think is the generally accepted theory and what I believe, number 4.

I don't think it's possible to debate this without religion. A lot of religious people will probably just say that God created life or something like that...

I think our ancesters (spelling?) were single celled life forms (maybe even not originally from this planet, who knows. We could've got here on a comet or meteorite).

[scotter]

well for all other life forms on this planet yes but not us where where geneticly altered by an Alien race, they took neanderthal and made us.

[Hellmund]

Well they must've taken their sweet time doing it scotter, I mean we evolved from nearderthal man over quite a LONG time.

I'll take barneys approach, chalk me up for any not involving gods and religion http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[Warthog]

I think little green men came over to this here planet and said, "Less make uh some pets for our chillen to play wif". They went to the Super Duper Creator Machine and.....POOF! Humans were born......this is called The Sims Theory.

Read more about it here: http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categories/products/product.asp?pf_i d=173436&mscssid=&ref=1&PromoCode=&site=&siteID= (http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categories/products/product.asp?pf_id=173436&mscssid=&ref=1&PromoCode=&site=&siteID=)

Warthog

[This message has been edited by Warthog (edited 08-28-2001).]

[surrealchereal]

Well falcompsx so much for intellectual debate http://www.sysopt.com/forum/biggrin.gif

[Hellmund]

If I was intellectual or good at debating I'd have a job now and wouldn't be here http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[falcompsx]

lol, this is pathetic! i guess intelligence isn't too high after staring at computer monitors as long as a lot of us have done.

[scotter]

there is a very good book called secrets of the gods that talks about the tablets found in surmia ? that records how Man came to be. we were desighed as slaves for this Alien race

you can also look at the fossil records they show a nice time line for every species but human we just appeared with nothing that directly ties us with a older species

the records prove evolution except for human kind and there it just does not. something made us and changed evolution

[kenyg]

Hmmm - well I guess I believe in #3. Not just about mankind though, but whatever started the whole shebang - the big bang and all -

then again, maybe the whole universe is just a flaring matchhead lighting someone's cigar.


Ken

[Warthog]

then again, maybe the whole universe is just a flaring matchhead lighting someone's cigar.

Ahhhhhh, the ever classic Horton Theory.

Read more about that here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0394800788/qid=999056073/sr=8-7/104-9288392-7570328

Warthog

[CMonster]

I'm not spell checking any of this, so critics please don't condemn the messenger:

We know from genetic science that changes in a species cannot occur unless they occur first at a genetic level. Although environmental factors can favor one genetic trait in a species, for example if the climate became very cold for many thousands of years perhaps all of the short-hair variety of some creature might die and only the long-haired ones survive.

However, scientists have learned that most environmental factors (with the rare exception of radiation and chemical induced mutations) cannot change DNA code directly -in other words, the ponds drying up cannot produce lungs in fish and food becoming scarce cannot cause a horse to grow a giraffe's long neck anymore than a modern day human body-builder will have a "buff" baby with a six-pack stomach. While I'm sure that evolution enthusiasts would love for people to believe that these kinds of beneficial mutations occurred millions of times to millions of species over millions of years, the burden of proof has never been adequately met.

Take for example the idea that a nest of dinosaur eggs gets mutated to produce a bird-like offspring:

Let us suppose that this happens because a radioactive meteorite (like the one on that episode of "Gilligan's Island"-?) lands in close proximity to the nest and by some even stranger miracle causes the same mutation in all the offspring - namely, that "scales" turn into "feathers" and the resultant mutants actually survive hatching into life. With what will the mutants mate, if they are able? If they only mate between themselves then the gene pool will be too small and the result will be -well, English people ...(okay just kidding there, but get my point) if the gene pool is too small it is called "inbreeding" and the species is doomed. If the mutants can still mate with parent species them the new genetic traits will become recessive and diluted (the traits will disappear -check out Mendel and his peas).

While genetic mutations could possibly account for a small percentage of new species, new evolutionary theory (punctuated equilibrium) expects us to believe that these "beneficial mutations" occurred to virtually every species over and over again over millions of years - anyone reading this ever played his state's lottery? -think odds.

And then there is the controversial debate of homosexuality, NOTE that in order to be "PC," I am not making a moral statement about homosexuality, but a scientific observation:

If the general trend in some individuals within a species is to prefer same-sex company then the general trend (not without exception) would be not to reproduce, or reproduce as much. Therefore, since in classic evolution we are speaking of "general" and "majority" traits over millions of years, the so called "homosexual gene" would have edited itself out of every species, thereby nullifying the argument that "they were born that way." This is not to even mention the consideration that certain homosexual practices could inherently contribute to the spread of deadly diseases in a "land before time," and condoms.

*************

Personally, I believe that all the physical universe is a dream in the mind of God - and it only seems real to us because we are also part of that dream.

[gyoung]

I've got a question. Is your option #3 the same as saying:

Evolution occurs and still occurs but everything that is happening was created by God and he started it all at the Big Bang, but let the natural order of things take over from there.

[kenyg]

Well - to get to my personal beliefs - Yes #3, and I believe in natural selection - but I also believe that God has a hand in things now and then -

Ken