Why are religious devotees so concerned with Evolution?, page 2

Originally posted by slank
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Evolution is the proposition that life forms change over time to create new species.

If that is all evolution purported to be I don't think anyone would have a problem with it. It would take more than speciation to get from simpler single celled life to multi cellular organisms then progressing to more and more complex organisms resulting in the variety of complex life that we see today.

Darwin observed variant finch species on various isolated islands each with different conditions. Even if you don't believe in Evolution, doesn't this seem like a pretty good 'off the cuff' explanation why each species of finch is unique to each island?

Yes, it does. Speciation occurs and can be observed.

They are all still identifiable as finches.

Yes they are. They are finches today and always have been finches. This is what we observe. Their genome contains sufficient information so that they can adapt to environmental pressures and changes.

I think we can all agree that traits are carried down a blood (genetic) line. Children tend to look like their parents or grandparents (ancestors) more than anyone else.

Agreed

Is it hard to imagine that various kinds of characteristics of a species are better suited to various kinds of environments?

No, it is not hard to imagine at all. In fact it makes perfect sense.

With discrete and unique environments of each island what do you suppose the effect of placing several mating pairs of finches on each of the islands? What might have happened through time?

We can see what has happened through time. Characteristics best suited to the conditions on each island have become prominent in the populations living on those islands.

Is it such a stretch to think that these various breeds of finch were culled/filtered by the unique environment of each island?

It is not a stretch. I would go so far as to say that it is proven. It is such a stretch considering the amount of information that DNA can contain that these creatures were created with variation included in their DNA so that they would be able to cope with changing conditions? We know from technology that complex machines require a designer to provide information and instructions as to how they will be built to perform their function. Since living organisms are machines that are vastly more complex than our most technologically advanced machines it makes sense that they too would require a designer, a source of information for the instructions required for their function.

Is it necessary for God to have created each and every species and sub-species of finch on the planet for creationism to be true?

No it is not. For creationism to be true according to the Bible each kind of animal would reproduce after their own kind, which is what we observe happening today. This does not rule out speciation within the animal kinds. It does however rule out one kind becoming another. In fact we have never observed such a change or discovered any mechanism that would allow for such a change.

Science attempts to find the logical explanation for how and why things happen as they do based on the available evidence.

And yes, science is based on the premise that all occurances in the Universe leave traces. Many people implicitly take this as axiomatic. The most scruptulous of all would also include trying to determine IF all or even most events in the Universe leave traces. But how would you find an event that did not leave traces? Personal experience i suppose.

Events that can not be observed or repeated are outside of the realm of operational science.

Perhaps as a defense against the chicanery of other people we as a species had to develop a certain skepticism about events that didn't have confirming evidence.

The Con-artist as well at the Priest both like you to accept what they tell you on faith. It always bothered me that their similarities might run deeper.

Faith should never be blind. Personally I would tend to discount anyone who told me to accept something blindly. Scripture is very explicit in more than one place that blind faith is foolish. We are instructed to "prove all things" and to "hold fast that which is good".

There is evidence that many more large species existed than now exist from the fossil record.
Does that mean God wasn't perfect the first creatures he created?
He had to do a little trial and error learning?

No it doesn't. When God finished with creation he declared it to be "very good". Creation was perfect in the beginning. It was not until sin entered the world that death and suffering became a reality. Death and suffering is our fault not God's.

Maybe it is just me but creationism sounds silly. Like a sweet candy tale for children. ". . . And then the magician waved his magic wand and created the world!" oooohhh, aawwwwe. 'Tell us more Daddy!'
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It's not just you. There are plenty of people that share your feelings. I for one felt that way for most of my life. It is only recently that I feel that my eyes are open to reality. The realization that Genesis is a true account of our origins has woken me up in a sense. The idea that we share a common ancestor with fish, or reptiles, or birds, or bacteria, or even other primates sounds more like a fairy tale to me now.

Steve