Oh MAN I *LOVE* threads like these....
Seriously, I absolutely LOVE them!
(HEARTS!)
Ok, First off... Humans did not evolve from Monkeys, in the same way that your cousin is not your parent.
Secondly, If you are going to ask quesitons like these, attempting to "Debate" Evolutionary theory... it would be a good idea to learn what
Evolution *IS*
The simplest Definition to Evolution is: "Descent with modification"
This means, that you are not exactly like your parents.
Every zygote contains some amount of mutations (Most genetic mutations are caused by a failure of the enzymes which copy the DNA during mitosis, or
solar/cosmic radiation)
Now, most mutations are completely benign... harmless... useless...
They encode no proteins, they cause no developmental changes... they do nothing.
Occasionally you will get a mutation that alters a specific "Part" of a creature.
Like a baby bird whose beak is just a *LITTLE* bit longer than those of its parents.
Now, this "Mutation" allows the bird to reach more food in tiny crevices (Bugs and such) and so, makes that organism better at survival.
Since it can capture more food, and is a better provider, it has a better chance of mating, and thus, making little baby birds that ALSO posess a beak
that is a *LITTLE* bit longer.
It's offspring will be better at reaching food, providing for their offspring, and reproducing because of this.
Eventually, over several generations, the entire breeding population will have the "Mutation" of the beak that is a little bit longer.
This process of an entire breeding population acquiring a specific mutation through the survival, and thriving of those who posess the mutation is
known as "Genetic drift"
Beneficial Mutations, and Genetic Drift have been OBSERVED.
Now, we did not come from monkeys, because monkeys descended from the same ancestors that we descended from.
And our common ancestors were *NOT* monkeys.
In addition, our common ancestors no longer exist in the form that they used to exist AS, because their children were *SLIGHTLY* different that they
were.
The THEIR children were SLIGHTLY different than they were.
Etc, etc, etc...
When a breeding population becomes divided, and the groups get separated, their evolution takes on different paths.
Lets take an actual monkey for example... a breeding population of monkeys, maybe 100,000 of them.
Half of the monkeys migrate south, towards the equator.
The other half migrate north, towards the poles.
The half that went to warmer climates will have just as many mutations as the half that went north...
But a mutation to have slightly less body hair is a BENNIFIT to the monkeys in the warmer climate, and thus, those who posess that mutation are more
able to survive, and provide for their offspring... and thus, HAVE more offspring, thereby giving this mutation to the rest of the breeding population
of tropical monkeys.
That short hair mutation, however, would be a detriment in the cold weather monkeys, and that monkey would die earlier, having less of a chance to
pass on his mutation to his offspring, and if he DOES have offspring, they will have less of a chance to pass this mutation on, so on and so forth.
A Long hair mutation, however, would thrive in the cold weather monkey, as would mutations to store more body fat, etc, etc... things that make them
able to survive.
So, the environment actually "Chooses" the mutations, as those that are better equipped for survival, and thus, for reproduction.
So, after several hundred, or thousand generations.... what you started with... a single group of monkeys...
You would end up with two COMPLETELY different species of monkeys...
One, thin, short haired, tropical monkey.
And One Fat, Hairy, cold weather monkey.
The original Monkey (Their ancestor) has since then, ceased to exist in its original form (When the two populations split and migrated) and has
evolved into these two "Daughter" species.
Now, if enough time has passed, and enough mutations have been introduced into these new monkeys (Cold and warm weather), then if a reproductive
member of either species met, they would not be able to interbreed.
If they cannot interbreed, they are no longer a separate "Race" or "Sub-species" but they are now a completely different SPECIES from each
other.
Humans did not come from monkeys...
Humans came from a breeding populations of early primate, that diverged its breeding population into several separate groups.
one of which, adapted for tree swinging, termite eating, etc...
The other developed bipedal locomotion, tool use, and larger cranial capacity.
Monkeys, Apes, etc... are quite LITERALLY our EXTREMELY DISTANT COUSINS.
They are not our ancestors...
Our ancestors are all dead, as are the monkeys ancestors.
OH, and BTW, FYI...
We (Humans) *ARE* APES.
The reason that We are APES is because an "APE" is what we classify a biological entity that requires the ingestion of living cells to survive, has
an internal digestive tract, has four limbs with five digits on the end of them, is covered by hair follicles, has fingernails and toenails, develops
from an embryo that is contained in the mothers womb, develops the opening for the anus before the mouth in incubation, possesses circular pupils in
gel filled eyes capable of seeing light, has teeth in a calcium jawbone, connected to a calcium skull and cranium, with a hind leg dominant structure
for the hip bones, develops in an embryonic fluid during gestation, and mammary glands capable of lactation, with a highly social lifestyle, etc, etc,
etc...
Humans are Apes
Monkeys are Apes
Baboons are Apes
Gorillas are Apes
etc, etc, etc...
"APE" is a classification, a GROUP if you will, that MANY different species belong to... Including OURS.
The only reason to ask the question that you did, is that you have absolutely no idea what it is that you are arguing against.
We don't "Believe" in evolution... we have PROVEN that it occurs.
We don't say that we are related to monkeys because we WANT to be related to monkeys.
We have proven that we DEFINITELY ARE RELATED TO MONKEYS.
-Edrick