kassie said:
How long did it take you to google all those names?
I knew the off the top of my head.
kassie said:
There is not complete evidence for evolution. There is just as much, and continuously growing, evidence going against evolution. You have faith that the gaps missing in your belief will eventually be filled, or do not need to be. Evolution is an incomplete argument, and therefore relies on faith to a very obvious degree. I'm not arguing for the truth in creationism, but there is some form of evidence for nearly every belief about the origin of the Earth, so having a few scraps of evidence does not make something absolutely true.
If there was any evidence against evolution, it would not be considered science anymore. If someone had disproved evolution, they would be extremely famous and there would be a huge uproar.
All the evidence points to evolution, whether you like it or not. Creation is merely faith based, and requires no evidence.
kassie said:
As I stated, gravity is immediately observable; evolution is not. That isn't an "assertion" let alone is it completely false. It's not up for argument that if I drop something it's going to fall. It is going to fall.
It's not a law, though. It is a theory. That isn't up for debate. That's just a fact.
kassie said:
Isn't it peculiar that none of these "links" are still around today, though the beginning and end creatures still are?
You would need an understanding of evolution in order to understand this.
The species eventually adapted and over millions of years evolved into the latter species. There was no first human or first Homo erectus because of the simple fact that evolution works over long time periods.
kassie said:
Also, I have a huge problem with you saying evolution HAPPENED. If evolution is absolutely correct, it should still be HAPPENING. And while I have heard, for the millionth time, it is a very slow process, there are not very obvious in between species, as there logically should be. Again, there is nothing presently known to be alive on this planet in between a chimp and a human. As soon as something that convincing is found, I'm sure much of the planet will convert to the religion that is evolution.
There are very obvious inbetween species, as I listed before.
Apes produced another evolutionary branch where they evolved into present day chimpanzees, another branch evolved into humans.
As for the claim that evolution is a religion...
"Evolution merely describes part of nature. The fact that that part of nature is important to many people does not make evolution a religion. Consider some attributes of religion and how evolution compares:
Religions explain ultimate reality. Evolution stops with the development of life (it does not even include the origins of life).
Religions describe the place and role of humans within ultimate reality. Evolution describes only our biological background relative to present and recent human environments.
Religions almost always include reverence for and/or belief in a supernatural power or powers. Evolution does not.
Religions have a social structure built around their beliefs. Although science as a whole has a social structure, no such structure is particular to evolutionary biologists, and one does not have to participate in that structure to be a scientist.
Religions impose moral prescriptions on their members. Evolution does not. Evolution has been used (and misused) as a basis for morals and values by some people, such as Thomas Henry Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and E. O. Wilson (Ruse 2000), but their view, although based on evolution, is not the science of evolution; it goes beyond that.
Religions include rituals and sacraments. With the possible exception of college graduation ceremonies, there is nothing comparable in evolutionary studies.
Religious ideas are highly static; they change primarily by splitting off new religions. Ideas in evolutionary biology change rapidly as new evidence is found.
How can a religion not have any adherents? When asked their religion, many, perhaps most, people who believe in evolution will call themselves members of mainstream religions, such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism. None identify their religion as evolution. If evolution is a religion, it is the only religion that is rejected by all its members.
Evolution may be considered a religion under the metaphorical definition of something pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion. This, however, could also apply to stamp collecting, watering plants, or practically any other activity. Calling evolution a religion makes religion effectively meaningless.
Evolutionary theory has been used as a basis for studying and speculating about the biological basis for morals and religious attitudes (Sober and Wilson 1998). Studying religion, though, does not make the study a religion. Using evolution to study the origins of religious attitudes does not make evolution a religion any more than using archaeology to study the origins of biblical texts makes archaeology a religion.
Evolution as religion has been rejected by the courts:
Assuming for the purposes of argument, however, that evolution is a religion or religious tenet, the remedy is to stop the teaching of evolution, not establish another religion in opposition to it. Yet it is clearly established in the case law, and perhaps also in common sense, that evolution is not a religion and that teaching evolution does not violate the Establishment Clause.
The court cases Epperson v. Arkansas, Willoughby v. Stever, and Wright v. Houston Indep. School Dist. are cited as precedent (McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education 1982)."
http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CA/CA610.html