Is evolution a science or a religion?
152516
Of the above answers, I like Truthseekers.  "Day off" (chuckle) I like it.\n\nI say its a religion.  Its called the THEORY of evolution, not a law, like the Law of Gravity.  There is certainly supporting evidence for evolution but whether its conclusive, I dunno.  Presumably, evolution takes so many eons to unfurl that we're excused from providing empirical evidence.\n\nPeople who believe in evolution WANT to believe in it.  I've never heard of an evolutionist (or creationist for that matter) who grudgingly or reluctantly held their belief. Neither evolution nor creation has an ironclad case if held up to exhaustive and unrelenting logical scrutiny.  People choose the belief system that appeals to them and stick to it.
1112493
The answers you're getting really crack me up.\nThe level of ignorance displayed about religion and science here is laughable.\nBiologists (as in the serious professionals) explain the fact of evolution with the theory of Natural Selection.  This is not a cosmological theory; it merely attempts to explain the observable world around us.  The theory is completely silent on the origins of life.  Science is patently ignorant of the supernatural (by definition).  Religion, by definition requires faith in a higher order that is outside the physical world that science is studying.\nIf Faith can't withstand science then there is something lacking in the faith.  Never try to explain God with science (it makes god testy).  Likewise, do not deny science with religion (that's just freakishly fundamentalist).\nThanks for the entertainment.
653816
Evolution is a theory.
219431
Something like the big bang must have tooken millions even billions of years- and who's to say we haven't been around that long? Evolution obviously takes a very long time so there is a very big line between Science and Religion. Some people beleive God created the Earth and the univese and have Faith in something that is mostly one-sides- Some people beleive that science and evolution and astronomical theories created the Universe. and we can't really decide on which one is true. The Science side has more evidence to back it up while the Religion side, well i don't know if they even have evidence therefore i'll leave that out. But yes..it's a diverse question. People must take their sides but must still leave other opinions open\n\nIf you start to just beleive in one thing and ignore all the others- your so determined to beleive into something you would deny everything else- To be honest, i beleive in the scientific explanation of how life came to be. And i beleive the Bible isn't the life of Jesus but more a guide on how to live life as a good moral human being. Well thats my opinion.
1167057
The theory of evolution is most definitely NOT a religion.\n\nI disagree with the accuracy of your comparison.  To elaborate...\n1) Evolution did not sprout from an inspired man.  Evolution was postulated to explain evidence, and that evidence points to common descent.  Evolution was postulated 100 years before Darwin published Origin of Species, and the ones who came up with it first were not greek, nor were they Charles Darwin.\n2) "Religion supports tales occurring before man."  If these tales are interpreted metaphorically, there is no conflict between science and the bible.  It is only biblical literalists that take issue with it.  Still, this statement and the supposed comparison doesn't help to define evolution as a religion.\n3) If religion is defined as that which answers the questions every man longs the answer for, I guess Jeapardy, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and other such TV shows are also religions.\n4) What constitutes proof is up to the individual.  Evolution is proven to me.  Maybe not to you.  That's fine.  For the sake of argument, we will say that there is no proof of evolution.  But there is a lot of evidence for it.  Creationists have no evidence whatsoever, other than twisted science, fallacious arguments, and illogical conclusions.  Oh yeah.  I forgot about criticisms of evidence for evolution.  Regardless of how valid the criticism, that isn't evidence for creation.\n5) "Evolutionists defend there views despite the inability to prove its basis"  Again, this premise is way off.  If you think a particular brand of car is better than any other, you may argue why, but you couldn't prove the statement to be true.  And I doubt you would consider your preference for that make and/or model a religion.\n6) Evolution is supported only on the basis of the evidence.  Prior to the fossil record, and prior to taxonomy, it was assumed that all earth's critters were created from nothing.  Then came the evidence.  Then came people who looked at it closely.  Then came the attempt to explain that evidence...evolution.\n\nI could go on through the rest of your points, but none of them are accurate comparisons between religion and evolution, in my opinion.\n\nHere is a much better breakdown of how religion and evolution differ...\nFrom http://talkorigins.org/indexcc/CA/CA610.html\n"1) Religions explain ultimate reality. Evolution stops with the development of life (it does not even include the origins of life). \n2) Religions describe the place and role of humans within ultimate reality. Evolution describes only our biological background relative to present and recent human environments. \n3) Religions almost always include reverence for and/or belief in a supernatural power or powers. Evolution does not. \n4) 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. \n5) 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. \n6) Religions include rituals and sacraments. With the possible exception of college graduation ceremonies, there is nothing comparable in evolutionary studies. \n7) Religious ideas are highly static; they change primarily by splitting off into new religions. Ideas in evolutionary biology change rapidly as new evidence is found.\n\nHow 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 evolutio
295216
I do believe in evolution because that just means cahanges over a period of time but,i don't believe in darwins theory of evolution or the big bang.people who are "scared" of believing in creation are looking for excuses.i don't know about sedementary rock except what my tutor  and teacher tells me.
770975
Well, since both reincarnation and creation are religious beliefs, while evolution is a scientific theory, it's comparing apples to oranges. They are in whole different realms.\n\nI'd like to point out that the poster above me (Paganfire) is mistaken. Her explanation of evolution is actually that of thermodynamics. Biological evolution is descent with modification. Many people lump all the theories of science together as one 'belief', but they are not beliefs, as they are built on evidence.
438082
God does...I believe in the creation of all, but that doesn't mean that some species haven't evolved...There is probably room for both God and science, in the whole scenario..but not knowing enough about evolution, I couldn't say what part it has in the scheme of things..\nAltho God is my primary focus, I try to keep an open mind and learn things...
1091281
I can understand where your coming from but before you make any conclusions on evolution take a look at this website.  It has all you need to know about evolution vs. creationism.  http://www.talkorigins.org/.  The reason so many people believe in evolution is that every field of natural science supports it independently from geology, biology, genetics etc. and it makes a lot of sense once you sit down and really analyze the fact.  Unfortunately there is much misinformation out there so I urge you to read the information on the website and then make up you mind on evolution.  Personally I feel that evolution and religion can co-exist.  I feel that its a shame religious leaders exploit controversial topics in order to rally their base.  The true teachings of religion are of acceptance and forgiveness and any dogmatic interpretations of the bible (or any religious text) only serve to weaken message.
755030
Technically, and scientifically it is a theory. Theory doesn't  mean that it isn't true though, it simply means it is the most widely accepted opinion of the scientific community until someone can come along with a better theory or disprove the theory.\n\n"God created Us" is not a scientifically accepted proof against the theory of evolution. This is because without evolution DNA mutation makes no sense, even though it is a well observed phenomena.\n\nFossils also would have no explanation.\n\nAnd as a teacher, it would be best to say that it is okay to not believe every theory, because many past theorems have been proved wrong, but that he or she should maybe look into evolution a little more before casting a judgement.
550523
Just remember, evolution is an untested, unproven theory.  In fact, it cannot be tested or proven.  If one looks at the scientific method and what constitutes a theory, evolution barely qualifies, if at all.
1157600
Evolution is NOT science. There is nothing scientific about it. It is a religion. You cannot prove that we came from nothing. Its not even possible. You cannot create nor distroy matter, thats physics. So then how did all this "matter" around us get here. There has to be a creator. The animals may have different variations but they're still the same kind. Everything comes after its own kind. Same with people, there are tall, short, skinny, big. You'll never get a bannana from a fish. The reason you say the earth is billions of years old is because you think if you give it enough time it might happen. God created everything.
415158
Islam agrees with Both.... God is The Creator, and He is also Evolver. these are one of the attributes of God in islam. Whereever there is a Creation, He is "The Creator", Whereever there is an Evolution, He is "The Evolver"\n\nIt depends on which evolution you are talking about .>>>> Islam does not believe that humans have been evolve from monkeys??? \n\nThis evolution is not a fact. thats why it is called as "darwins THEORY of evolution"\n\nIslam belives that God created the whole universe... and we know ,, that after big bang there is a continues evolution in the universe. God says in Quran that first human being was "Adam" , and he was a complete man. Islam believes that "God is also the evolver">>> and we know ,, that when child borns,,, he is not able to sit properly ,, and evolution of his body does takes place. and child grows up. whereever you see,, there is a design in teh evolution... because there is a designer behind that. i.e GOD ALMIGHTY. ... GOD IS THE CREATOR AND SUSTAINER OF ALL THAT EXIST,,,, God makes that child to grow up. SO! WHERE EVER THERE IS A CREATION... GOD IS THE CREATOR,, WHEREEVER THERE IS AN EVOLUTION. GOD IS THE EVOLVER. \n\nTHESE VERSES OF QURAN MIGHT HELP YOU..hope this is clear to you\n\n\n30:27 God begins the process of creation; Then repeats it; and For him it is most easy. Yusaf Ali \n\n24:45 And God created from water every living creature. Some of them walk on their bellies, some walk on two legs, and some walk on four. God creates whatever He wills. God is Omnipotent.
288847
One question: What blew up (Big Bang)? For this theory to work, you either choose to believe in eternal matter (that stuff that blew up and we all "evolved from" to begin with) or an Eternal God. Therefore, evolution is a "Belief System." Like it or not, you have to take a step of faith in one direction or the other to believe in the THEORY of evolution, either way, faith and belief are still a requirement.
14612
My view is the same as the scientific mainstream.  Evolution is by far the best explanation for the change of life through time and for most similarites among organisms seen today.\n\nSince creationism is in the news today, I'll add this:\n\nA religion is a set of beliefs and practices that are believed in despite the fact that they cannot be proved to most people's satisfaction. Adhering to a religion requires a "leap of faith" by its adherants.\n\nScience is a set of self-correcting methods for discovering how nature works, and the body of knowledge developed using those methods. A theory is a concept that has been tested against scientific knowledge and does a good job of explaining it. Most people agree upon the explanation given by a scientific theory.\n\nEvolution does not explain the origin of life. It explains how life developed over time. Evolution has nothing to say about the existence or nonexistence of God or any other supernatural being. A large proportion of scientists, including evolutionary scientists, believe in Christianity or another religion.\n\nEvolution is in conflict with Genesis Chapter 1, the other creation stories in the Old Testament, and with the creation stories of other religions. That is not because creation stories claim to explain the _origin_ of life; evolution does not address the _origin_ of life. It is because creation stories explain the origins of species, or "kinds," or whatever terminolgy you use, separately from each other and evolution explains that each species arose from an earlier species by natural selection acting upon random mutations.\n\n(Did you know that the Old Testament contains several versions of the creation story and that these versions are in conflict with each other?)\n\nIntelligent design is a variety of the pseudoscience of creationism, which was created by Christian fundamentalists.\n\nThe Christian doctrine of creation, as understood by mainstream Christians, teaches that God created and sustains the universe. It does not specify whether the original creation was accomplished by divine creation (creation ex nihlo), the Big Bang, or by another means.\n\nFundamentalists believe that the Bible is inerrantly and infallibly true. They fear that if any aspect of the Bible is not "literally true" (that it doesn't mean what they interpret it to mean), then the salvation promised by Jesus was a lie.\n\nThis extreme belief, coupled with general knowledge of science, has led fundamentalists to create a set of beliefs to rationalize their interpretation of the Bible with their knowledge of science. That set of pseudoscientific beliefs has evolved from creationism to scientific creationism, to intelligent design.\n\nBy far, the large majority of Christians do not link the factual correctness of the Bible to the spiritual truths it reveals and the promise of salvation made by Jesus.\n\nThus, by a wide margin, most Christians believe in the doctrine of creation, but do not believe in the pseudoscience of creationism, whatever name it goes by.
601232
I feel that science is a natural path of our growth as human beings.  It helps us to grow and change and we need that.  Humans are not meant to be static!  I believe science and religion can coexist if people would seperate all the politcs from it.\n\nBlessed Be.
242769
Science is all about understanding the universe we live in.  If God created this universe, isn't science then just an attempt to understand what God created?  Science and religion are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but problems do arise when scientific conclusions and religious beliefs do not match, and should that be the case it's up to you to decide what you feel is the most correct answer.