Evolution and its Relation to Christianity



                This is probably going to be one of those posts that is going to get me in quite a bit of trouble. Ever since the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, the topic of evolution has been a controversial topic. Before one goes much further though, I feel that evolution must be defined. When evolution is used, it is actually a blanket statement for two specific processes. One of these processes is micro-evolution, which is the optimization of a species through the natural selection for the genes that allow individuals to survive and pass on their genes. The other term is macro-evolution, which is the attempt to use the mechanisms of micro-evolution and natural selection to account for the origin of life.
                So where does religion come into play here? One could start by looking at macro-evolution, as micro-evolution is a really well-defined field and is seen in the world we see today. People could also argue against macro-evolution, which would say that life gradually evolved to become what we see today, by saying that we have not seen the species jump that supposedly happened in the past. Why don’t we see the species change over the years? Darwin’s finches optimized their gene pool and gained longer beaks, shorter wings, etc., but they were still finches.
                One could also use the origin of information here. Intelligence is always inferred when information is found. This is similar to going to Mars and finding a McDonald’s hamburger wrapper. You wouldn’t assume that the wrapper was formed by unguided processes, your first thought would probably be that someone was there before you and brought lunch that was made by intelligent hands. This is one of the basic ideas for the Intelligent Design school of thought. When it comes to information, one must have a mind behind that information for it to have any sort of meaning. This argument gets applied to DNA, which stores all of the information needed to construct any living organism. There have been studies and comments made that DNA stores information as a digital sequence, much like a computer. So if the information in DNA is analogous to a designed computer, why is it a childish conclusion to say that there is a designer? From the gospel of John, “In the beginning was the Word…”. The Word was the Logos, or the reason. God created the universe according to the principles that he saw fit to impose on the universe. This is only a quick blurb from myself and some of it I am using from talks by John Lennox and Ravi Zacharias, so feel free to go to those two’s sites to see their thoughts on the subject. God bless and have a good rest of your week.

Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 15, 2013 at 1:40 PM

    "Ever since the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, the topic of evolution has been a controversial topic."

    It hasn't been a controversial topic in the way you are suggesting for at least 100 years.


    "So where does religion come into play here? One could start by looking at macro-evolution, as micro-evolution is a really well-defined field and is seen in the world we see today. People could also argue against macro-evolution, which would say that life gradually evolved to become what we see today, by saying that we have not seen the species jump that supposedly happened in the past."

    First of all, macro-evolution is the compounding of micro effects. Second of all, unless you're going to be more specific about "the species jump" bit, you haven't made an argument. In any case, you may like to browse this:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_transitional_fossils



    "One could also use the origin of information here. Intelligence is always inferred when information is found."

    You're going to have to be more precise about your definition of information, but I can't think of any commonly accepted (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_theory) view of information that says that "intelligence should be inferred".


    "This is similar to going to Mars and finding a McDonald’s hamburger wrapper."

    No. No, it isn't. Not even a little bit. Unless you also find other things that are similar but not identical in structure and function and reproduce with minor genetic mutations which are under selective pressures. Also, your McDonald's hamburger wrapper would have to do this for your analogy to make any sense.


    "This is only a quick blurb from myself and some of it I am using from talks by John Lennox and Ravi Zacharias..."

    Lennox (from a quick Google) looks legit, but Zacharias has said that evolution is incompatible with the second law of thermodynamics. I hope you don't buy into that kind of reasoning.

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