Evolution

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Evolution
Darwin Day2006
or Creation?
South Cheshire North Staffordshire Humanists,
info_at_humanists.org.uk
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Orang-utan story

• One day a zoo-keeper noticed that the orang-utan
  was reading two books - the Bible and Darwin's
  Origin of Species.
• In surprise, he asked the ape, "Why are you
  reading both those books"?
• "Well," said the orang-utan, "I just want to
  know if I am my brother's keeper, or
• my keeper's brother."

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1859 Darwins Origin challenged religious
orthodoxy
But with regard to the material world, we can at
least go so far as this we can perceive that
events are brought about not by insulated
interpositions of divine power but by the
establishment of general laws. W. WHEWHELL
Let no man think or maintain that a man can
search too far or be too well studied in the book
of Gods word, or in the book of Gods works
divinity or philosophy but rather let men
endeavour an endless progress of proficience in
both. BACON
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• The Genesis Story (King James Version)
• In the beginning God created heaven and earth.
• Day 1 And God said, Let there be light and
  there was light.
• Day 2 And God said, Let the waters under the
  heaven be gathered together unto one place, and
  let the dry land appear and it was so.
• Day 3 And God said, Let the earth bring forth
  grass and the fruit tree yield fruit.
• Day 4 And God created great whales, and every
  living creature.
• Day 5 And God said, Go forth and multiply each
  living creature after his kind and it was so.
• Day 6 And God said, Let us make man in our image
  and let them have dominion over the fish of the
  sea, and over the fowl of the air
• Day 7 God said, Give us a break!!

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The Genesis story implies

• The creation events took place over six 24-hour
  days, after which all creating ceased
• Life was created 6,000-8,000 years ago (not
  enough time for evolution to occur).
• How realistic is this?
• Is the scientific story more plausible?

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Scientific story Big Bang Evolution Man

• UNIVERSE The Big Bang is the scientific theory
  that the Universe emerged from an enormously
  dense and hot state about 13.7 billion years ago.
  
• SOLAR SYSTEM AND PLANETS formed 4.5 billion
  years ago
• LIFE ON EARTH 3.7 billion yrs basic organic
  molecules of self-reproducing RNA emerged2
  billion years bacteria1.5 billion yrs first
  multi-cellular algae and plants
• 1.2 billion yrs marked the start of sexual
  reproduction which accelerated evolution
• 300 millions years reptiles
• 220 million yr first mammals
• 25 million yrs monkeys and apes
• 5 million years humans?

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Darwins Laws of Evolution

• Reproduction leads to the inheritance of
  characteristics
• Variability in inherited traits (genetic
  mutation..)
• Populations tend to outstrip the means of
  subsistence causing a struggle for life (after
  Thomas Malthus)
• Natural selection of varieties and species better
  fitted to the environment, and the extinction of
  others.
• Thus, from the war of nature, from famine and
  deaththe production of higher animals directly
  follows. p. 408 Conclusion of The Origin)

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Tree of life
Darwin There is grandeur in this view of life
having been originally breathed by the Creator
into a few forms (7 to 10) or into one from so
simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful
and most wonderful have been, and are being
evolved.
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Evolution of life from a common ancestor - post
1970 view?
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Progress of evolution

• From simple to more complex organisms
• Increasing diversity
• Able to exploit a greater range of environmental
  niches
• Through natural and sexual selection increasing
  degrees of refinement
• (towards perfection?)

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Evolving towards perfection
Perfection
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or (d)evolving to Homochippus?
Next stage
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World-view Implications

• Creationism man is special, different from
  animals put here for a purpose God is in
  control
• Evolution
• man is nothing special, just an advanced animal
  man is an accident of nature .man is in
  control (?)

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Darwin and God

•   ....Disbelief crept over me at a very slow
  rate, but was at last complete. The rate was so
  slow that I felt no distress, and have never
  since doubted for a single second that my
  conclusion was correct. I can indeed hardly see
  how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be
  true....
• Darwins Autobiography

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What about a personal God?

• Darwin mentions that he gave some thought to the
  existence of a personal God at a later period in
  his life.
• But the existence of appalling suffering in the
  world and that we are asked to show faith in an
  omnipotent and omniscient God...revolts our
  understanding.

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Objections to Darwinism
The very notion that man descended from the apes
is blasphemous! On Aug. 11, 1999 the Kansas
State Board of Education fired another salvo in
the long battle between religion and science by
removing evolution from the high school
curriculum. This decision was subsequently
overturned.
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Man and apes99 common genes (really??)
Ill whip their butts if they say I am related to
a chimpanzee. Anyone can see that I was made in
Gods image!
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Intelligent design

• Sequence of mutations required is statistically
  impossible blind watchmaker analogy
• Producing life from non-life at the molecular
  level is a tall order
• ID accepts adaptation and evolution of varieties,
  but not of major plant and animal kingdoms.
• Irreducible complexity flagellum of bacteria
  How can there be intermediate stages?
• CONCLUSION God is the only reasonable
  explanation.

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Spectrum of Beliefs

• Creation in six 24-hour days, global flood was
  real
• Creation six days are long periods of time no
  global flood
• God exists, but evolution is true
• Evolution no God is necessary

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Humanist scientists

• Fred Hoyle and the origin of life on earth
• Argued that interstellar dust is composed of
  biological particles
• And the origin of life on Earth must have
  involved the importation of viable cells from
  space
• Also that pathogenic bacteria and viruses arrive
  from space.
• Bernard Crick believed that earth life came from
  extra-terrestrials

• Fred Hoyle Herman Bondi
• Found it difficult to accept the Big Bang
  Theory which implies a point of creation.
• They came up with the Steady State Theory of
  the Universe in 1948.
• Based on premise that the universe has always
  existed.
• However, observed levels of background radiation
  in the universe are not consistent with the
  theory.

Herman BondiReligion divides us, while it is
our human characteristics that bind us to each
other
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Bedtime story The Atheist in the Woods

• An atheist was taking a walk in the woods,
  admiring all that the "accident of evolution" had
  created.  "What majestic trees!  What powerful
  rivers! What beautiful animals!" he said to
  himself. As he walked by the river he heard a
  rustling in the bushes. He turned to look and saw
  a 7-foot grizzly charging towards him. He ran as
  fast as he could, but the bear was closing. 
• His heart pumped frantically as he tried to run
  faster, but he tripped and fell to the ground. 
  The bear was on top of  him, raising its paw to
  strike.
• At that instant, the Atheist cried out "Oh my
  God!....."

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bear story conclusion

• Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was
  silent. As a bright light shone upon the man, a
  voice from the sky said  "You deny my existence
  for all of these years, teach others I don't
  exist, and even credit creation to a cosmic
  accident. Do you expect me to help you out of
  this predicament? Am I to count you as a
  believer?" The atheist looked directly into the
  light, "It would be hypocritical of me to ask You
  to treat me as a Christian now but, perhaps,
  could you make the BEAR a Christian?" "Very
  well," said the voice.
• The light went out. And the sounds of the forest
  resumed, then the bear dropped his right paw
  ...brought both paws together and bowed his head
  and prayed
• "Lord, for what I am about to receive, I am
  truly thankful !"

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Evolution cartoons