This is a pet peeve of mine:

I'm tired of hearing the phrase "theory of evolution." Now I know the media is most people's only source of education anymore and that they're usually behind the curve, so let me put it out there once and for all: Evolution is a fact, not a theory. The evidence has been out there for decades and decades and it just keeps piling up. We're not living in Darwin's era anymore when it was a big surprise and all, nor should it be controversial. It's as obvious now as Newton's laws. Just because our schools are scared to take a position on a religious issue is no reason to avoid science.

Alright then!

teller said:

Where are the facts that man evolved from apes?

The theory of evolution does not state that humans evolved from apes.

evolution involves survival of the fitest...and that we have the features we have because we adapted and evolved as our environment did. Hence the term survival of the fittest...the ones who were able to adapt survived and those that could not adapt died off.

IceNine said:

It doesn't? What theory is that then?

We have DNA in common with apes, birds, and fish. Whether you buy into natural selection as the cause or not, you can't just toss aside the DNA.

teller said:

We are about 98% genetically the same as a monkey.

teller said:

I never said anything about DNA, but I do toss aside the theory that man evolved from apes, which has no factual basis.

"THE AFFINITIES of all the beings of the same class have sometimes been represented by a great tree. I believe this simile largely speaks the truth. The green and budding twigs may represent existing species; and those produced during each former year may represent the long succession of extinct species . . . The limbs divided into great branches, and these into lesser and lesser branches, were themselves once, when the tree was small, budding twigs; and this connexion of the former and present buds by ramifying branches may well represent the classification of all extinct and living species in groups subordinate to groups . . . From the first growth of the tree, many a limb and branch has decayed and dropped off, and these lost branches of various sizes may represent those whole orders, families, and genera which have now no living representatives, and which are known to us only from having been found in a fossil state . . . As buds give rise by growth to fresh buds, and these, if vigorous, branch out and overtop on all a feebler branch, so by generation I believe it has been with the Tree of Life, which fills with its dead and broken branches the crust of the earth, and covers the surface with its ever branching and beautiful ramifications" (Darwin, 1859).

teller said:

I am not tossing out the DNA evidence, cause I agree that is is too strong to just ignore. I was just trying to elaborate on what Ice said and answer Wolf's question.

Wolf said:

The factual basis lies in the DNA

IceNine said:

Of course, Pook is 100 % pure monkey.
[This message was edited Sat Oct 26 17:31:56 PDT 2002 by Aerogram]

MostBeautifulGrlNTheWorld said:

Sorry that's not enough to factually say man evolved from apes. That's why it's STILL a theory.

Humans and apes have a common ancestor, but that does NOT mean that humans evolved from apes.

According to my Anthropology book from college the following is the deffinition of evolution.

Evolution - Changes that species go through over time allowing them to evolve. This process of evolution starts with one common ancestor and branches out from there.

medel said the following about genetics - That certian characteristics are passed from one generation to another through discreate particles we know call DNA. They may or may not show up in every generation, they are always passed in pairs, some are dominant and some are recessive, and over time they change. Yes we all started from one common ancestor but over time due to things such as survival of the fittest, genetic and aquired characteristics(stated by Jean Baptiste Lamarck) things change and what did not die out is what we have today.

This is why we are similar to apes, but not exactly like them.

Well said, MBGITW... most christians TOTALLY misunderstand the theory of evolution and natural selection and do not try to learn about it at all.

IceNine said:

That is cause institutionalized religion does not allow anyone to think for themselves. This is why I refuse to practice or adhear to either of the two religions that my family stems from. They do not allow a person to think for themselves, and try to do their thinking for them. Do not get me wrong I do believe in god yet he is not the only reason why we are here. Other things like Evolution helped us get where we are now and I wish people would realize this.

IceNine said:

Agreed...it may not be clear that we descended directly from apes, but we obviously have common ancenstor up in the tree somewhere. Evolution is not a theory.

teller said:

Right-o!

I wish that schools had to teach evolution... this would help to stop the proliferation of inaccurate information relating to Darwin's theories and ideas. I suspect that about 80%+ of the population really does not understand what Darwin said, yet many of these people will talk about Darwin and say just how wrong he was.

It is sad, really...

IceNine said:

Yeah really...geez...what year is it again?! Still in the dark ages?

Another theory is that only Christians don't believe that man evolved from apes. It couldn't be further from the truth.

Wolf said:

I have NEVER heard that theory at all...

Wolf said:

He was only using christians as an example...cause there are other religions that do not believe this either.

MostBeautifulGrlNTheWorld said:

Also other non-religious followers.

here is what bothers me with this whole thing. My feeling is that the reason institutionalized religion refuses to believe this is because all it will do is conflict with things they have been preaching and teaching for how many years now. If this was to happen...the most likely thing is that people would start to listen and question what their church or whatever is saying. What does this mean for a church/religion...when people question they start to think on their own which means they may start to disagree with what the religion says...this then means the religion has lost its control on things and in their eyes people are going against the word...when they think and believe for themselves.

MostBeautifulGrlNTheWorld said:

RIGHT!

MostBeautifulGrlNTheWorld said:

Yep..."fear is the mind-killer." --Frank Herbert

God made Earth then me made man. He make Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve! Thats homophobic as men like men always I think!