Evolution, Creation or Design

[joules99]

If God created the universe as opposed to something like a big bang, and evolution didn't happen as science claims it does, is there any physical evidence to back this up, I know the big bang is only a theory and possibley wrong, but science has certainly proved some of it, likewise evolution, so what grounds has religion got to prove it wrong?

[ll_billym]

Unfortunately this will never be proven one way or another as nobody was there with a camera.

Another way to look at it is that God created the big bang. Everybody's happy.

[Hamish]

Evolution and Creation both require belief as the 'experiment' can not be repeated. As such the are both really parts of philosophy, one based on science, one on theology. Wilest it is probably going to be difficult to find evidence against a theistic system, science by its nature, requires greater rigour. If you are interested I would therefore look for aspects of Evolution which don't fit the general understanding of science, or are possibly flawed in their assumptions.

[jake-the-peg]

I'm not going to get into the evolution debate because it's been aired so often - but I must jump in and point out that the big bang is more than "just a theory".

It had long been realised that if it was the case we should be able to "hear ithe echo" in terms of a slight heat in every direction - about 3 degrees above absolute zero. - that was accidently discovered by a couple of quite confused radio astronomers in 1963 who were wondering why they couldn't get rid of annoying interference.

There's a lot of other less dramatic evidence as well but even Fred Hoyle who was pretty much the last astronomer to hold out against the big bang conceded shortly before he died.

If you hear the screech of brakes, a bang and run over to see a couple of cars in a thousand pieces do you really need to see a photo of the collision to know there's been a car crash?

[Hamish]

Hi Jake,

Yes. To assume what I was looking at was the cause of the sound I heared would be an asumption. It is entirely possible that the sounds were the result of some other independent event. This is exemplfide by watching casulty etc where the accidents look and sound real, but arn't. In my experiance there are always several possible explanations for an observation, the trick is finding the right one. This is most reliably done by repeating the experiment and looking to see how the observale changes, event then its not concreet and we must conclude that the 'best explanation is....' Science is never as clear cut as the media makes it out to be through over zeleous editing.

[vicalncraig]

Creationism is faith based and as such can not be scientifically tested. However, if the bible is not taken as the literal word of God it can slot in nicely with science......ther are many scientists who are christians and believe in evolution, just that in their belief systems is the faith that God had a hand in it.

[ll_billym]

Jake, much more is known about the causes of car pile-ups than the causes of the creation of universes.

My point is that there is no way of categorically proving or disproving big bang theory, the language used in the question.

[mibn2cweus]

Our ability to obtain and process knowledge is in itself a process which has evolved and continues to evolve as we learn new ways of acquiring and validating what we know. The value that knowledge has for survival and adaptation to new circumstances is not only responsible for but is the defining attribute of the human species.

Religion requires and relies upon beliefs which are not based on evidence or proof. Religious leaders have always fought against any knowledge that threatens the basis for what they proclaim to be the truth. As knowledge has increased exponentially in recent history, religion has suffered greatly from the revelations discrediting religious beliefs. Religious leaders are now attempting to integrate this new knowledge with Creationism and their unacknowledged �brainchild� Intelligent Design.

Religion claims to be the friend of the weak and the innocent but it is these who suffer the greatest from the loss of the benefits humanity derives from the knowledge and understanding we gain about ourselves and the world we live in.