Evolution Theory and Christian Faith

Darwin’s theory of evolution was along the lines of all life being related- each descending from a common ancestor. His theory presumes the development of life from non-life and suggests purely naturistic

Although Darwin’s (1809-1882) work in evolutionary observation might appear radically different from those focused on other areas, the theories he developed from these observation lead to such groundbreaking publishing’s as The Origin of Species. These intern caused an upset within the then accepted norms of philosophy and religion, had a profound impact on the academia, and further

At the beginning of the 1800s, scientists knew of some kinds of fossils, and were very aware of homologous and vestigial structures. Many scientists suspected that some kind of evolution had given rise to living things around them. However, they had no theory to explain how evolution might have occurred. Two scientists led the way in the search for a mechanism of evolution. The first was Jean Lamarck. The second was one of the greatest figures in biology, Charles Darwin.

A counter argument often provided by those who argue that the Enlightenment had greater impact on Darwin’s later works is its clear anti-Creationist stance, as a major principle of the Enlightenment period was to look at science for answers and not necessarily within religious text. During the Enlightenment period, there was a divide between the Church and much of the scientific community. Thus, since Darwin did not align with the views of the Church, some would consider him to be of the latter and therefore might classify Darwin as an Enlightenment thinker. However, it should be noted that although Darwin’s theory of evolution was deemed as an improper reading by the Church, many scientists of the time dismissed Darwin’s theory of evolution, ironically the same community in which Darwin attempts to establish himself in. The Victorian scientific community of the time rejected Darwin’s theory of evolution on the basis of it lacking experimentation and scientific measurements , all important aspects of the Enlightenment style of reasoning and thus suggests the scientific community’s preference for an Enlightenment style of reasoning.

As Francis Collins stated, Theistic Evolution is the belief that "evolution is real, but that it was set in motion by God” (Collins). Theistic Evolution does not separate the ideas of Creation and Evolution, and consider them as contrasting ideas. Instead, Theistic Evolution proposes that God’s Creation included Evolution. People with this belief argue that Evolution is a part of God’s Plan. Instead of interpreting the Bible literally, people of Theistic Evolution belief believe that the Bible should be interpreted loosely, taking only certain amounts the Bible for truth.

The issues about evolution have been argued for several hundred years. For example, even until now, some religion of the Christian Denomination still refuse to admit the evolution is a fact. However, evolution explains a lot of phenomenon appearing in nature environment. Thus more and more people believe it and think these phenomenon are the evidence! Let us sort out them below:

Darwin did not come up with his theory out of nowhere. Like anyone else who has made discoveries, he was influenced by others. For quite a long time before Darwin, people didn't look beyond the Biblical creation story. Such things as fossils,

Darwin once told his son” (Eldredge and Pearson 9). With his family discrediting him from an early age, the effort that Darwin had to go through is very evident. Due to his beliefs, he was believed to be mentally unstable by most who heard his ideas, but he pushed on, showing his strength and determination to the study of the science and what he believes to be the right motive. Darwin was also faced with situations where he had limited amounts of time to get his findings shown. to the public.

For years, theologians and scientists have debacled as to which theories could be categorized as correct as opposed to incorrect theologies. On a larger scale, these individuals debate the question of the universe’s origin, as well as the origin of life itself. Some of the most contemplated questions theologians face are those that include thoughts regarding the creation of all living things. Whether or not all things that currently inhabit the world are derived from a single act that has yet to be defined, or if it perhaps the result of a combination of random, yet coinciding, events?

Charles Darwin contributed much of his beliefs to the understanding of science, despite the adversities he had to overcome. Significantly, Charles was motivated intrinsically by his curiosity, since he lived during a time when science strictly clung to the bible. The aspects of differing religious views were most influential in Darwin’s life, personal experiences, and beliefs. Darwin came from an Anglican family who strongly adhered to their religion (Mrs. Weiland 1/6/16). Because of religion, several of Darwin’s challenges included unintentionally contradicting his family and friend’s religious views when attempting to explain his theories. Unfortunately, during his time, his “truly revolutionary ideas” were regarded as “highly unorthodox, jeopardizing the church and the bible” (Darwin 's Dangerous Idea 2002).

In conclusion Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was somewhat a father to modern evolution. His ideas paved the way for people like Charles Darwin and his theory of natural selection. His ability to go beyond the power of the church and the people who opposed him allowed him to make major strides in the field of Biology and without him modern biology could be very

Although Darwin hit most of the main points of evolution, his theory did have some weaknesses. One weakness with Darwin's theory is that he stated that all evolution happens very slowly and over a long period of time. Now, this has been proven false as some new species have formed over only thousands of years (Reece,2011). Another flaw with Darwin’s theory is that he only states that one mechanism, natural selection, drives evolution. In the modern day, we know know that there are three factors that drive evolution natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow (Reece,2011).

Then we come to “The mixing of evolution and theology sometimes results in a theory called theistic evolution. The theory posits that through the process of evolution, God gradually developed life forms until finally they became human beings.” (Zinke, 2014) Theistic evolution is the proposition that God is in charge of the biological process. That God instructs the revealing of life and matter over a time span of millions of years.

Darwin’s theory of descent with modification brought about a new revolution in scientific thought. He developed this theory independently after his around the world voyage aboard the Beagle observing the flora and fauna of various parts of the world (Bowler, 2009, p.149). Darwin could not have developed his theory without working on novel concepts derived from his own observation or, equally so, from learning of the concepts of other prominent scientists of his time.

Two very recognised theorists are Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and his theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics and Charles Darwin and his theory of natural selection. Both naturalists concluded seperate theories of evolution. Lamarck believed that if an organism develops a particular trait throughout their lifetime to accommodate to its habitat, it will be passed on to their offspring (O’Neil,2004). For example, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck believed that all giraffes used to support small necks. As the trees grew taller, the leaves of the tree would no longer be in reach of the giraffe, causing the giraffe to strain their necks in order to consume their food, resulting in the lengthening of