Some of you seem to not understand the difference between micro-evolution and macro-evolution; allow me to enlighten you.
Microevolution- The theory that natural selection can, over time, take an organism and transform into a more specialized species of that organism
Macroevolution- The hypothesis that processes similar to those at work in microevolution can, over eons of time, transform an organism into a completely different kind of organism
Microevolution is also known as Adaptation. Microevolution is a well documented phenomena that practically no one disputes.
Macroevolution is an unproven hypothesis at best.
In all of my time associated in the sciences, I have only heard this term from creationists, and never until after my degree in biology.
I believe evolution is simply not possible, never once ever has nature been proven to change into a more complicated state than it started, things always revert to a simpler state of existence. It is more likely that humans evolved INTO apes rather than from them if you look at it .
Seeds start out more simple then get complex, then form simple seeds again.
I believe in God/ Jesus and that God created the universe. However we have to take the Bible for what it is. Ive taken some Jewish history courses and the Bible is just random assortment of ancient near east works put together by various editors and redactors over a millennium. They are just a bunch of works that were never intended to be "one book". I think God gave us reason and if we apply reason to the concept of creation all of the evidence points to evolution. I'm finishing a degree in biology in a few weeks and evolution is a fact of life just like gravity. Ever wonder how we have so many breeds of dog? Evolution. Ever wonder why we need to keep developing new antibiotics because bacteria become resistant? Evolution. I know its unsettling to think man evolved from an ape but that's the best understanding we have.
From what we understand, the earth was most certainly not created in 6 days. Again you have to take the Bible for what it is, a bunch of stories. Its often difficult for me to deal with believing in God when I see so many flaws in the Bible and so much scientific evidence of evolution but at the end of the day I have to just hold on to Jesus and not worry about the rest.
If you just showed me a Bible and told me to read it I would never believe in God. The Bible doesn't make sense, its contradictory and generally just non cohesive. For me, I don't believe in God because of the Bible. Jesus is the only reason I believe.
I struggle alot with my faith but at the end of the day its simple. I can't be an atheist. I can't believe that the universe is just an empty, cold accident. I can't deal with that thought and can't deal with the idea of never seeing lost love ones again. I've also had too many spiritual experiences to not believe in God. My worst fear is that God isn't real and that it's just all in my head.
So to conclude, don't get your knickers in a bunch. Believe what you need to believe in and just deal with the rest. I have to believe in Jesus or I will be depressed. Just remember, nothing adds up completely and no theory of existence is perfect. Even if you're a firm, logical atheist you still have to deal with ghosts, UFO's, near death experiences, and other freaky stuff that isn't fully explained by science yet.
Atheist and scientifically trained, so firmly within the evolution camp (antibiotic resistance prooves evolution as poison is no longer effective against entire populations). As per my training I discount micro-evolution as a term, just as I discount ladybug as a term, or worse yet 'germ'.They are used to describe something that they are not (a subset of evolution, calling a beetle [Coleoptera] a bug [Hemiptera], and whatever microorganisms one puts into the GERM category).
However I always try to impress that evolutionary principles are not against religion. They just state that organisms change over time. Individuals try to put further reasoning behind it, not the theory; and that evolutionary theories aren't concerned with creation of life, it is just the process of proceeding with life throughout time.
That being said I am very glad to read this thread as it is the most level headed and respectful discourse I have ever read, which can be difficult when discussing 'belief' as ones belief is never seen as wrong. Thank you to all.
One aspect from the beginning that I saw that was not addressed was moving toward order/disorder. Nature works in both ways. Taking in disorder to form order (the organism), and disseminating that order upon decomposition. Life is cyclical, ebbing and flowing.
Religion answers questions that I have never needed to ask, and I have always found too many holes in religous thought. I dont need the hope of seeing family members, dont need to think there is more than this, and cant fathom a cruel god as most are portrayed. Religous elders could not conceive some of my questions to begin answering me, and as a result religion has not played a part in my life in decades. I enjoy these conversations because I cannot fathom belief in a dirty, so it is nice to try and understand how many of you do. Nobody is going to change minds, but I like seeing how personal thought processes work. I can try and understand how your belief is as true to you as my disbelief is to me. Now if only I could fathom how your god is real and Zeus, Gilgamesh or Flying Spaghetti Monster isn't and I might start to understand the other side. But I doubt it.....
