06-14-2002, 08:09 AM
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#3
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Seattle
Posts: 4,261
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Quote:
Originally posted by ishalon:
What makes creationism and evolution mutually exclusive? If creationists can say that Genesis' "days" meant billion year periods, why can't they say that "created" meant evolved or guided evolution?
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It depends on how you define "creation." Check out this great link on the subject by Kathleen Hunt at <a href="http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-transitional/part2c.html#conc" target="_blank">talkorigins</a>. Here's her conclusion on what theories the fossil record can support, and what they can't:
Quote:
Written by Kathleen Hunt:
And now we come to the main question. Which of the many theories of the origins of life on earth are consistent with the known vertebrate fossil record, and explain its major features? I'll go back to the two main models I outlined at the beginning, creationism and evolution, and break them down further into several different possibilities. I'll try to summarize what they say, and whether or not they are consistent with the major features of the fossil record.
1. Evolution alone (with no God, or with a non-interfering God)
Evolution of all vertebrates by descent from a common ancestor, with change occurring both through punctuated equilibrium and gradual evolution, and with both modes of species formation (anagenesis and cladogenesis). These mechanisms and modes are consistent with (and in fact are predicted by) what is presently known about mutation, developmental biology, and population genetics According to this model, the remaining gaps in the fossil record are primarily due to the chance events of fossilization (particularly significant if evolution occurs locally or rapidly), in combination with immigration (the spreading of a new species from the site where it evolved out into different areas).
2. Evolution with a "Starting-gate God"
Evolution by common descent, as above, with God having set everything in motion in the beginning -- for instance, at the initial creation of the universe, or at the initial occurrence of life on earth -- and not having affected anything since.
3. Evolution with a "Tinkering God"
Evolution by common descent, as above, with God occasionally altering the direction of evolution (e.g., causing sudden extinctions of certain groups, causing certain mutations to arise). The extent of the "tinkering" could vary from almost none to constant adjustments. However, a "constant tinkering" theory may run into the problem that vertebrate history on the whole does not show any obvious direction. For instance, mammal evolution does not seem to have led inescapably toward humans, and does not show any consistent discernable trend (except possibly toward increased body size). Many lineages do show some sort of trend over time, but those trends were usually linked to available ecological niches, not to an inherent "evolutionary path", and the "trends" often reversed themselves when the environment or the competition changed.
Models 1, 2, and 3 are all consistent with the known fossil record.
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She then goes on to say that Standard "young-earth" creationism and "Separately created kinds", but with an old Earth, are both refuted by the evidence.
Happy reading!
scigirl
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Creation and Evolution...
