Evolution vs. Creationism: Science, Faith, and Schools

Introduction: Sacred Questions and Scientific Debate

"Creational critics often charge that evolution cannot be tested, and therefore cannot be viewed as a properly scientific subject at all. This claim is rhetorical nonsense" — Stephen Jay Gould.

Human life is both sacred and mysterious. From a time before recorded history, human beings — both scientific and religious — have tried to determine what it is exactly that gives life and, by extension, can take life away. In ancient times, most people believed that some great unknown deity controlled all aspects of life. With the advent of scientific inquiry and investigation, people began to apply empirical research and evidence to the question of human existence.

Since the concept of human evolution was first proposed, many people have been strongly opposed to the idea that human beings and primates descended from a common ancestor. Even today, in this supposedly enlightened and scientific era, large numbers of groups and individuals deny evolution or, at the very least, demand that the opposing hypothesis — Creationism — be taught alongside evolution in schools. In the United States, the debate over evolution versus creationism has led to jail time and lawsuits against various educators and schools for teaching viewpoints antithetical to the religious beliefs of their communities, most often in the South. For generations, scientists have been able to prove direct links between modern animals and other life forms and similar organisms that existed in ancient history (Prothero). Evolution is scientifically proven fact, and those who maintain opposition to the theory do so based solely on religious perception, disregarding scientific evidence and empirical research that has been cultivated and collected around the globe.

Historical Background: From Ancient Inquiry to the Dark Ages

Ancient Greeks and Romans investigated human development and adaptation. Scientific investigation was in its infancy, but people were already interested in understanding some of the larger mysteries of the universe. Religion in those archaic times heavily relied on belief in creator gods and the concept of divine creation for humanity. Nevertheless, ancient religions also allowed for the inclusion of scientific inquiry in debates about the world. However, with the founding of the Christian religion and the publication of the Christian Bible, this open-mindedness took several enormous steps backward. The early promoters of Christianity demanded complete acceptance of their holy book as dogma and insisted that everything in it happened exactly as described. The time for debate and questioning was over, which led to the Medieval period — also known, quite appropriately, as the Dark Ages.

During the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, scientific investigation began once again to flourish. Among the questions being investigated was the origin of human existence and potential explanations for it (Strickberger 13). Religious fundamentalists have done everything within their power, since the original proposition of evolution, to thwart open debate and discussion of the theory. Sadly, this remains very much the case today, even though continued investigation has yielded empirical proof of evolution.

Darwin and the Theory of Evolution

The theory of evolution was popularized by Charles Darwin with his publication of The Origin of Species, and his name is most commonly associated with the theory in popular history. Famously, Darwin sailed aboard the HMS Beagle on a voyage to the Galapagos Islands (Strickberger 23). On this journey, he observed the many variations of finches and how certain variations gave individual birds distinct advantages over others — such as a longer or thinner beak making the bird more adept at acquiring grubs and small insects. He then examined and observed similar trends across other species. He hypothesized that as the world progressed through climatic or geographic change, the creatures within it must adapt in order to survive in their environment.

Darwin may have popularized the theory and given it widespread publicity, but he was not the first to suggest it. Darwin's grandfather, also a scientific investigator, published articles about genealogy and how heredity involved the passing on of physical characteristics from parent to offspring. Even so, he was not the first person to propose or publish the potential genealogical link between humans and other primates. Those who tend to discount evolution often rely on the oversimplified interpretation that humans evolved directly from monkeys. Evolution has also been widely characterized by the phrase "survival of the fittest." This means that species slowly mutate as the environment in which they live changes, and creatures adapt to that change. If an adaptation is successful, it continues in subsequent generations. If it is not successful, the mutation dies out and further generations do not possess that attribute. As Edward Humes explains:

Real evolutionary theory explains how life forms change across generations by passing on helpful traits to their offspring, a process that, after millions of years, gradually transforms one species into another. This does not happen randomly but through nature's tendency to reward the most successful organisms and kill the rest. This is why germs grow resistant to antibiotics and why some turtles are sea animals and others survive quite nicely in the desert and why dinosaurs — and more than 99% of all other species that have ever lived on Earth — are extinct (1).

This is the scientific basis behind evolution. It is an accepted geological fact that climates and geographies change over time. If creatures do not adapt to these changes, they become extinct. Evolution is the process of adapting and transforming from an original form into another in order to survive.