Science, not Dogma Should Be the Standard - Essay Example

Over the past century and one-half, however, people’s opinions regarding evolution have experienced an evolution. Many religious persons today acknowledge evolution to be valid. The Pope even admitted creation and evolution are compatible. Still, there are a dwindling numbers of people who choose to stubbornly reject the science and contend that magical account of life described in the Bible is the “gospel truth.” This emotion-charged dispute usually occurs when the fundamentalists object to science being taught in school.

They want the creation version of events taught alongside the scientific version as a viable alternative. Eventually, everyone will acknowledge that the matter is not subject to dispute no more than the question of a flat earth vs. round earth is debated. Unfortunately, it will take generations to achieve this reasonable goal because our society evolves extremely slowly. Creationism is not based on the scientific model. No evidence exists, nothing to test or question. It is based on the belief that a supernatural being magically created the universe including all life in it.

The faithful accept this version of events without question because if they did question it they likely would cease to believe it. Science is a journey for the truth. Hypothesis is formed from observation, testing and retesting. When new information is presented the original premise is altered. Science continually tries to disprove the hypothesis or theory until the conclusion is shown as credible and irrefutable based on all available evidence. Religion readily accepts the explanations of an ancient, very superstitious and uneducated people.

“Religion is based on faith that is never questioned while science is based on knowledge that is constantly questioned” (Edwards, 1980). Creationist’s first line of attack is that evolution is just a “theory” therefore unproven and unacceptable when compared to the God’s unassailable holy words. Evolution is scientifically proven by the same method scientists prove other universally held theories. Gravity is a theory. No one knows precisely how or why gravity works but we all know it does, same with evolution.

Creationists require a much higher standard of proof from evolutionists than they are willing to provide. Religious fundamentalists thought the earth was flat prior to the 16th Century. In fact, since the church controlled the government at that time it was considered heresy to publically disagree with that falsity, a crime punishable by torture and/or death. However, learned people including Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella knew better. So did Aristotle who proved the earth was round 2000 years before Columbus.

(Lienhard, 1998). Science was rejected then as now by the overtly religious but even they accept the scientific evidence regarding disease, that the Devil does not cause sickness. They also, because of science, realize the sun does not revolve around a flat earth as is described in the Bible. “There are still many points of major conflict between science and religion. In each case, only one will eventually win public support. The historical record indicates that religion wins very few of these disputes” (Robinson, 2003) Darwin theorized that species adapt and change over the duration of millions of years according to new environmental conditions.

He called this process natural selection. Darwin observed and recorded