FREE ESSAY ON CREATIONISTS AND DARWINISTS

CREATIONISTS AND DARWINISTS

Questions on the origin of life and of the universe must have challenged human curiosity
and imagination as soon as early man had time for activities other than survival. In
1859, Charles Darwin published the Origin of Species, and since then, people have debated
between the creationism and evolutionism theories. The theory of evolution has been
supported only through various religious writings, particularly the Bible.
Creationists believe in a divine creator, God. Creationism has a broad range of beliefs
involving a reliance on God's miraculous work to explain the origin of the universe, of
life, and of the different kinds of plants and animals on Earth. According to the
creationist view, God willed everything into existence, and this is how humans came onto
the Earth. Creationists say that the evolution theory is biased and incomplete. They
believe that the fossil records fail to provide a link between diverse groups. To find
out how old fossils are, scientists use a method called radioisotope dating, which
measures the amount of uranium or lead lost over the years. Creationists deny evidence
from this testing because they assume no uranium or lead has been lost over the years. 
The process of evolution, which all living things developed from unicellular organisms,
over billions of years Exactly how evolution occurs is still debated but it is a
scientific fact that it does occur. Most biologists believe that the modern theory of
evolution arose from a history of mutations either physically or chemically and it is
still occurring. All organisms can be traced back to a common ancestor from inanimate
matter.
The science of paleontology or the study of life provides the most direct proof of
evolution in the past through fossil remains or impressions, usually in rock. Other
evidence comes from comparative studies of living animals and plants, including their
structure and geographical locations. "Mollusks and vascular plants account for more than
80 percent" (Futuyma 87) of the world's species, with about "1.4 to 1.8 million species"
(Futuyma 87) in all.
Changes occur in living organisms to help increase their adaptability, or potential for
survival and reproduction, in the face of changing environments. Evolution apparently has
no built-in direction or purpose. A given kind of organism may evolve only when it occurs
in a variety of forms differing in hereditary characteristics, or traits, that are passed
from parent to offspring. By chance, some varieties prove to be poorly adapted to their
current environment and thus disappear, whereas others prove to be adaptive, and their
numbers increase. The elimination of the unfit, or the survival of the fittest, is known
as natural selection because it is nature that discards or favors a particular variant.
Basically, evolution takes place only when natural selection operates on a population of
organisms containing diverse inheritable forms. 
Creationists have gone back to the basic laws of nature to see if evolution is physically
possible given enough time and opportunity. The one major problem that they see is the
2nd Law of Thermodynamics. It states, All natural systems degenerate when left to
themselves. This is why everything falls apart and decays over time. Creationists point
to death as being the ultimate manifestation of this law. This physics principle does not
allow for something as complex as the human eye to originate from something simple. The
eye must follow the tendency for complete degeneration. Creationists see a downward
spiral for every living and non-living creation. Everything breaks down into simpler
substances; they do not become more complex. Creationists say that, in the real world the
long-term flow is downhill, not uphill. An experimental and physical observation appears
to confirm that the law is indeed universal, affecting all natural processes in the long
run.
The evolutionists do not see the Second Law of 
Thermodynamics as a contradiction to evolutionary processes, 
because as it "specifically states that the entropy of a closed system cannot decrease.
The law pertains to closed systems. The earth, and therefore evolution, is not a closed
system" (Creation Science FAQ) As we know, there are no closed system on earth, "so in no
way can any living system on Earth directly violate the second law" (Creation Science
FAQ) Therefore, this argument is invalid.
The age of the universe, perhaps billions of years old, shows that life has had lots of
time to evolve from single celled organisms to what we are today. Through fossils, and
other evidences, it shows that humans came from primates, which is not surprising, since
we are almost physically identical to a chimpanzee. In the beginning, very simple life
forms began gradually appearing. These simple life forms gradually changed to complex
ones, and there have been transitional 'links' between the different kinds, such as
fishes and primates. They both have the same types of bones, for example, forearms,
wrists, elbows, upper arms, and shoulders. They seem to be related to a common ancestor.
The Bible says that an omnipotent being, created the earth and everything on it in 6
days. He also created everything out of nothing. This is literally impossible, it
challenges all physics laws, so it cannot be done. The only proof that Creationists have
of the origin of life is the Bible. Evolutionists have much more proofs or evidence of
how humans appeared on the earth.
The Bible, whether intended literally or figuratively, is definitely an important piece
of literature. To believe that the age of the earth is only 10,000 years old does not
support the validity of the creationists. To many scholars, the Bible is a figurative
book of parables, not to be taken literally. The use of the Bible may be hindering,
instead of supporting, the validity of the creationist's arguments. It is clear that
evolution is much clearer to understand and accept than the creationism theory. There
will always be people who will still be curious as to how we appeared on the earth, and
some people will oppose the evolution theory, therefore, the evolutionism/creationism
debate will forever continue.
Works Cited
Creation Science FAQ
http://www.clubs.psu.edu/origins/faqsci.htm
Drew Thinks About Evolutionism vs Creationism. 
http://petra.austinc.edu/arayburn/evolve.html
Futuyma, Douglas J. Evolutionary Biology. 3rd ed. Massachusetts: Sinauer Associates inc.,
1997. General QH 366.2.F87
Montagu, Ashley, ed. Science and Creationism. New York: Oxford University Press, 1984.
General QH 371.S343
Strahler, Arthur N. Science and Earth History. The Evolution/Creation Controversy. New
York: Prometheus Books, 1987. BS 652.S77
Bibliography
Questions on the origin of life and of the universe must have challenged human curiosity
and imagination as soon as early man had time for activities other than survival. In
1859, Charles Darwin published the Origin of Species, and since then, people have debated
between the creationism and evolutionism theories. The theory of evolution has been
supported only through various religious writings, particularly the Bible.
Creationists believe in a divine creator, God. Creationism has a broad range of beliefs
involving a reliance on God's miraculous work to explain the origin of the universe, of
life, and of the different kinds of plants and animals on Earth. According to the
creationist view, God willed everything into existence, and this is how humans came onto
the Earth. Creationists say that the evolution theory is biased and incomplete. They
believe that the fossil records fail to provide a link between diverse groups. To find
out how old fossils are, scientists use a method called radioisotope dating, which
measures the amount of uranium or lead lost over the years. Creationists deny evidence
from this testing because they assume no uranium or lead has been lost over the years. 
The process of evolution, which all living things developed from unicellular organisms,
over billions of years Exactly how evolution occurs is still debated but it is a
scientific fact that it does occur. Most biologists believe that the modern theory of
evolution arose from a history of mutations either physically or chemically and it is
still occurring. All organisms can be traced back to a common ancestor from inanimate
matter.
The science of paleontology or the study of life provides the most direct proof of
evolution in the past through fossil remains or impressions, usually in rock. Other
evidence comes from comparative studies of living animals and plants, including their
structure and geographical locations. "Mollusks and vascular plants account for more than
80 percent" (Futuyma 87) of the world's species, with about "1.4 to 1.8 million species"
(Futuyma 87) in all.
Changes occur in living organisms to help increase their adaptability, or potential for
survival and reproduction, in the face of changing environments. Evolution apparently has
no built-in direction or purpose. A given kind of organism may evolve only when it occurs
in a variety of forms differing in hereditary characteristics, or traits, that are passed
from parent to offspring. By chance, some varieties prove to be poorly adapted to their
current environment and thus disappear, whereas others prove to be adaptive, and their
numbers increase. The elimination of the unfit, or the survival of the fittest, is known
as natural selection because it is nature that discards or favors a particular variant.
Basically, evolution takes place only when natural selection operates on a population of
organisms containing diverse inheritable forms. 
Creationists have gone back to the basic laws of nature to see if evolution is physically
possible given enough time and opportunity. The one major problem that they see is the
2nd Law of Thermodynamics. It states, All natural systems degenerate when left to
themselves. This is why everything falls apart and decays over time. Creationists point
to death as being the ultimate manifestation of this law. This physics principle does not
allow for something as complex as the human eye to originate from something simple. The
eye must follow the tendency for complete degeneration. Creationists see a downward
spiral for every living and non-living creation. Everything breaks down into simpler
substances; they do not become more complex. Creationists say that, in the real world the
long-term flow is downhill, not uphill. An experimental and physical observation appears
to confirm that the law is indeed universal, affecting all natural processes in the long
run.
The evolutionists do not see the Second Law of 
Thermodynamics as a contradiction to evolutionary processes, 
because as it "specifically states that the entropy of a closed system cannot decrease.
The law pertains to closed systems. The earth, and therefore evolution, is not a closed
system" (Creation Science FAQ) As we know, there are no closed system on earth, "so in no
way can any living system on Earth directly violate the second law" (Creation Science
FAQ) Therefore, this argument is invalid.
The age of the universe, perhaps billions of years old, shows that life has had lots of
time to evolve from single celled organisms to what we are today. Through fossils, and
other evidences, it shows that humans came from primates, which is not surprising, since
we are almost physically identical to a chimpanzee. In the beginning, very simple life
forms began gradually appearing. These simple life forms gradually changed to complex
ones, and there have been transitional 'links' between the different kinds, such as
fishes and primates. They both have the same types of bones, for example, forearms,
wrists, elbows, upper arms, and shoulders. They seem to be related to a common ancestor.
The Bible says that an omnipotent being, created the earth and everything on it in 6
days. He also created everything out of nothing. This is literally impossible, it
challenges all physics laws, so it cannot be done. The only proof that Creationists have
of the origin of life is the Bible. Evolutionists have much more proofs or evidence of
how humans appeared on the earth.
The Bible, whether intended literally or figuratively, is definitely an important piece
of literature. To believe that the age of the earth is only 10,000 years old does not
support the validity of the creationists. To many scholars, the Bible is a figurative
book of parables, not to be taken literally. The use of the Bible may be hindering,
instead of supporting, the validity of the creationist's arguments. It is clear that
evolution is much clearer to understand and accept than the creationism theory. There
will always be people who will still be curious as to how we appeared on the earth, and
some people will oppose the evolution theory, therefore, the evolutionism/creationism
debate will forever continue.
Works Cited
Creation Science FAQ
http://www.clubs.psu.edu/origins/faqsci.htm
Drew Thinks About Evolutionism vs Creationism. 
http://petra.austinc.edu/arayburn/evolve.html
Futuyma, Douglas J. Evolutionary Biology. 3rd ed. Massachusetts: Sinauer Associates inc.,
1997. General QH 366.2.F87
Montagu, Ashley, ed. Science and Creationism. New York: Oxford University Press, 1984.
General QH 371.S343
Strahler, Arthur N. Science and Earth History. The Evolution/Creation Controversy. New
York: Prometheus Books, 1987. BS 652.S77