Expert: Austin Cline - 2/17/2009

Question
Hello Austin,

I've recently been in a discussion with a christian friend about evolution. I believe in evolution and found it very surprising that he didn't. However trying to show him how scientists have seemed to all but prove it he is still adamant that evolution just isn't an option. Here's some points he emailed me. Could you have a look through them and let me know what you think would convince him?

"The proof is not 100% but I believe the evidence is actually overwhelmingly in favour of a Creator.

If I believed that there was some kind of proof that all life on earth is a result of chance etc... then I would have to seriously reconsider my belief that everything was created by God or some kind of other intelligence.

Let me take a moment to clarify what I believe if the options are as follows:

1. LETS CALL THIS OPTION MACRO EVOLUTION (for the purposes of our discussion). Pure evolution created everything with no intelligent force behind it - absolute chance - from nothing to incredible complexity such as DNA

There is no proof for this theory. There is some evidence that life on our planet has evolved. This can be seen as adaptation. There is no proof that all life started as single celled organisms. I promise you. Try explain how sexual reproduction came about via chance.

I find this stance preposterous. The chances of this happening are something like 1 in a billion trillion gazillion. I have read an entire book on the calculations.

As far as I am aware, there are very few serious scientists that believe this.

Clearly the christian leaders that you mentioned don't believe in this option because that would rule out God completely.

2. LETS CALL THIS OPTION INTELLIGENT DESIGN. An outside Intelligence created everything and did not use evolution

I think this may be the case. The complexity of everything on the earth seems to have been designed rather than some accident.

3. LETS CALL THIS OPTION MICRO EVOLUTION. An outside Intelligence created everything using evolution as a means

I am open to the possibility that maybe everything was created using adaptation inherent in the original species.

Many scientists (see quotes at end of message) and a lot of christian leaders (like you mentioned) believe this.

4. LETS CALL THIS OPTION CLUELESS. Another answer that know one has discovered yet.

The options I am open to are 2. INTELLIGENT DESIGN and 3. MICRO EVOLUTION. Both involve an intelligence involved in the process. I believe that intelligence to be God.

The complexity and wonder of everything on the earth is God's signature. If scientists discovered an intelligent code coming from outer space they would immediately logically assume that an intelligent creator had sent the code. DNA is an intelligent code far more complex than anything we know so how come is it illogical to see it as proof of an intelligent creator."

Thanks for your time,

Brian

Answer
I don’t know your friend well enough to know what would convince him, but you should know that when a person hasn't reasoned their way into a position, they can't be reasoned out either. Creationism is a faith-based position without a lick of science or reason behind it that's why people have to rely on falsehoods to defend it.

Case in point is your friend's constant repetition of the idea of "chance" - evolution isn't based on "chance" any more than anything else in the natural world. Is it "chance" that causes a dropped ball to fall down rather than up? Is it "chance" that causes the earth to maintain its orbit around the sun? Chance is an excuse creationists use to rationalize their faith and sound reasonable, not an actual reason - otherwise, they would refuse modern medicine in the belief that it's just "chance" whether an antibiotic will work.

If you'd like ideas for more detailed responses to your friend's pseudo-arguments, you might try posting on my site's forum:

http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&webtag=ab-atheism&lgnF=y