Origins Before Evolution
Back to the VERY beginning.
I am fascinated by this very topic. There are many posts on forums, particularly on the "religion" and "science" themes realtive to this subject. The one thing that I have noticed from having read these posts and been a participant is that nearly all discussions/arguments volley back and forth about evolution v creation (or intelligent design).
On a number of occasions I have thrown in this topic of "origins", and proposed that it is vital to have a theory or explanation that one can work from, as from a platform. Some respondents totally avoided the issue. So, I thought I might just start a hub on it, and put it out there.
Why "origins"?
Because, I see this as the very BEGINNING, of all things. What was there, before anything was there? Time and matter are not eternal. They had a beginning. So, when did they come into being, and how? There are all sorts of time frames as to "when" it happened. Several hundred billion years seems to be the consensus. I don't know, but it was a L O N G time ago, at time = zero. The inquisitive mind wants to know what was there before time zero. And, this poses another set of questions, like, if there was no time, why did it come into being? If there was no matter, how/why did matter "become"? What physical laws were there in operation, before there was a "physical" universe? It's all too deep for many to bother with thinking about.
I propose there are two possible alternative theories. (Theories?), because neither one can be observed, tested, replicated or extrapolated. So, it's not really scientific, but rather, phylosophic, in nature.
One, is the "Big Bang", that many scientists do not adhere to. But call it another name, it doesn't matter. It basically seeks to explain everything coming into being as some "event", which happened at time zero, and it happened all by, and of itself. No known cause. No known (pre)material, material. Or non-matter became matter. An unknown form of matter, somehow transformed into matter (as we know it today). I am no rocket scientist, and I have no degrees behind my name. I consider myself as "Mr Average", who asks questions, seeking meaningful answers. I am always on the lookout for developments in the media about this, and many other topics. So, when (and if), a new discovery ever emerges that answers this hypothesis, I will be all ears.
The other "theory", is that it was all created, by an omnipotent Being, whom we call God. He took "nothing", and out of it (or put into it), all matter as we know it today. Not only matter, but time, all the laws that govern it, and anything else that is required for it all to "be". He, having wisdom, and knowledge, sufficient to design and engineer every detail, was responsible for "putting it all together".
The big issue is as follows;
If God (Intelligant Designer) created everything, then certain truths area natural consequence. There was/is NO evolution. That is to say, life did NOT start all by itself in some "puddle" of just the right chemicals. Which then "evolved" into simple cells-complex cells-fish-lizards-mamals-primates and ultimately man. Yes, ther were some adaptations, and changes, but not a steady upward climb in complexity.
Everything was made (essentially) as we see it today. (Although there are several conjectures about the nature of the whole world pre-flood of Noah's day. I don't want to go there in this hub.) This is not magic,as some would call it. It is not a fairy tale, though many say it is. Neither is it a myth. But even if it were, ther is no way of proving or disproving it anyway. It is a perfectly plausible scenario, and worthy of inclusion to the debate. One thing that needs to be said, is that those that are adversarial to this concept, rarely, if ever have a clear and broad enough understanding of it, to logicaly argue it.
The (supposedly) scientific model, that denies the (existance, or) involvment of "God", has NO choice but to keep coming up with more and more thories, to explain the "unexplained". How did life "start" in a puddle? Well, we don't know, but we have a theory. How did matter come into existance, from seemingly, nothing? Well, we don't know, but we have a thoery. Why do we have so much variety, and order, and interdependence in the natural world? Well we don't know, but we have a theory? We have lots of theories, and we are working frantically to find answers! And none of the thories have been proven, beyond shadow of doubt.
The thing that I find most annoying, is, everytime a refference is made to anything in nature, it is almost always reffered to as having evolved. "Billions of years ago, this evolved. Billions fo years ago, so-n-so evolved". It is always stated in a way as to imply that "it was so"! Or, as FACT. The jury is still OUT. I am not convinced beyond reasonable doubt, that evolution is fact.
To me, Creation is far more plausible, because it explains more than it confuses. Clarifies more than it muddies. Gives more (reasonable) answers, than questions. Has as much "scientific" support, as one needs to understand the world he/she lives in.
Is there a third alternative? I don't know. I have never heard of one. I certainly can't (logically) think of one.
I am very much supportive of teaching BOTH, side by side, and letting the students evaluate for themselves, and come to their own conclusions.
