Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
How has religion influenced scientific practise in biology
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
SOLUSI UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY
An assignment written in partial fulfilment of the course Science of Origins: RELT 389
By
Jumo Daisy E
2011050117
To lecturer: Ps C Sibanda
Semester : Summer 2014
Does the Bible support micro evolution?
Micro evolution is the slight modification or variation on the same species due to its responsiveness to a certain environment. It can also result from a succession of relatively small genetic variations that often cause the formation of new subspecies. According to Percival and +6Kenyon, it is diversification within a given type. Some examples of micro evolution are:
• We have light people as well as dark people
• Some people have longer pointed noses while others have short.
In other words we can simply say, Microevolution refers to the differences in the gene pool of a population or kind over time which as a result produces small changes to the organisms in that population. It is changes which would not result in the newer organisms being referred to as different species. Examples of such micro evolutionary changes would include a change in a species size, age or colouring.
Biblically, micro evolution is proved to be true. In the bible we find Noah’s grandson being the first black person. Genesis 9 verse 24, tells us that Noah cursed his grandson to be black and also be a slave to his descendants. It is when he had laughed at him for being naked. Already we notice a slight change in the human species, which is the differences in races, in the bible. Thus the micro evolution is indeed compatible with the scriptures.
There is also a variation of languages in the world, which we can also view as micro evolution. This began when pe...
... middle of paper ...
...ent kind, as suggested by macro evolution. If it was the case during the great flood, God might have told Noah to only take one kind of animal into the boat and that, that one type would produce all the different kind of species. Instead every kind was represented for continuity after the floods. Animals which are extinct would not be extinct if macro evolution could really take place. This therefore shows that the Bible does support micro evolution.
Therefore, one would not see a conflict between the biblical record and the observable examples of microevolution. In conclusion one can safely say that micro evolution is compatible with scripture.
References
1. The Bible
2. Evolution exposed by Roger Patterson
3. Evolution and Classification by M. Ridley
4. The Natural limits of Biological change by Lester and Bohlin
5. The blind watchmaker by R. Dawkins
The article The Strange Persistence of First Languages by Julie Sedivy was an intriguing and eye-opening piece of writing to read. The concepts she brought to life through her explicit writing revealed many things I had never heard of before. The further I read, the more I wanted to know and the deeper my interest became. As a monolingual, this article was insightful, captivating and ultimately provided me with a new perspective on language.
How can it be that something so uniquely human and commonplace in our everyday existence as language, could transcend the limits of our immediate understanding? We all know how to speak and comprehend at least one language, but defining what we actually know about that language an infinitely more demanding process. How can a child without previous knowledge of the construction and concepts of language be born into the world with an innate ability to apprehend any dialect? Mark Baker, in his book The Atoms of Language, seeks to address these unsettling questions, proposing as a solution, a set of underlying linguistic ingredients, which interact to generate the wide variety of languages we see today.
Köstenberger says that “Instead of various accounts of Scripture revealing a lack of unity in the overall message, their individual works actually weave a tapestry that’s much more compelling and less monochromatic than some one-note, robotic printout or press release” (Köstenberger 73). Therefore, he argues that the different accounts from the disciples for the events that occur in the Bible do not contradict anything; rather, it strengthens the Bible as a valid source. On the other hand, Wheaton discusses Darwin’s theory of evolution. Although Darwin claims that nature does not jump, Wheaton states that “if you can picture the entire 3.8 billion years that scientists say life has been around as one 24-hour day, in the space of just about 90 seconds most major animal groups suddenly appear in the forms in which they currently hold, not slowly and steadily as Darwin predicted, but in evolutionary terms almost instantly” (Cronk, God’s Not
Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection explains the general laws by which any given species transforms into other varieties and species. Darwin extends the application of his theory to the entire hierarchy of classification and states that all forms of life have descended from one incredibly remote ancestor. The process of natural selection entails the divergence of character of specific varieties and the subsequent classification of once-related living forms as distinct entities on one or many levels of classification. The process occurs as a species varies slightly over the course of numerous generations. Through inheritance, natural selection preserves each variation that proves advantageous to that species in its present circumstances of living, which include its interaction with closely related species in the “struggle for existence” (Darwin 62).
Before delving into the problems with theistic evolution, let us define it. Theistic evolution rejects the Christian tradition of interpreting the creation days as having been normal 24-hour days. It insists that only naturalistic mechanisms be considered when considering creation and the origin of life. Theistic evolutionists believe that humans and all other life forms evolved from a bacterial precursor in the distant past. For theistic evolutionists, naturalistic science carries precedence over the Word of God. However, in order to justify Christian faith, theistic evolution allows for the supernatural in order to explain New Testament miracles. In Biology Through the Eyes of Faith, theistic evolutionist Richard Wright explains that theistic evolutionists rearrange the first chapters of Genesis into topical sections instead of interpreting them in a straightforward manner (2003, p. 92). He argues that the chr...
Before Darwin, the complexity of organisms was recognized as creation by God. The Judeo-Christian basis argues that in order for one to acknowledge there is a creator and that the bible is true is a much deeper substance than simply claiming a theory. In the bible, it states that God created a perfect world, but because man sinned, the world is a continuous state that will ultimately lead to a complete destruction. This is the opposite of evolution teachings that the world began with the Big Bang, and rather than the world being in a state of decline as Judeo-Christians believe, the world is progressively getting better. Evolution makes the features of organisms justifiable by scientifically studied proce...
The argument of whether or not humans evolved from monkeys is constantly tossed around in our society with the emergence of more and more scientific discoveries. Evolution across such a broad spectrum is known as macroevolution, or changes that happen at or above the species level. Both popular and academic discourses debate the religious and moral issues associated with macroevolution and its propositions. The main person behind the idea of evolution was Charles Darwin who theorized that everything comes from a common ancestor. In the magazine article “Was Darwin Wrong?” featured in a 2004 issue of National Geographic, David Quammen discusses whether or not Darwin’s findings in evolution theory were correct. This article was targeted for
According to Darwin and his theory on evolution, organisms are presented with nature’s challenge of environmental change. Those that possess the characteristics of adapting to such challenges are successful in leaving their genes behind and ensuring that their lineage will continue. It is natural selection, where nature can perform tiny to mass sporadic experiments on its organisms, and the results can be interesting from extinction to significant changes within a species.
Languages are continually changing and developing, and these changes occur in many different ways and for a variety of reasons. Language change is detectable to some extent in all languages, and ‘similar paths of change’ can be recognised in numerous unrelated languages (Bybee, 2015, p. 139). Since users of language all over the world have ‘the same mental processes’ and ‘use communication for the same or very similar ends’ (Bybee, 2015, p. 1), similar changes occur on the same linguistic aspects, and in many cases these changes produce similar results in multiple languages. However, language change is limited by the function it performs. Languages must be learnt to such an extent which allows communication between the generation above and below one’s own (McMahon, 1994, p. 5). Hence language change is a gradual, lethargic process, as only small changes in
Many scientists in the past, such as Aristotle and Plato, believed that there were no changes in populations; however, other scientists, such as Darwin and Wallace, arose and argued that species inherit heritable traits from common ancestors and environmental forces drives out certain heritable traits that makes the species better suited to survive or be more “fit” for that environment. Therefore, species do change over a period of time and they were able to support their theory by showing that evolution does occur. There were four basic mechanisms of evolution in their theory: mutation, migration, genetic drift, and natural selection. Natural selection is the gradual process by which heritable traits that makes it more likely for an organism to survive and successfully reproduce increases, whereas there is a decline in those who do have those beneficial heritable traits (Natural Selection). For example, there is a decrease in rain which causes a drought in the finches’ environment. The seeds in the finches’ environment would not be soft enough for the smaller and weaker beak finches to break; therefore, they cannot compete with the larger and stronger beak finches for food. The larger and stronger beak finches has a heritable trait that helps them survive and reproduce better than others for that particular environment which makes them categorized under natural selection (Freeman, 2002).
Evolution views life to be a process by which organisms diversified from earlier forms, whereas creation illustrates that life was created by a supernatural being. Creation and evolution both agree on the existence of microevolution and the resemblance of apes and humans but vary in terms of interpreting the origins of the life from a historical standpoint. A concept known as Faith Vs Fact comprehensively summarizes the tone of this debate, which leads to the question of how life began. While creation represents a religious understanding of life, evolution acknowledges a scientific interpretation of the origins of life. The theory is illustrated as the process by which organisms change species over time.
Biological foundation of language may contribute significantly to such universality. The issue here is not whether language is innate, for, clearly, language must be learned. Nor is the issue whether the aptitude for learning a la...
Evolution is the gradual change in an organisms gene pool over time, basically evolution is described in any change in the genetic makeup of an organism. The easiest way to show this is by stating examples of low level evolution as it has been observed. The best know case of this kind happened in England during the industrial evolution. There were two varieties of the English Peppered moth before the revolution, a light and a dark colored moth. The dark moth was almost nonexistent, as it was easy for predators to catch on the light colored trees. As the industrial revolution progressed, the amount of pollution in the air turned the trees a soot color, and as a result the light moths were easy for predators to spot. The light colored peppered moth all but died out, and was on the verge of extinction while the dark colored moth was thriving. In the last several decades the pollution in England has dropped and white moth is making a come back, and the dark moth is heading back towards oblivion. (Harter)
In the discussion of nature verse nurture, one controversial issue is language. Arguing on the side of nature, children across the world seem to exhibit universal stages of linguistic development. Infants as young as seven months old are able to recognize simple linguistic rules from a string of sounds. When a child is first learning to speak, they typically combine words in ways that an adult would not. They can also speak and communicate clearly without adult correction. These observations suggest that we are born with the capacity to communicate verbally and through the use of kinesics, or gestures. However, nurture also plays a large role in the use of language. Linguistics differ amongst children from region to region based on the way the people around them speak. Thousands of languages such as: Spanish, English, Italian, and Creole are spoken around the world. Vernacular and accents also vary within each language and is acquired through a learning process, not genetics(Brown, 10/1/13). Another major environmental factor is correction from parents and adults. A child may be born with the ability to speak, but grammatical correctness and annunciation requi...
Without evolution, and the constant ever changing environment, the complexity of living organisms would not be as it is. Evolution is defined as a process that results in heritable changes in a population spread over many generations (8).Scientists believe in the theory of evolution. This belief is based on scientific evidence that corroborates the theory of evolution. In Figure 1 the pictures of the skulls depict the sequence of the evolution of Homo-sapiens. As the figure shows, man has evolved from our common ancestor that is shared by homo-sapiens. The change of diet of homo-sapiens over time has thought to contribute to the change in jaw structure and overall skull shape.