Why do some people not believe in evolution?
Asked by
mightym (
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May 13th, 2019
So many people claim that evolution just didn’t happen, but there is tons of physical proof that evolution did happen
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46 Answers
Because they have a belief in a very small god.
They are too brain washed into thinking some “God” had control of everything.
They are told about Adam and Eve from a very young. They are also warned of dire consequences if they question it.
I have linked to this site before. It is a favorite of mine. It explains why evolved to be skeptical of evolution.
They believe the bible is to be taken literally with no room for interpretation.
@LostInParadise Good article and much more reality-based than ‘religion’....lol
This:
In any event, the evidence is clear that both our cognitive architecture, and also our emotional dispositions, make it difficult or unnatural for many people to accept evolution. “Natural selection is like quantum physics…we might intellectually grasp it, with considerable effort, but it will never feel right to us,” writes the Yale psychologist Paul Bloom. Often, people express surprise that in an age so suffused with science, science causes so much angst and resistance.
Firstly, it happens over such long time scales that we aren’t directly aware of it happening. Secondly, people don’t like to be reminded of how similar we are to the apes.
Religion is about self-control and self-improvement which shouldn’t be incompatible with evolution.
Evolution (natural random variation plus survival selection, not the misunderstandings of some people (e.g. who think it means every trait has a direct survival purpose, or that it justifies selfish behavior)) has never struck me as difficult or unnatural to me. In fact, it seems like the only natural explanation.
Meanwhile, being told I ought to literally believe in the Bible version, and noticing that any disagreement with Biblical teachings leads to judgement and/or hostility from certain so-called Christians, looks obviously like religion being abused by a very closed-minded and nasty tribe of people.
I think @Kardamom ‘s article explains the denial well. It’s denial to protect their identity, which extends to their world view. That’s the most common and fundamental reason why people deny all sorts of things, scientific and otherwise. They can’t face the truth, even if part of them knows it.
I find that evolution is an interesting thing. I am a Christian and I am a scientific type person. I don’t discount evolution since I believe there are instances of animals that have evolved over time to adjust to their world. But on the other side of the coin, the idea we came from monkeys (or even dolphins) sounds good on the surface but leaves holes when there is no evidence to back it up. The “missing link” would be a good thing to find. It would go a long way to proving where we came from. Meanwhile, I do believe in a creationary background, but if you look at the bible, what it describes is one family. And it doesn’t even do that well. It hints that there were other people on earth when Adam and Eve were created. So the bible doesn’t fully explain things either. So where we are is left with hints and guesses and innuendos on both sides of the aisle on this one.
Well, “believe in evolution” is a loaded statement. I’m sure many people can accept that natural selection is an observable phenomenon but might not accept that evolution explains the origin of consciousness or humanity. I have no problem accepting that animals have evolved and continue to evolve, I’m fascinated by reading about “basal” animals and life-forms that reveal earlier, primitive states of life before recent, more complex creatures came about. I study languages so the links between languages and the links between organisms are often similar in structure (a linguistic family tree is a lot like a biological family tree). I don’t know if I believe that evolution can adequately explain the origin of consciousness, but I also recognize that there’s always more we have yet to discover.
I also have never been one to believe that religious beliefs are incompatible with evolution. Many people on both sides of the debate believe they have to reject the other if they accept one, but I do not believe them to be mutually exclusive.
They’re finding “links,” new evidence consistently @seawulf. It’s misleading to suggest we evolved from monkeys. That gives people the wrong idea that the monkeys we have today were the same ones we had 950 million years ago. We shared a common ancestor millions of years ago and their branch went one way and ours went another. We share 98% f our DNA with chimps. Mind blowing the impact that last 2% had that created us.
Well we could be in the Matrix? A simulation? Gods Matrix.
@Dutchess_lll
“That gives people the wrong idea that the monkeys we have today were the same ones we had 950 million years ago.”
I’m not an evolutionary biologist, but I think 950 thousand would be more accurate.
@seawulf575 I used to think the “missing link” would answer a lot of questions, but later on I found out that link had been discovered in more recent years and lots of others to back it up.
Evolution has missing links. Ok.
Religious texts have NOTHING. Not even something to link missing links with…
Creationism has absolutely ZERO evidence of any kind, or of any one claim. I suppose creationism has a missing/manufactured origin.
It should take only a tenuous grasp of the world, to conclude that creationism is a ridiculous concept…
I have no doubt the numbers are off @Brian1946! I’m on the phone and it’s tedious looking stuff. However in terms of our common ancestor it’s going to me millions. I’ll go look now.
^I knew what you meant Dutch. Details are a big deal though….
I know. And under.normal circumstances you know I’d provide a link.
Anyway it was 7 million years ago. I musta been on drugs already to come up 795 million! That’s absurd!
Not having any luck catching a link but this is what I Googled.
When Humans and Chimps Split – Live Science
@Demosthenes As for consciousness, I don’t think there’s a scientific agreement on what that word even refers to, or what exists that the word refers to, or what creatures possess consciousness. And (so naturally) I don’t think there are any real attempts to bring it into the study of evolution.
^Agreed. It’s definitely a separate subject.
As you know, I am atheistic to the core.
But having said it…
Why isn’t this flame bait?
Everybody knows this will become one more Fluther style gang rape of people of faith.
You could just as easily ask “what arguments support or refute evolution?”
But no, it’s the same old invitation to make fun of those people who see things a little differently.
I think it’s shitty.
It is not flame bait. It is a perfectly legitimate question.
I have not observed any “gangraping.” Yet…
@josie Frankly I agree with you. But substitute most any other religion than “Christian’ and it’s all okay, ironic isn’t it. I appreciate your empathy.
And just for the record, ‘a very small God’ “ignorant’ “literal interpretation” “indoctrination”, all are negative and condescending, regarding religion and your opinions, not facts. It’s interesting that an atheist is telling you you’re being shitty and you still don’t accept it.
How is “literal interpretation” condescending? It’s fair to discuss Biblical literalism and its flaws. I don’t necessarily think it has much to do with evolution, though a religious person who accepts evolution will most likely not be a literalist, but it’s not wrong to discuss it.
Not everyone who accepts evolution is an atheist either.
Still waiting on the gang raping to commence…
I, personally, am tickled at how civilly this thread unrolled.
To be fair, I do think it’s unfair to imply that people who don’t accept evolution must be brainwashed, dumb religious people and some people were condescending in their replies here. But to someone who accepts evolution, those who don’t may be surprising to them and they want to know why. For them it’s like not accepting plate tectonics or the round shape of the earth. I’ve come across religious people who ask questions like “why don’t you believe in God?” To them the existence of God is a given and obvious, so people who don’t believe in God surprise them and they want to know their reasons.
Anyway, I agree the question could’ve been worded better. I prefer questions to sound more open-ended and not like the OP is not leaving any room for disagreement, but considering the OP didn’t even respond to this question or criticize the answers, I don’t think it’s terribly important.
@KNOWITALL As the one who stated anti-evolutionists as having a small god, it is because anyone who really reads the Bible and takes it into his or her heart will know that evolution is the evidence of God’s continuing unfolding creation, the living Christ.
I’m not a theologian, but I thought God made man “in his image.” So, is God a monkey, or am I missing something?
@zenvelo And I agree with that statement to a degree. It’s just different beliefs, I certainly wouldn’t judge anyone’s relationship with their religion in that way myself however.
@Demosthenes “They believe the bible is to be taken literally with no room for interpretation.”
There is no qualifier given for ‘they’, as if all Christians believe this statement or literal interpretation, which is not true.
Well, not all Christians reject evolution. It’s reasonable to conclude that a literal interpretation of the Bible will lead to a rejection of evolution, but it isn’t the only reason people don’t believe in evolution, of course.
@Demosthenes I don’t reject evolution at all and I’m a Christian.
Young Sheldon (the tv show) had an interesting episode below that I found interesting. Gravity and the precision of the universe are compelling arguments for God’s existence.
https://youtu.be/VxIY0iHaVXU
^So. To some theists, science is an explanation of God’s work, not a clear case of God not existing?
Not answering for KNOWITALL, but to some theists, science is just exploring the wonders of creation. That’s why I don’t understand theists who act like science is a threat to them. If you really believe that God exists, then nothing could ever disprove God. Science is just a tool to understand the God-fashioned universe.
And God’s tolerance of all those mothers abusing young Sheldon’s peers?
@MrGrimm888 & @Desmosthenes Correct. Theoretical science is just math, physics explaining natural phenomena. It doesn’t preclude God or a god creating the spark of creation, aka the Big Bang.
@MrGrimm888….yes I was a practicing Christian who wasn’t afraid to embrace science and, eventually, reject hypocrisy. I was afraid to just come right out and say it, that science explains everything that people have historically attributed to God, so where does that leave God? I just couldn’t go beyond that. Until I met Rarebear (Caravanfan.)
It is only the last remaining explanation on the reason of and for existence which leaves me hovering between agnosticism and atheism.
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