You really need to go and read up on the theory of evolution RyanD, and then you would at least come to these debates well informed, instead of just parroting what you hear and read from creationists.

While your at it, read up on the definition of a theory.

spud

The thing is this- how could there possibly be evidence for biblical creationism. The entire premise is that an invisible sky-god spoke all of creation into existence.

Please tell me where the evidence for this is and how it could ever possibly be ascertained?

The only "evidence" that creationists cite, is their perceived lack of evidence for evolution. This amounts to no evidence. Attempting to discredit a competing theory, does amount to giving credibility to the "discreditor's" theory. Creationists ultimately know that they have no evidence for their views, which is why they resort to such desperate measures. This is why they can always be found using red herring and straw man arguments as well as ad hominem attacks. It is the equivalent of a politician's shady mud-slinging smear campaign, in which the candidate attempts to build support for themselves by trying to point out the faults or shortcomings of their opponent. These figures only resort to such tactics when they have no history of integrity or a virtuous character that can be cited to bolster their support base.

Evolutionists, on the other hand, do not try to build a case for their theory by disproving creationism. They don't need to.

Would a creationist assume that the existence of their invisible sky-god can be proven? Most would say that this is a matter of faith and thus one cannot unearth direct objective evidence for this.

If you can't prove that your Isrealite God exists, then how could you possibly prove that your God spoke all of creation into existence in 6 days?

They need to stop with their guise of attempting to "prove" creationism by citing the gaps in evolutionary theory. This does not amount to evidence.

Of course there are gaps in evolutionary theory. Every theory, at some point in their development, has had gaps. This does not inherently prove them wrong.

I assume that when you talk about evolution, you are referring to neo darwinian evolutionary theory, am I correct. Well there are increasingly more adherents of evolutionary theory that are beginning to revisit the theories of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and are incorporating more of his ideas into their evolving theories. Yes, the theory of evolution is evolving.

Lamark's theory of evolution is not random, purposeless, or meaningless. It is a teleological version of evolution. It is not nihilistic, as darwinian evolution is so often interpreted.

And what if...just what if a universal organizing intelligence "creates" through evolution. What if some form of evolution, maybe one that we are not yet familiar with, is the mode of expression of this creative force?

Would you adamantly say that this is impossible and fervently dissuade yourself from EVER even considering it as a possibility? If no, then please tell me how is this not the epitome of close-mindedness?

Don't fall into the trap of those that persecuted Galileo because his views were contradictory to the bible. The church later found out that he was right and they were wrong, even though their blind faith throughout the ages and their inexorable devotion to an "inerrant" book continually told them differently.

Ultimately, regardless of how differently we envision the means in which we and all of life came into existence, the bottom line is that we are here.

Let's make the best of it and stop using all of this energy arguing over our "sacred" books and conceptions of our personal God.

The one thing we do know for sure is that we are all existing now. We need to work together and collectively pool our efforts, put our differences aside, and create a better world.

Humans have a distinct distrust and fear of each other, as evidenced by the world military programs, and we desperately need to transcend this and welcome in an era when humans no longer have to fear other humans.

The world spent $1,600,000,000,000 on the military in 2009 alone. The military- an institution whose sole aim is to defend against and kill other human beings. This is an utter outrage. Clearly, psychosocial evolution is needed.

One prominent economist calculated the figures and estimated that if we collectively decided to stop killing each other and channeled all of the money, time, effort, and ingenuity that is used for militarism, we could completely eradicate hunger and poverty around the world in around one month.

It is time we wake up from this delusion that has gripped mankind. It is possible. There is no logical reason why we couldn't make this collective decision, and I truly hope that we do. But it can never happen unless we put aside our narrow view of the world and see it as the first astronauts who ventured into space did- as ONE earth, beautiful and fragile, inhabited by one human family.

Let's outgrow our childish tribal ways, and truly live as a human family. Because whether we were created, evolved in some way, or created through evolution, one thing remains clear- we are one human family and the earth is our one home.

Let's start taking care of each other and our home.

The choice is ours.

P.S. - I highly recommend reading "The Kindgom of Heaven is Within" by Leo Tolstoy.