Evolution

Evolution is a naturalistic theory of the origins of life, attempting to explain the existence of life without invoking God. It holds that all forms of life are descended from one "simple" organism, which must have formed itself from non-living chemicals. In order for all life to be descended from such an organism, there must be a process by which new information can be added to its genome. According to the theory of evolution, genetic mutations, which are sorted by natural selection, increase genetic information, thus producing increasingly complex forms of life.^[1]^ The theory was first proposed by Charles Darwin in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.

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Natural Selection

Natural selection is the process by which the genetic traits of an organism that help it to survive in a particular environment become more common in a population, because organisms without those traits would be less likely to survive and reproduce than those with the beneficial traits.^[2]^ Natural selection, combined with genetic mutations, is what is often cited as "proof" of evolution, despite neither being able to increase information in the genome.^[3]^ Both of these processes can only ever shuffle, or delete genetic information, making an organism more specialized to its environment, and can never cause an increase in information in the genome.^[4]^^ [5]^

Mutations

Mutations are changes in the DNA sequence of a cell's genome, which are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons^[6]^ and mutagenic chemicals^[7]^, as well as errors that occur during meiosis^[8]^ or DNA replication.^[9]^^[10]^^[11]^ Whilst they can form new alleles, mutations cannot increase the amount of information in the genome.^[12]^

Scripture

An honest reading of Scripture shows that God created life in six regular, 24 hour days days^[13]^. Calculations from the chronogenealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 show that Adam was created in about 4000 BC.^[14]^ This totally contradicts the theory of evolution, which holds that life essentially created itself, billions of years ago.

Notes

  1. ↑ Dr Jonathan Sarfati, Refuting Evolution, Brisbane, Australia: Master Books, 1999, pp 31-32
  2. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/natural+selection
  3. http://creation.com/the-evolution-trains-a-comin
  4. http://creation.com/bears-across-the-world
  5. http://creation.com/refuting-evolution-2-chapter-5-argument-some-mutations-are-beneficial
  6. ↑ "(Science: molecular biology) Small, mobile DNA sequences that can replicate and insert copies at random sites within chromosomes. They have nearly identical sequences at each end, oppositely oriented (inverted) repeats and code for the enzyme, transposase, that catalyses their insertion." http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Transposons
  7. ↑ "Chemical agents that increase the rate of genetic mutation by interfering with the function of nucleic acids." http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Mutagens
  8. ↑ "A form of cell division happening in sexually reproducing organisms by which two consecutive nuclear divisions (meiosis I and meiosis II) occur without the chromosomal replication in between, leading to the production of four haploid gametes (sex cells), each containing one of every pair of homologous chromosomes (that is, with the maternal and paternal chromosomes being distributed randomly between the cells)." http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Meiosis
  9. ↑ Bertram J (2000). "The molecular biology of cancer", Mol. Aspects Med. 21 (6): 167–223
  10. ↑ Aminetzach YT, Macpherson JM, Petrov DA (2005), "Pesticide resistance via transposition-mediated adaptive gene truncation in Drosophila", Science 309 (5735): 764–7
  11. ↑ Burrus V, Waldor M (2004). "Shaping bacterial genomes with integrative and conjugative elements". Res. Microbiol. 155 (5): 376–86
  12. http://creation.com/gain-of-function-mutations-at-a-loss-to-explain-molecules-to-man-evolution
  13. http://creation.com/the-necessity-for-believing-in-six-literal-days
  14. http://creation.com/biblical-chronogenealogies

See also

External links

Critical

Affirming