• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

If the Theory of Evolution is true what does it prove?

Skwim

Veteran Member
If the theories are proven true it would indicate that evolution takes place as the theories state, and we would therefor have a more secure comprehension of its operation and would be able to continue to go on understanding evolution with more confidence.
 

petewentz

Fallout Boy
I think it proves that God didn't place each animal on Earth individually, that things happened on their own and that there isn't a need for a creator anymore. I don't think "proving" evolution(as it's already been proven) will change anything drastically, but being able to recreate abiogensis will definitely shoot a firecracker in the face of theism, that's for sure. Being able to recreate life from nothing will surely be a huge discovery.

Anyway, yea, evolution does change things quite a bit. You have to realize that before Darwin, people actually thought that God placed all the animals here one by one and that Noah's ark was a true story...blah blah blah
 

Android

Member
I think the OP is missing the point.
The real beauty of science is in its practical application. Biologists use the theory on a daily basis. A great biologist once said "Nothing in biology makes sense.... except in the light of evolution".
Just about all the research going on today is funded by industry, to advance that industry.

For arguments sake, lets pretend that science found a way to prove/disprove god. What would be the point? What would be the practial application? How could that knowledge be of any use in advancing our civillisation?
 

Madhuri

RF Goddess
Staff member
Premium Member
I think it proves that God didn't place each animal on Earth individually

Yes

that things happened on their own and that there isn't a need for a creator anymore.

No, it doesn't prove that there isn't a need for a creator (God). It neither proves nor disproves God and thus cannot determine whether the the laws of nature are the responsibility of a creator entity or not.

Evolution proves evolution. Nothing further.

I don't think "proving" evolution(as it's already been proven) will change anything drastically, but being able to recreate abiogensis will definitely shoot a firecracker in the face of theism, that's for sure. Being able to recreate life from nothing will surely be a huge discovery.

Anyway, yea, evolution does change things quite a bit. You have to realize that before Darwin, people actually thought that God placed all the animals here one by one and that Noah's ark was a true story...blah blah blah

You seem to be talking about Christians, Jews and Muslims. Other religions had their own beliefs. As a Hindu, abiogenesis would not make me an atheist. I fully expect that humans will be able to manipulate the laws of nature to their own devices.
 
Last edited:

Alceste

Vagabond
Evolution IS true, and it proves that many, many people in this world prefer not to accept the truth when it threatens their superstitious beliefs.
 

petewentz

Fallout Boy
No, it doesn't prove that there isn't a need for a creator (God). It neither proves nor disproves God and thus cannot determine whether the the laws of nature are the responsibility of a creator entity or not.

Evolution proves evolution. Nothing further.

I never said it proves God or disproves Him, I said it does away with the notion that there HAS to be a God to create life. You read into something that wasn't there.
 

Valjean

Veteran Member
Premium Member
As Tumbleweed pointed out, the theories (plural) of evolution are not about 'proving' anything. They're explanations of the various mechanisms by which evolution occurred.

There's evolution -- the observed fact that organisms have changed over time -- and there's the 'theory' -- the ongoing investigation into mechanism.
 

Madhuri

RF Goddess
Staff member
Premium Member
I never said it proves God or disproves Him, I said it does away with the notion that there HAS to be a God to create life. You read into something that wasn't there.

But does it prove this? We can certainly come to this assumption if we want, but I wouldn't say that evolution proves that there doesn't have to be a God to create life.
 

petewentz

Fallout Boy
But does it prove this? We can certainly come to this assumption if we want, but I wouldn't say that evolution proves that there doesn't have to be a God to create life.

Well, I see your point. I don't know how to word this, but before TOE, God was the *ONLY* reasonable explanation for the diversity of life. With TOE, we are able to explain it naturally through biological means.

I worded my original response wrong, I guess. I bunched up the entire theistic belief with the "discovery" of evolution, whereas evolution doesn't completely disprove God, but it does completely disprove that he put all animals here individually. It allows for a disbelief in God, in a way. Does that make sense?
 

Draka

Wonder Woman
If the Theory of Evolution is true what does it prove? . .

That's backwards. There's scientific evidence proving evolution has happened and is still happening. The ToE simply explains the evidence. It doesn't prove anything. I think others here have already said as much. Though I am wondering, what is the point of your question? Did you have a point at all, or just throwing out a trick question for the sheer heck of it?
 

Madhuri

RF Goddess
Staff member
Premium Member
Well, I see your point. I don't know how to word this, but before TOE, God was the *ONLY* reasonable explanation for the diversity of life. With TOE, we are able to explain it naturally through biological means.

I worded my original response wrong, I guess. I bunched up the entire theistic belief with the "discovery" of evolution, whereas evolution doesn't completely disprove God, but it does completely disprove that he put all animals here individually. It allows for a disbelief in God, in a way. Does that make sense?

Yes, it does make sense and I do also agree with you.
Interestingly though, there have been atheists around for thousands of years at least. I don't know what their idea about creation was, but they have always existed.
 

petewentz

Fallout Boy
Yes, it does make sense and I do also agree with you.
Interestingly though, there have been atheists around for thousands of years at least. I don't know what their idea about creation was, but they have always existed.

Good point, I was actually thinking of that when I wrote my post. I don't know which of the antique philosophers were atheists, but wasn't Plato an atheist? Don't quote me on that, I am speaking purely from ignorance.

Anyway, yea, I would also wonder what their idea of creation was? Do you believe they had some inkling of evolution but just didn't have proof for it, and thus never mentioned it? If they didn't have proof for evolution, and they didn't have proof for creationism, then evolution would be a belief just as much as creationism would.

Trippy stuff here. Haha
 
Top