November 24, 1859, the original publication of Charles Darwin’s ‘On the Origin of Species,’  the beginning of this highly controversial debate, and the beginning of the evolutionary theory.

Evolution or creationism? Science or religion? Brain or heart? Choosing between evolution and creationism is trusting either knowledge or faith. After much consideration and research, I have sided with Darwin, with evolution. Creationism is so dependant on the bible (or other forms of religious scripture) and not on factual evidence. With so many thoughts, beliefs, and theories, how can only one be definitive? While creationism is so ambiguous, scientists have found multiple skeletal structures and other pieces of evidence all leading back to the same conclusion; evolution. Though evolution remains a theory, it doesn’t make it just an educated guess.

Religion is a belief based off stories told in churches, schools, and books. The Christian Bible is an example of one of many sources that create these thought processes and beliefs. Spirituality depends on biblical verses and other forms of prayer varying between religions. There is no certainty, no ‘for sure’ in creationism. A creationist’s entire “defense” is the bible and their own faith. Even Ken Ham, Christian fundamentalist, in his debate against Bill Nye at the Creation Museum proved nothing, his only justification being, “There’s this book…” and not much more.

While the theory of man being created relies so deeply on belief and faith, evolution is based off of scientific knowledges. Scientists have uncovered many monkey-like skeletons with human features. A bone structure nicknamed ‘Lucy’ is one of many examples of these discoveries. Lucy was found on November 24, 1974 (which, coincidentally, is the 115th year anniversary of the publishing of On the Origin of Species) and is the most complete structure of our supposed ancestors that has been identified. Lucy, as well as others of her kind, are thought to be the most recent species in human evolution, still dating back about 3.2 million years. Lucy as well as other discoveries all tell us the same thing; we have evolved. We have physical evidence of human evolution and each piece of data follows a constant path, unlike creationism which is so diverse.

Religion and creationism are closely associated, yet actually contradict each other. Each religion revolves around the belief in a God or Godly figure, but every religion has different views. Although those believing in creationism all agree that we were in fact created, they aren’t all on the same page. Think of it this way; a Christian and a Buddhist begin discussing their mutual certainty that humans have been created by a Holy figure. The pair are in total agreeance when one of the two address the Creator by name. They are now arguing which God created man. While both still believe in creationism, they suddenly hold entirely different opinions. The most accurate way to describe such a belief is with the fictitious word doublethink featured in George Orwell’s novel, 1984, meaning the ability to hold two contradictory beliefs simultaneously while trusting them both equally. With so many different ‘creators’ and so little evidence, how can we believe in only one? Evolution, on the other hand, isn’t based off of what we are told, it is based off of what we learn. Instead of having thousands and thousands of different theories of how humans came to be, evolutionists have one, and it has come from years of research and studies. And while, yes, evolution is considered a theory, it doesn’t mean it’s just a hunch. Evolution has been proven, and to think otherwise is due to lack of education on the topic.

When I say evolution has been proven, I mean we have physical exhibits that indicate humans haven’t always been what we know today. Of course, this process has taken millions of years and there is no way to see two creatures of the same species in different states of their adaptations at the same time, however there are ways of proving our relationship with these uncovered fossils. There are high levels of genetic and anatomical similarities between modern humans, live monkeys and chimps and the remains of those who came before us. Looking at a human skull next to that of an ancient ancestor really shows just how similar we are. The area encasing the brain of a human predecessor is very similar to a human skull. The contours created in a human skull to fit the lobes of our brain are nearly identical to those of our ancestors, proving our brains must be somewhat similar. Along with similarly functioning brains, humans and what humans used to be look surprisingly alike. With comparable facial structure and proportions and shorter yet very alike bones, it is undeniable that these two beings are related.

If scientists simply looked at their discoveries to determine their relations to homo sapiens, they wouldn’t be very good scientists. While appearance is a great part of discovering the origins of bones an fossils found, a lot more goes into it than a simple visual examination. Scientists of different specialties analyze the aged fragments by running different scans and tests. Studies such as biochemistry; the study of cells, embryology; the study of embryos, molecular biology; the study of molecules, and palaeontology; the study of prehistoric life, are just some examples of the identification of each and every discovery made. Evolution isn’t just a guess or a belief, it’s a supported, studied concept. In science, a theory is a lot more than just an explained idea. A scientific theory is a natural phenomena that has been repeatedly confirmed through a number of different experiments and observations.

Evolution is a very complex topic, so let’s look at it in a simpler way. Charles Darwin, when beginning his studies of evolution, described it as descent with modification. Evolution occurs over a large period of time, taking millions and millions of years. But, it is actually as simple as you and your parents. You are a descendant of your parents yet not an exact replica, even though you were created through a combination of their genes.  You are a modified version them. Evolution as drastic as apes to humans occurs on a large scale, but human evolution occurs every single day and you are an example of it.

The debate between evolution and creationism will continue as long as man chooses to argue it. I hope this information has at least assisted in the understanding of evolution. But, if after learning that factual evidence is much more reliable than thoughts and beliefs, and the inconclusiveness and diversity of creationism and that you, yourself are a product of evolution, your own beliefs still overpower this new knowledge, remember bible verse Proverbs 28:26 — “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.”