Where Did We Come From?

1. Creationism, Evolutionism, Interventionism and The Scopes Monkey Trials Where Did We Come From?

2. In Class Task: • Read through the package on creationism, evolution and interventionism and fill in the chart provided

3. Theory of Evolution • The idea that all living things developed from a few simple life forms. Many different and complex life forms developed over time as a result of adaptation to various environments.

5. The Evolutionary Formula: • If you have: • Variation • Inheritance • Selection and • Time • Then you get evolution

6. The Theory of Evolution: • The 4 essential requirements of evolution: VARIATION:All life forms vary genetically within a population. It is this genetic variation upon which selection works. INHERITANCE:Genetic traits are inherited from parents and are passed on to offspring. SURVIVAL:Organisms with traits that are favorable to their survival get to live and pass on their genes to the next generation. TIME:Evolution takes time. Evolution can happen in a few generations, but major change, such as speciation, often takes long periods of time.

8. Creationism • The idea that all things were created – in much the same form as they now exist – by an all-powerful creator.

9. The Theory of Creation: • Many people believe in creationism. • This is the belief that man (and all other beings) were created by God • For many this belief is grounded in the book of Genesis. • Chapter 1, Verse 27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created them; male and female created them.” • Many other religions have a creation story as well. One example is Islamic Qur’an which states: Your Guardian Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He settled Himself on the Throne. He draws the night as a veil over the day, each quickly following the other. And the sun and the moon and the stars are all under His command.Surah 7:54

10. The Theory of Creation: • Believers in creation suggest that the major plants and animals on earth were placed on the earth in their final form. • This also suggests that man/women were placed on the earth in his/her current fully human form. • In this view, earth was not a spontaneous creation but rather a specific and divine event by our creator.

11. Interventionism • The idea that evolution was guided by the creator. Evolution was at work up to the Homo erectus stage, where a superior being intervened and changed Homo erectus into Homo sapiens.

12. It’s important to note that Evolution and religion are not necessarily incompatible. • While creationists stick to a literal interpretation of holy scripture, the official position of many religious authorities (such as the Catholic church) is that evolution does not contradict religious teachings. • Evolution is still possible under the guidance of a creator, as long as one is open to interpreting scripture.

13. It’s also important to note that the Theory of Evolution is itself still evolving. • Darwin, for example, had no understanding of genetics. • Even today, the discovery of things like biological feedback loops that suggest living things can guide their own evolution (rather than evolution being a product of random mutations) mean that we still likely don’t have the complete picture of how evolution works.

14. Pre-Darwinian Theories on Origins of Humans

15. Theories on the Origin of Humankind – Pre-Darwinism • Diluvial Theory: • supported the Bible • fossils of extinct animals formed by a major flood • Objections: • no single event like Flood could account for progression of fossils in layers, each lower level is older • discovery of pre-flood fossils related to animals living after the flood

16. Theories on the Origin of Humankind – Pre-Darwinism • George Cuvier (1769-1832) • explained sequence of fossil layers by proposing a corresponding series of major catastrophes interspersed with periods of calm when plant and animal populations restocked the Earth • Noah’s flood just one of many catastrophes (between 27-32)

17. What is the big deal anyways? • Why was (is) the theory of evolution so controversial? • At the time of Darwin’s publication of the Origin of Species (1859) creation was the most widely accepted version of how the earth and all life on it was created. • To many it seemed that the theory of evolution was an attempt to contradict religious belief. • But, Darwin himself was deeply religious. • The idea that humans came from apes was also offensive to some people.

18. In Class Task: • Scopes Monkey Trials – summarize the main points of the story as you watch • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlKRkz7NM5o • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adSV-WNUxUM • What was the controversy? • Why do you think it was illegal? • Do you think this controversy still exists today? • http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/2035038769001/creationism-vs-evolution-what-to-teach/

19. Misconceptionsabout the theory of Evolution: • Evolution is a theory about the origin of life.

20. Misconceptions continued: 2. Evolution is like a climb up a ladder of progress; organisms are always getting better.

21. Misconceptions continued: 3. Natural selection involves organisms ‘trying’ to adapt.