We all know that evolution is a silly lie. Well, at least that is what creationists would want us all to believe. The problem is that evolution is not simply true, it just is. Denying evolution is rather like denying gravity. Gravity is real but who questions it? Silly question because there are indeed some who question the existence of gravity. They are just as out to lunch as those who deny evolution.
Evolution is now 150 years old and the man who made it famous would be 200 years old. In those years since Darwin released his magnum opus, “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life” since later changed to simply “The Origin of Species”, the theory of evolution as been expanded upon, added to and in some ways changed from some of the original ideas that Darwin had. Those changes and additions have only made the theory stronger and it stands up to criticism so much better than it ever did. That is not to say it wasn’t a strong theory to begin with but it has been fortified with more evidence.
Charles Darwin certainly wasn’t the first person to come up with the idea of evolution. Around the same time another naturalist, Alfred Wallace, had come upon the idea simultaneously but independently from Darwin. When Darwin heard of this he rushed to publish his book. There has been research that suggests that the idea of evolution goes back to ancient Greek and Roman observers of the natural world.
Later, during the middle ages, all thoughts of a natural world were set aside for the stringent belief in supernatural discussion as seen through biblical eyes. The bible was set to rule the world of science for hundreds of years. Galileo experienced the wrath of the church for his scientific findings. Many scientists worked silently and covertly to make new discoveries.
Darwin was in the same boat. Before the release of his masterwork, Darwin was afraid of how it and he would be perceived by the world. However, while there was some mocking and denial many scientists of the day accepted what Darwin had to say. Some church leader even found a way to tie religion into the theory suggesting that God has struck the match that ignited natural selection. Of course not everyone loved his ideas and there were some circles in which he was ridiculed.
Over the past 150 years, most scientists and educated laymen have come to accept the theory of Evolution; you may need to find out what a scientific theory is because it is different than the commonly held notion. Some religious leaders have made a name and some money, no doubt, by attempting to argue against the theory. Many of these same people have been attempting to have evolution removed from the schools. The problem is that they want to remove science from schools and replace it with the supernatural, magic if you will.
The theory of evolution is perhaps the most important idea that science has come up with because it explains how life developed and how we have changed over the eons.
