THEORY DOES NOT EQUAL FACT
The theory of evolution is only a theory, and not a fact. Good scientific theory requires the inherent ability to be proven false. Although theories of any kind may seem factual because they have survived “the test of time” and attempts at refutation through experiment, they are not fact. It is wonderful to question existing theory if you have an alternative explanation you feel is compelling and provides the ability for objective testing. That is how scientific progress is made.
RESEARCH
I will reference research done at the University of Rochester. It puts forth compelling evidence of how one species of fruit fly split into two species around 2.5 million years ago. Their conclusions are made on the basis of DNA sequencing and gene research. They also found a specific gene they dubbed Nup 96, which prevented cross-breeding after a certain point in time on the split by killing hybrid larvae on a cellular level. This shows a distinct split and the genesis of a new species. For me, this is compelling evidence of natural selection at work, and powerful reinforcement for the theory of evolution.
BIOGENESIS
Existing evidence all points to life’s inability to sprout from non-life. This is the theory of biogenesis. The theory of abiogenesis is the opposite, it states that life can be created from non-living material. Opponents to the theory of evolution may equate the biogenesis/abiogenesis debate to the creationism/evolution debate, but they are really two separate issues. For instance, if a deity of some sort created life, it would be an example of abiogenesis because life was created from non-living material. The same holds true in an atheistic viewpoint, only the cause for abiogenesis is likely to be cited as random chance based on a miniscule probability, which over the expanse of the vast universe and trillions of trillions of objects in space actually makes it likely to happen at least a few times. Biogenesis therefore does not add any credence to creationism.
BELIEF
The theory of evolution is difficult to grasp for some in part because it takes so very long to occur. As stated earlier, a fruit fly which has a short lifespan and generational turnover evolved into 2 species over 2.5 million years ago, and we do not know how much longer it will be until the 2 new species evolve again. Most people who think of how long it would take a fruit fly species to evolve might say something in the hundreds or thousands of years based on the short life span, etc. That amount of time is just more closely related to our frame of reference. It is the same reason we can not intuitively grasp how time “slows down” as the velocity of an object approaches the speed of light, although this theory by Einstein has proven itself again and again in practice.
