Atheos Didn't Come from Monkeys, Part 1

Genetic change. Diversity of life. It's all there.

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Chemicals could not have randomly converged to form genetic codes like DNA & RNA without the guidance of a God.

If this process could be sufficiently explained to you, would you become an atheist?

If that's true, then why did this creator God choose DNA & RNA as the molecules for our genes?

You'd be amazed what carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen & oxygen can do.

What makes you so certain?

Study organic chemistry & you'll see that this is false.

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Complex life emerging from random chance is like a tornado moving through a junkyard & building a functional airplane.

This kind of statement only serves to illustrate that you don't understand how evolution works.

A tornado of engineers, maybe.

Really? We're still making this claim?

Evolution by natural selection isn't a process that occurs by chance. If something was remarkably nonrandom, could it appear like evolution?

How is a biological process taking place over millions of years analogous to a tornado building an airplane?

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Consciousness cannot evolve from matter alone.

Why not?

Yes it can. Have you not looked into the works of neuroscientists?

Well, it did. We have abundant evidence that shows us just how brains capable of consciousness evolved.

Wait, you're right. Its not just matter, but energy too.

Even if that were true, isn’t it possible there are other explanations—maybe some we haven’t even thought of yet—which don’t posit deities?

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DNA consists of complex code that must require a designer God.

Leaving aside chemistry & biology, how do you know the designer wasn’t an alien?

What about undesirable mutations? Are those the result of poor design?

Isn't DNA just a unique molecule behaving in a particular way?

Which God might that be?

So, your creator deliberately & unnecessarily designed people with Down syndrome & schizophrenia?

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DNA contains too much information to be random collections of data. A supreme being must have designed it.

The complexity of DNA & RNA is hardly grounds for appeal to a deity. They are a subject for understanding through science.

Would it change how you felt if you knew of a natural, non-random way that accounted for the data?

What makes you think that DNA is random information?

Take the time to understand the workings & processes of DNA & RNA; then it will make sense to you.

If DNA contained 75%, 50%, 25%, or even just 1% of the 'data', would that lower your conviction?

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Evolution describes how humans came to be, but doesn’t explain how life started. It must have been the Gods.

Why? How could you have conclusively ruled out all other possibilities?

No, it did not have to be the Gods.

What do you mean by 'started'? How does allegedy not knowing justify belief in God(s)?

Are you sue it was your Gods & not someone else's?

Evolution is an explanation of how we came to be, but not how we began. That is another area of research. Seek to understand, not to assume.

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Evolution doesn’t disprove God.

Why would we start by trying to disprove a deity? Shouldn’t we rather try to prove it instead?

The theory of evolution has nothing to do with your delusion. It's an evidentially grounded possible explanation for life as we know it.

Evolution is an explanation of how we came to be. Its goal was never to disprove a God.

There are many things evolution doesn't disprove. Can you please explain how this is relevant?

What about astronomy or geology? Do they disprove God?

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Evolution is an unproven theory—a fairy tale for grown-ups!

At least scientists have the honesty to admit that evolution hasn't literally been proven true—more than I can say of religious leaders.

When stated that way, what isn't a theory? Don't we just interpret the evidence as best we can & remain open to other possibilities?

If it's backed by overwhelming scientific evidence, is it still a fairy tale?

You mean like the Bible?

Couldn’t one say the exact same thing of faith-based claims? How could we figure out what's true?

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Evolution is false. I didn't come from a monkey.

You're right: We descended from a common ancestral ape. You don't understand evolutionary theory.

Does the term 'common ancestor' mean anything to you?

The fact that you would make that argument is indicative of our inability to further this conversation.

Do you hold this belief because evolution is hard to imagine, or because there's a legitimate reason to reject the evidence?

Even if scientists are mistaken about the facts of evolution, how does that prove your God exists?

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Evolution is just a theory & has never been proven.

Can the same argument be applied to theism? What do you mean by 'proven'?

Do you understand what the word 'theory' means within scientific contexts?

Don't you realize that the word 'theory' means something a whole lot stronger than 'wild guess' in a scientific context?

Even if scientists were mistaken about evolution, what would that do to demonstrate the validity of theistic claims?

You are using 'theory' incorrectly in this sense.

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God caused life.

That's an extraordinary claim. Do you have any extraordinary evidence to support it?

No he didn't. You have no evidence of that other than your ancient text.

How do you know that?

Do you think that because there's evidence for it, or because you can’t think of a better explanation?

Belief in a God has caused many things, but a God isn't the cause of those things.

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God made the human body.

How do you know that?

There is no evidence of that whatsoever.

I thought bodies developed in the wombs of mothers. Is that not correct?

The human body seems to make sense without a creator. What would a body look like without a God who created it?

Mine, maybe. *flex muscles, kiss biceps*

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How can evolution be true without the addition of new genetic material?

Would you still believe in God if this could be explained to your satisfaction.

Does new genetic material need to be added for evolution to work?

Darwin never said anything about needing to add genetic information in order for evolution to work.

Genetics & evolution don't work like that. Seems like maybe you might want to take a science class.

DNA is actually added/subtracted/removed by many means. Would you be open to watching a video that explains how this works?

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How can evolution explain why we have farm animals so well-suited to human needs, like cows & chickens?

If we could see how farm animals have changed over time because of artificial selection would that change your mind?

Where in your holy books does it say that farm animals were created for us to exploit?

That's part of agriculture. It's a different topic altogether.

If this could be explained to you to your satisfaction, would you still believe in your God?

We tamed them & bent them to our collective will.

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How could sex have evolved?

I'm not exactly sure, but the benefits of genetic recombination are very apparent, no?

Maybe for the benefits of genetic diversity through recombination?

Slowly. Over the course of many generations. Just like every other biological characteristic.

That's a good question. I don't know the answer; it's my understanding that evolutionary scientists are studying questions like these.

I don't know, but I'm sure glad that it did!

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I am not an animal!

Then, what are you?

Can you explain what you mean by that & why it's an important distinction?

Well, you're certainly not a fungus or a plant.

Yes, you are!

By all biological accounts, humans are indeed animals. Is this disturbing to you?