The origin of life must be the greatest puzzles that the humankind has ever faced. Old as the hills and practically unsolvable, the problem has led to a number of theories, most of which name the divine power as the reason for the universe to exist.
Thus, grounding its basic postulated on scientifically proved facts, the theory of evolution poses quite a contrast to the ideas of the existing religions and, therefore, requires a comparison to the other explanations of the origin of life. It must be admitted that the theory of evolution has a number of legit points and has all the rights to be considered the most valid theory of all existing.
There is no doubt that among all the pieces of evidence for the evolution theory, the species diversity and distribution is definitely the strongest one: “The distribution of flora and fauna of the oceanic islands provided Darwin with some of his strongest arguments. The islands contain a small number of species because immigration from the mainland was difficult […]” (Biogeography: Polar Bears and Penguins).
However, it is worth mentioning that Darvin’s ideas can also be considered a touch flawed. According to Olofsson, the chances that the stages of the evolution process will drive to the development of life forms are next to nothing: “Once all chance explanations have been ruled out, ‘design’ is inferred” (42).
Thus, it can be considered that the theory of evolution does have its contradictions. However, as Oloffson admits, “A general point of criticism against ID is that it does not offer any scientific explanations of natural phenomena, but merely attempts to discredit Darwinian evolution, aiming at inferring ‘design’ by default (43).
As opposed to the idea that life forms can be developed in the course of evolution, the creationist theory is also well worth mentioning. Offering an idea of a superior creature that gave life to people and the entire variety of the Earth life forms, the theory of creation might seem far not as impressive and well-grounded as the theory of evolution. Indeed, there are little to no pieces of evidence that prove the divine creation of the Earth and the human race.
However, it is still important to mention that the theory of creation is closer rather to a legend than to a scientific justification. Since true believers do not need proofs for the Lord’s existence, the theory of creationism functions in quite a different way than the one of evolution: instead of providing solid explanations of how the world was created, it offers the grounds for people to base their faith on. Therefore, it can be considered that the theory of creativity serves rather as the stronghold of moral values than an explanation of the origin of life.
Thus, the function of religion in society becomes more obvious. It is clear that religion does not offer any well-grounded explanations of the way the world was created, nor does it provide any pieces of evidence that God is the Creator of the Earth, the human race and the Universe. Instead, religion serves as a guide for people to live peacefully and decently. Performing their different functions perfectly well, the theory of creationism and the theory of evolution can safely coexist in the modern world.
Works Cited
“Biogeography: Polar Bears and Penguins.” Evolution, 2001. Web.
Olofsson, Peter. “Probability, Statistics, Evolution and Intelligent Design.” Chance, 31.3 (2008): 42-45. Print.