Evolution contains enough evidence to override religion

Thank you for laying the groundwork for this debate. Hope you have fun and provide a strong defense! I. Opening statement As pro I will be attempting to show that the Scientific Theory of Evolution contains a more substantial base of support than that of the Christian creationist explanation of how life came to be in its current state. I will do so by providing observable evidence supported with reliable sources that supports the bases of the Theory of Evolution and proving beyond a reasonable doubt that this is how modern organisms changed into their current forms. II. Affirmative construct a. Brief Background The Theory of Evolution ("Evolution") was a concept coined in the early 1800s by a man named Charles Darwin and a few other scientists. It was based on the idea that through the processes of natural selection, descent with modification, and genetic mutation, all organisms evolved from a common ancestor. This ancestor was a primitive cell that multiplied and changed over thousands of years to eventually have the genetic makeup of all modern organisms. While at the time, there was little observable evidence to support the theory. Modern science has been successful show many times over that Evolution left behind many signs it took place. I will be presenting these pieces of evidence and providing the website where they can be read in more depth. b. Modern Natural Selection Natural selection is a vital part of Evolution. It is what explains the how organisms developed features without the need for a deity. How natural selection works is simple, every organism goes through minor genetic changes through life. These genetic changes can either have a positive or negative impact on the organism base on the pressures exerted by its environment. Changes that increase survival will allow the organism to reproduce and pass on the trait. Organisms with a negative mutation will likely die before they can reproduce. Therefore, the species will continue reproducing with the beneficial trait. This process has been observed by scientists on multiple occasions. Mostly on organisms where its lifespan is short enough genetic changes can be observed in a reasonable amount of time. Here are some documented cases of natural selection taking place in the modern era. http://www.globalchange.umich.edu... This article contains an instance of natural selection being affected by human interaction. Soot and industrial waste caused the trees to darken. Before this happened, a sample showed that there was an abundance of white colored moths compared to dark colored moths. After the darkening of the trees, another sample was taken that showed that darker colored moths were thriving, even after being quite rare prior to the soot. The population of white moths was dwindling. It was theorized that this change in population had to do with how well each moth camouflaged with its environment, in this case the trees. Dark moths would be harder to spot in a dark tree while a white moth would stick out like a sore thumb. Predators in the area would have an easier time spotting and eating the white moths, therefore allowing the dark moths to replicate and pass down their new found ability. http://ipm.ncsu.edu... This article is mainly focused on the problems relating to insects developing immunities to pesticides. There is however a blurb in the beginning confirming that insect got this resistance due to the process of natural selection. Insects with the resistance to the pesticide don't die. They have offspring also don't die to the pesticide, and viola. Evolution. http://www.galapagos.org... This article is less based on natural selection actively taking place but rather its long term effects. The article speaks of a common ancestor of the modern Galapagos tortoises. This ancestor is thought to have arrived in the Galapagos islands a few million years back. Some of the offspring arrived at different islands. The most recent relatives of this ancestor appear to be much different than the ancestor. The reason being that they each had enough time over generations and generations to change. This change can be attributed to descent with modification. Each line of tortoises had different mutations and therefore changed their appearance. They changed so much that the different Galapagos tortoises could no longer be considered the same species! This would show that, given enough time, descent with modification along with natural selection can cause a change in species of the same ancestor. c. Fossil Evidence While I have shown natural selection has occurred and still occurs, there is some room for doubt. After all, natural selection could have just not worked back then. To show that mutations have occurred in the past, we must delve into the fossil record to see how species have changed through time. First off, it is important to note that were Evolution true then there would be a specific time period and place where fossilized species would be found. The time period can be determined by what layer the fossil is found and the area by, well the area it was found. http://atheism.about.com... This source confirms that fossils are in fact found where Evolution would suggest they'd be. It also states the the progression of the fossils complies with how Evolution would have a species evolve. That progression being common descent, a vital point in Evolution. It must be noted, if even a single fossil was found out of place, one specimen not being where it should be, Evolution would fall apart right then and there. Evolution can only account for the fossils if they are in the right period and bio geographical area. An unexplained outlier would show there must have been another factor that wasn't naturally explained. There remain many fossils contained in the fossil record. As such, there are many examples of transitional fossils the hold as the intermediate species between one and another. One such specimen is the Archaeopteryx fossil. This fossil was shown to be a median between modern birds and prehistoric dinosaurs. It contained qualities of both, teeth like dinosaurs and feathers like a bird. Its form suggested it could have flown, though not as well as current birds, suggesting that this specimen was a link where flying was developing as an evolutionary trait. Source is contained below. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org... III. First Argument Conclusion With the two forms of evidence shown in my first argument, 4 things can be concluded. 1. Natural selection and descent with modification are possible and are still observable in modern life. 2. Natural selection played a role in changing a current species, allowing it to change over time and adapt to its environment 3. The fossil record suggests Evolution has taken place based on the position and time period where the fossils were found 4.There are transition fossils that show how a species has evolved to fit its environment in the past. This evidence shows a very plausible way that organisms could have gotten to their current forms.