Evolution is a fact

RebuttalsRed Herring My opponent throws a Red Herring in my path, and this argument I gladly rebut.Most of the early leaders were deist, not Christian. This is a heavy subject of debate.Lincoln never made a clear profession of standard Christian beliefs.[1]Washington was a Freemason, this organization has beliefs counter to Christianity.[2][3]This is not related to the core of the argument, and is thus termed a Red Herring.Second Red HerringMy opponent states that Christianity is good. I will gladly debate this topic at a different time, for now the subject is science vs creationism.This is not related to the core of the argument, and is thus termed a Red Herring.Ad hominemMy opponent attacks my character, which is a logical fallacy and improper debate technique. Point goes to me for conduct, by default.Pleasure and PowerMost items of pleasure are based on primal instincts shared by most mammals. The sex drive, instinct to mate, is of central importance. What is more fun than sex? Not much.Perhaps leading the pack is more fun than sex. Some seek power and fame which results in sex in the primal state of mankind. Some seek power in its own right, simply because nature decrees that power is good.The seeking of power goes against Christian principles, which were formed during the occupation of the known world by the Romans. To seek power meant death, so they taught not to seek power.Note the change from the OT teaching of conquest. This ended with the occupation of the Persians, the conquering army. Oh the irony. Their god stopped telling them to go to war because there was no hope for winning.Fight or FlightMy opponent made a suggestion similar to bungee jumping, so I will address bungee jumping. Adrenaline is the source of this pleasure. This comes from the primal Fight or Flight instinct. ArgumentsInterplay between Religion and Science"Since the 1920s, literalist creationism in America has contested scientific theories, such as that of evolution... Other religions have different deity-led creation myths, while different members of individual faiths vary in their acceptance of scientific findings."[4]Since the Theory of Evolution took the stage, creationism has changed in form to combat the threat of knowledge from science. Much like the church fought the Copernican Revolution because the Earth was supposedly central to God's plan. The sun cannot be the center of the solar system because religion has an opinion.Eventually the church caught up with science, but in this case religion finds itself challenged at the very base level. Please note that my opponent is not debating evolution on its merits. The focus of this debate is evolution.Semantics of the word TheoryNote that the laymen often uses a semantic attack on the Theory of Evolution, stating that a theory is simply a "guess." Note that in science, the word Theory is used in the sens of the word theorem. A guess would be the beginning of a hypothesis, which is a formal guess. After much testing, a hypothesis can be developed into a Theory. The Theory of Gravity and Theory of Relativity are two other well known theories.Strength of EvolutionThe ability of DNA to change in drastic amounts is well known. The domesticated dog is well known to have descended from the Gray Wolf. Every dog, from the 250lb English Mastiff and the 6lb Chiwawa are descended from the gray wolf.The connection between humans and other mammals is of primary importance in this debate. Sexual reproduction "...may increase the rate of evolution."[5] Vestigial Traits and Embryo formation present a very strong case for evolution.Vestigial TraitsVestigial Traits: Tailbone[6]Very obvious. Tails. Apes.Vestigial Traits: Wisdom Teeth[7]Neanderthals had larger jaws and smaller brains. As the brain expanded, the jaw shrunk, the wisdom teeth had nowhere to go."Currently, wisdom teeth have become useless and even harmful to the extent where surgical procedures are often done to remove them."[7]Vestigial Traits: Backaches[8]Look at the backbone of the horse. It is curved like a suspension bridge. The forward feet are one post, the back feet are another post, and the hanging backbone is a very strong structure.When homo sapiens first walked upright, they had a curved backbone. From an engineering perspective, the homo sapiens backbone should be a straight rod.Vestigial Traits: Unsupported intestines[8]The muscles of the stomach are developed with the assumption of four-legged walking. The pelvis barely supports the guts. The stomach muscles are core to supporting them, and have lost their role in the modern world.Vestigial Traits: Choking[8]Vestigial Traits: Obesity[8]Etc etc etc. Embryo formation.[9]Many embryos look the same in early stages of development.[9]Creationism is a Quack ScienceThe more polite term is pseudoscience.Wikipedia states[10] that "The scientific consensus, supported by a 2006 statement by 68 national and international science academies, is that it is evidence-based fact derived from observations and experiments in multiple scientific disciplines that the universe has existed for around 13.8 billion years and that the Earth was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, with life first appearing at least 2.5 billion years ago. Although many young Earth creationists (YECs) are active in the development of creation science, an endeavor that holds that the events associated with supernatural creation can be evidenced and modeled through an interpretation of the scientific method, the consensus among scientists is that creation science is unscientific in both conception and methodology."The Institute for Creation Research is a Fraud"Its work in the field of creation science has been rejected by the scientific community."[11]Unfortunately, "it has been significant in shaping anti-evolutionist thought in the United States by introducing creation science through churches and religious schools, and by engaging in public debates against supporters of evolution."[11]Sources:[1] http://en.wikipedia.org...[2] http://en.wikipedia.org...[3] http://en.wikipedia.org...[4] http://en.wikipedia.org...[5] http://en.wikipedia.org...[6] http://en.wikipedia.org...[7] http://en.wikipedia.org...[8] http://www.smithsonianmag.com...[9] http://upload.wikimedia.org...[10] http://en.wikipedia.org...[11] http://en.wikipedia.org...