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How do you explain evolution to a theist?

I have been trying to explain evolution to my stepmother who believes god created everything. She does halfway understand that evolution is a fact and it took billions/millions of years. But for some reason she does not understand that there may have been dozens of different types of bacteria living in the primordial sludge not just one. I have tried to explain that perhaps not everything evolved from the same one celled lifeform. I have tried to explain that when the conditions for life were right, it is possible that many different types of bacteria grew. Or maybe a meteor from another plant had some bacteria on it that introduced other forms of life to ths one. My point is just because life is diverse does not mean god made it that way. Who knows maybe some ancient astronaut came here and relieved itself and we all evolved from the bacteria in that poop. The presence of bacteria is not proof of the existence of god.

She also claims that God created the Big Bang. First off, points to her for even knowing or trying to understand the big bang. She says before the big bang, there was god. So I asked her who created god? God was just first. Okay, but if everything has to be created by something, doesn't something have to have created god?

She's the diversity of life and the evolution of intelligent beings is proof of god. I said there is more than one intelligent lifeform on this planet. There are several animals out there, I would say are fairly smart. In fact, many animals are pretty intelligent for what they are, where they live and how they live. Maybe it doesn't require a 10 pound brain to be a worm. However, dumb worms get eaten or die too young to reproduce. It's a everything eats worm world out there for worms, so maybe for the life that they lead, they are pretty smart. Maybe intelligence and life are the rule not the exception. Maybe the universe is teaming with life, we just haven't gotten out there to see it.

How do I explain to her that life evolves regardless if there is a god around or not? I'm not trying to steal away her sky friend, just trying to explain he doesn't do everything and he's not in charge of everything.

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Permalink Reply by Susan Stanko on January 9, 2011 at 9:53am

It depends on the theist. YEC's are like that but not old earth creationists.

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Permalink Reply by Stanley Post on January 9, 2011 at 10:53am

Susan,

Yeah, it gets a little complicated.

Things like age, location were one was raised, teaching from parents, etc. play a part in ones

belief system.

Younger theists (at least in my area) tend to be a little more open minded, but "faith"

is a very powerful thing, and requires constant "backing up" in the form of things like going

to church, which is like group theropy with the re-assurance of an authority figure (minister, preacher, etc.)

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Permalink Reply by Yusuf Said on January 10, 2011 at 9:27am

I completely understand what you're saying and it's incredibly frustrating. My mother is a young Earth creationist and I sometimes feel tempted to save her from ignorance. Usually I spend a couple hours explaining how small tolerable mutations in DNA add up and may or may not help an organism to survive better in it's environment, and illustrate evolution through the fossil record, and show her comparative vertebrate anatomy charts. After all that she looks at me and says "hahaha Joseph Grandma and Grandad were not monkeys". It's a huge waste of time.

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Permalink Reply by Frank Thomas on January 19, 2011 at 8:47am

The first thing I'd point out is that you don't have to be an atheist to accept evolutionary theory. In Europe the majority of Christians do just that.

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Permalink Reply by §kürrý on January 19, 2011 at 10:10am

monosyllabically

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Permalink Reply by Frank Thomas on January 20, 2011 at 2:47am

A bit like abbreviation, that's an ironically long word. :)

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Permalink Reply by Mike Lee on January 20, 2011 at 7:48pm

It'd likely be far easier to deconvert her entirely, than to try and make her a deist. Trying to believe that what they'd thought was an all loving deity attendant to their every move is just an apathetic life giver would be like telling someone their father wasn't dead, but just a deadbeat.

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Permalink Reply by Lorryslorrys on January 23, 2011 at 2:46pm

Show them this:

http://primaxstudio.com/stuff/scale_of_universe/

Not for creationism or anything, I just think people lack perspective.

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Permalink Reply by FreeThinker on January 27, 2011 at 6:42pm

Potholer54's "Made Easy" series on Youtube does an excellent job of explaining everything the origins of stars, planets, life, and the evolution of life:

http://www.youtube.com/user/potholer54#p/c/DB23537556D7AADB/0/wg1fs...

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Permalink Reply by FreeThinker on January 27, 2011 at 7:28pm

In regards to showing the intelligence of other animals, here are some good videos about gorillas, chimps, and bonobos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJFo3trMuD8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRM7vTrIIis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJAH4ZJBiN8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0tAQcpLILQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK1-KL6sq_Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh8gfIcjQNY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmuu8UEi2ko

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Permalink Reply by AtheistTech on January 28, 2011 at 12:34am

I have found that if someone believes that there is a god that created the whole world, then they do not value scientific data as proof of or disproof of anything. They believe what makes them feel good. So, instead of trying to help them understand the truth behind science, you need to stress the results of science and how they have changed that person's life as well as how science has changed society's standard of living. If you are a fair person or a detailed type person, you may feel the need to include the bad in with the good that science has done, but that would not follow the religious methods that trained that person to believe in a god that created the world.

Have a great day!

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Permalink Reply by John Camilli on January 29, 2011 at 2:56pm

Short answer, you dont. It is among the primary tenets of theism to eschew doubt; to shun questions of one's faith, which is why theists don't fuckin listen. Leave em to it, as far as I'm concerned. More discoveries for me, just stay outta my way, lol. The only time it's necessary to explain evolution to a theist is when you naturally select to shut their loud mouths for them. JK, sort of.