Wonder and awe, combined with knowledge and understanding, are the gateways of our future spirituality. - DLT
Cosmology asks fundamental questions about the universe, such as: where did it come from and what is its nature? Modern cosmology, which is based on scientific theory and evidence, often comes under attack from creationists. While fundamentalist creationists try to claim that the ancient Hebrew creation myths found in Genesis are literally true, "intelligent design" creationists are more subtle, claiming that the complexity of the universe suggests intelligent design and that evolution can't produce complex structures.
Reduced to simplicity, the difference between the evolutionist and creationist sides is that the evolutionist attempts to find out what is true based on scientific investigation, while the creationist declares, without any evidence, that the truth is already known, based either on the reading of an ancient text or on the arbitrary assertion of a divine intelligence. And while creationists triumphantly declare that evolution is "just a theory," they conveniently ignore the fact that their religious beliefs and theology are theories too, but with the major and fundamental difference that religious beliefs and theology have no evidence or proofs to substantiate them. Yet, in spite of that, it seems that more than one-half of the American public naively believes the creationist side, which puts into question not only the public's knowledge of science, but of scripture, as well.
Because creationists dismiss both modern cosmology and Darwinian evolution in one sweep, this page offers material explaining both concepts, as well as the ancient Hebrew concepts on which Genesis and other books of the Bible are based.
Isn't evolution just a theory that remains unproven?
In science, a theory is a rigorously tested statement of general principles that explains observable and recorded aspects of the world. A scientific theory therefore describes a higher level of understanding that ties "facts" together. A scientific theory stands until proven wrong -- it is never proven correct. The Darwinian theory of evolution has withstood the test of time and thousands of scientific experiments; nothing has disproved it since Darwin first proposed it more than 150 years ago. Indeed, many scientific advances, in a range of scientific disciplines including physics, geology, chemistry, and molecular biology, have supported, refined, and expanded evolutionary theory far beyond anything Darwin could have imagined.
- Frequently Asked Questions About Evolution - Supplemental Information to PBS's TV Miniseries: Evolution
I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. - Galileo Galilei
Bad Astronomy A scientist corrects misinformation about astronomy. Believe it or not, some people think we never made it to the moon.
The Bible and Astronomy A brief and interesting examination of the conflicts between science and religion over creation concepts.
thebigview.com This is a must-see, not only because it is beautifully done, but because of the quality of content. The covered topics: space-time (relativity and quantum mechanics), mind and consciousness, Greek philosophy, Buddhism, Tao Te Ching, and an entertaining past life analysis.
Cassini-Huygens From the European Space Agency, the latest images and information from the mission to Saturn and its moons.
The Complete Work Of Charles Darwin Online This site is aimed at serious scholars, but can be used by anyone with an interest in Darwin and his theory on the evolution of life.
Cosmic Mystery Tour From the University of Illinois, an interesting introduction to modern cosmology.
Cosmology An interesting tutorial about the Big Bang Theory.
Cosmology: The Study of the Universe NASA explains modern concepts of cosmology.
Darwin and Evolution Overview Includes links to a variety of articles and references.
A Designer Universe? "It used to be obvious that the world was designed by some sort of intelligence. What else could account for fire and rain and lightning and earthquakes? Above all, the wonderful abilities of living things seemed to point to a creator who had a special interest in life. Today we understand most of these things in terms of physical forces acting under impersonal laws." - Steven Weinberg, Physicist and Nobel Prize Winner
Evolution PBS's eight-hour television miniseries examines evolutionary science and the profound effect it has had on society and culture. The series' goals are to heighten public understanding of evolution and how it works, to dispel common misunderstandings about the process, and to illuminate why it is relevant to all of us. For quick answers to questions about evolution, see the excellent FAQ.
"Evolution & Intelligent Design," a 4-part article from LiveScience.com:
Also from LiveScience.com, Behind the Controversy: How Evolution Works.
15 Answers to Creationist Nonsense From Scientific American, a list of rebuttals to some of the most common "scientific" arguments raised against evolution, plus further sources for information.
The Flat-Earth Bible Article explains the flat-earth cosmology of the Bible.
Frequently Asked Questions in Cosmology Everything you ever wanted to know about modern cosmology.
Google Earth
Google Mars
Google Moon
"Intelligent Design" Not Science: Vatican Paper "Intelligent design does not belong to science and there is no justification for the demand it be taught as a scientific theory alongside the Darwinian explanation." - Vatican Article in L'Osservatore Romano
Jim Foley's Fossil Hominids A major reference and perhaps the best Internet resource on human evolution, this site provides detailed explanations of the evidence for human evolution and the arguments against creationist claims. Why bother refuting creationist arguments about human evolution? Foley responds:
"Because creationism is dreadful science. In fact, it's not science so much as a campaign to evangelize fundamentalist religion. Creationists are running scared from the evidence for human evolution, as well they should be. They have no good explanation for the fossils, and human evolution is a topic on which the creationists are especially vulnerable because they can't afford any compromise. If humans evolved, then the whole rationale for creationism collapses."
"As a number of people have pointed out to me, creationists are unlikely to change their mind no matter what the evidence is, or how often they are refuted. However, there are plenty of neutral bystanders who can be persuaded if they are shown how flawed creation 'science' is."
Mars Express From the European Space Agency, the latest images and information from the European mission to Mars.
National Center for Science Education is a nationally recognized, nonprofit clearinghouse which provides information and advice to teachers, parents, school boards, the press and others in order to keep evolution in the science classroom and "scientific" creationism out.
A Natural History of Peace Contrary to past beliefs, humans are not 'killer apes' destined for violent conflict, but can make their own history.
No Answers in Genesis provides an excellent selection of links to articles and sites debunking creationism. As the quote on the site so accurately says, "Creationism is not the alternative to evolution, ignorance is."
A Photo Gallery of the Universe The most popular awe-inspiring photos of the universe from the Hubble Space Telescope.
Pope John Paul II on Evolution This is L'Osservatore Romano's official English translation from the French of John Paul II's statement supporting evolution as fact ("new knowledge has led to the recognition of the theory of evolution as more than a hypothesis").
What's interesting is the consternation and disbelief it caused among many creationists who had hoped that they had a comrade in this extremely conservative Pope. They should have known better. The Church has never taken a stand against evolution, and this Pope did nothing more than admit what most scientists and educated people already know: that evolution is a fact. Unlike the fundamentalists, the Catholic Church learned from the embarassing Galileo incident not to contradict hardcore science with conjectural theology. Theology loses every time. The Church's escape route on evolution and the collapse of the Garden of Eden version of humanity's creation is to insist on a special divine creation of the soul out of nothing.
Incidentally, if you heard that the Pope's statement was mistranslated, here is a Q&A response from the Catholic Information Network correcting that rumor.
Also, see "Intelligent Design" Not Science: Vatican Paper "Intelligent design does not belong to science and there is no justification for the demand it be taught as a scientific theory alongside the Darwinian explanation." - Vatican Article in L'Osservatore Romano
Religious Right Undermines Science Return to the Dark Ages. "...this is really an attack on all of science."
Science and Creationism From the National Academy of Sciences, an online book which gives a straight-forward, responsible and expert explanation of evolution vs. creationism. Get the facts from the horse's mouth, not from the other end.
Science, Evolution and Creationism From the National Academy of Sciences, a strongly-worded 88-page answer to the creationist movement - read online or download the PDF file. Also, an abbreviated version is available for download as a PDF file.
Space Telescope Science Institute Amazing discoveries and images from the Hubble Space Telescope.
Stealth Attack On Evolution Who is backing the attacks on evolution? "...intelligent design is just a smoke screen for those who think evolution is somehow ungodly. And that appalls the many scientists and science teachers who believe in evolution and also believe in God."
Understanding Evolution This site, which is a collaborative project of the University of California Museum of Paleontology and the National Center for Science Education, helps teachers fend off attacks on evolution.
"Universe" - from The BBC, an intriguing 6-part video documentary about the universe and our precarious place in it:
U.S. Lags World In Acceptance of Evolution "Among the factors contributing to America's low score are poor understanding of biology, especially genetics, the politicization of science and the literal interpretation of the Bible by a small but vocal group of American Christians, the researchers say. ...one thing that will help is to have Catholics and mainstream Protestants speak up about their theologies' acceptance of evolution."
Why Intelligent Design Isn't This article explains the claims of intelligent design and why it is junk science.
Each branch of the natural sciences is defined as a body of knowledge. Theology, in contrast, is defined as a body of conjecture - a body of unproven theories or guesswork. The crucial difference is testability. Since theology can't be tested for validity, why should it be given the same level of credibility as the natural sciences? - DLT
