What Is Creationism?

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Common Ancestors
The next time you think you are not an animal, think again. Every animal (including the human race) and plant that exists today has slowly evolved from a common ancestor. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines evolution as a gradual process in which something changes into a different, and usually better, form. Many prominent scholars believe that evolution happened, while a lot of theologists are convinced that creationism took place. Creationism is the idea that a supernatural being (such as a god or goddess) created everything on Earth, including the Earth itself. Creationism cannot be scientifically proven and all of the “evidence” towards it is located in a (this opinion is highly controversial) fictional book, the Bible. Evolution, unlike creationism, has been proved by numerous research projects, experiments, and studies, therefore making it a theory. Numerous scientists do consider evolution a fact. The evidence that proves evolution lies in three main categories. These categories include the fossil record, genetic similarities and patterns, and natural selection. The fossil record contains a distribution of fossils that match the predictions of evolution. Genetic similarities and patterns between every form of life prove that we all descended from a common ancestor. Natural selection proves that we all gradually evolved into a better form of animal. The fossil record provides portraits of the past that illustrate a landscape of evolutionary change. Evolution of jawbones can be traced from primitive synapsids to mammals. The upper and lower jawbones connected to each other, and the two extra jawbones became two middle ear bones. This change allowed mammals to acquire a hearing function, and scientists know that due to their discoveries in the fossil record. Another proof of evolution that was hidden and fossilized was a fossil bird named Archaeopteryx. This bird had both amphibious and bird-like features, which creates a connection between both reptiles and birds. This evidence suggests that over time, birds may have evolved from reptiles. The distribution of fossils also matches the predicted timeline of evolution. The oldest fossils found include fishes, amphibians, and reptiles. From reptiles came the birds and the mammals. Hominids evolved from mammals and humans evolved from hominids. The fossils that have been excavated all prove this timeline. Many of those who are opposed to evolution, namely creationists, refute the fossil record by suggesting that gaps in the fossil record mean that evolution is an “incomplete theory” (Lines of Evidence). Fossils can trace the existence of life back more than four billion years. This disproves the belief that creationists hold. They believe that God directly created man only six to ten thousand years ago. Jack Kelly, a journalist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, wrote that the fossil record “shows no proof of evolution” (Calabro). This statement could not be further away from the truth. Millions of fossils, found in correctly carbon and argon-dated rocks, show the many transitions of species and illustrate the movement of evolution throughout time. The fossil record proves that we have evolved by providing the evidence in fossilized creatures. It confirms the idea that everyone has come from a common ancestor by showing the subtle changes of different species over time. An understanding of the fossil record produces knowledge of the past, an appreciation for the present, and the certainty of evolution occurring in the future. On another note, humans and bananas are about fifty percent genetically similar. This is due to the divergence of plants and animals 1.5 billion years ago. Along with the fossil record, genetic similarities and patterns (also called homologies) contribute to proving evolution. All life forms on Earth use RNA and/or DNA. The genetic coding that every being on Earth possesses only admits small, insignificant, and rare alterations.
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