Many words have been written about the origins of things. Numerous ancient people believed that several powerful gods were responsible for creating human beings (Warburton 12). Another theory is parallel evolution, humans evolving simultaneously in several parts of the world (Allman, 54). The metaphysical assumptions and moral implications demonstrated in aspects of evolution theory have been a source of conflict for over one hundred years. "Pre-Darwinian" biologists based their science on theological assumptions. Science was rooted in religion; its purpose was to prove the existence of God, using as evidence the design and purpose in nature. Darwin introduced as explanation of biological change that "excluded the necessity of supernatural minacy" (Fix 172). He hypothesized that the " human family" arose in Africa. He was right. All the earliest hominid species have been found in Africa, and Africa alone. Thus, Darwin's Origin of Species was viewed as a revolutionary document in 1859, although its primary contribution was to "organize and synthesize a set of ideas that had pervaded the scientific literature for more than fifty years" (Nelkin 17). Thomas Huxley, an earl

Waechter, John. Prehistoric Man: The Fascinating Story Of Man's Evolution. London:

"Evolution." New Encyclopedia of Science. 1985 ed.

"In 1654, Archbishop Ussher of Ireland deduced that the earth was created on October 26, 4004 B.C. and 9:00 in the morning. The basic result of such biblical scholarship is clear: if Genesis is literally correct, the earth is no more than a few thousand years old" (Eldredge 19). Geologists can now prove that the earth is vastly older than the creation story seems to allow. Although the creationists seem to be fighting a losing battle in their quest to deny the teachings of evolution in the classroom, there is substantial evidence to also disprove the big bang theory as the source of human evolution (Echoes 92).

Oxford in 1860. His views clashed with those of the eloquent Bishop of Oxford who defended fundamentalists. Darwin himself took very little part in these controversies and was rather "distressed at the furore to which his ideas had given rise" (Waechter 8), though throughout his life he never altered his views. The introduction of Darwin's theory in the American school system gave a reason for concern about this underlying assumptions and social implications.

The second theory, creationism, views the origins as the separate acts of a supernatural Creator who a very short time ago created what we see now out of nothing- a metaphysical conceit. This claim that life was made by an undetectable Creator using supernatural powers falls outside of science. It makes no predictions that can be tested. It can't be negated by science. If it had any real possibility of negation, it would lose many

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lord God, Educational View, Ussher Ireland, Bishop Oxford, Epperson Arkansas, Divine Creation, Origin Species, Universities Normals, John Scopes, British Association, life earth, evolution york, science religion, theory source, darwin's theory,
Approximate Word count = 1117
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)