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Tenets of the Darwinian evolution theory
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Tenets of Vedic Teachings
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1. The universal principle of evolution.
An evolutionary process created all living forms in this universe.
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1. The universal principle of creation.
Whatever we see in this universe is the result of creation performed by an intelligent supreme being.
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2. A Creator does not exist.
Everything,
from the first living cell to the present diversity of plants animals
and other species, developed through an evolutionary process. A divine
being is not involved.
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2. A Creator exists
God, Krishna,
is the source of all energies both spiritual and material. He is the
cause of all causes, of creation, maintenance and annihilation. The
theistic scientific process of development of creation from the most
subtle energies to the gross material energies and the creation of
different species in all planets of this universe are described in
detail in the Puranas such as Srimad Bhagavatam.
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3. The material energy has always existed
The total
amount of matter and energy is and was always the same even in the
shrunken state of the pre-Big Bang mathematical point.
The law of conservation of matter supports this. Matter is neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions.
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3. The material energy is a transformation.
The amount of
energy in the unlimited creation of God is always the same. A portion
of His spiritual energy, under His supervision, transforms into subtle
material energy (pradhana) that further transforms into gross material
energy. This is the process of creation of gross material worlds. At
annihilation, the whole process is reversed.
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4. There is no difference between material processes and life processes.
Life was
created by the combination of chemicals; the simple non-living elements
under the influence of time, place and circumstances gradually changed
into the basic building blocks of life then life itself. This is
analogous to the process of nuclear fusion or nuclear fission whereby
new atomic nuclei are created. The natural laws for the creation of
life were and are the same and as unchanging as the laws governing
geology, astronomy, physics the formation of galaxies.
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4. There is a clear distinction between living and non-living.
Scientists know
of some 120 elements and of their ability to enter different
combinations. They do not understand the most important element we call
spiriton, or atma in Sanskrit. This element is the main difference
between living entities, whether sentient or not, and non-living
entities. As long as the spiriton is present in a material body, that
material body is pervaded by consciousness, the source of thinking,
feeling, willing and activity. These abilities are not characteristic
of any combination of the elements known to scientists.
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5. Self-organization from the simple to the complex is caused by natural processes.
The processes
of mutation and natural selection driven by the availability of energy
(food) and ecological niches are the major driving forces in developing
new living forms. This can lead over periods of geologic time to more
complex and more specialized forms as some life forms adapt to exploit
their position.
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5. The natural processes of self-organization from the simple to the complex are limited and controlled.
Just as the
spiriton pervades the body and keeps it active, similarly the entire
universe is pervaded by the supreme spiriton that maintains everything.
This Vedic truth is supported by branch of the theory of quantum
mechanics that suggests that information is spread throughout the
universe quicker then the speed of light. At the time of creation,
everything is evolving under the control of the supreme spiriton or
consciousness. Therefore, there is no question of independent
self-organization. Dull matter could and will never create
self-replicating organic life. Creation is the source of all the
complexities that are gradually deteriorating - as proved by the second
law of thermodynamics and our experience.
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6. The mechanisms of evolution are: mutation, extinction and death.
Chance,
accident, random mutations, ecological changes, changes in food
sources, long periods of time and death are all part of evolutionary
processes. Death and extinction eliminate those living entities that
have become overspecialized and cannot adapt quickly enough when their
ecological niche or food supply disappears.
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6. Mutation, extinction, and death exist only in the material world but not in the abode of God.
As the result
of falling down from the kingdom of God, the eternal spirit soul, life
after life gets a new material body that undergoes six changes, namely
birth, growth, duration, reproduction, dwindling and vanishing. The
subtle process of elimination of the weaker, that the scientists do not
speak about, is karma. In other words, in this material world
everything happens according to the law of action and reaction. The
concept of accident is excluded. Most often mutations do not change a
species into another species, but merely help the living entities to
adapt to new and changing times, places and circumstances.
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7. There is no plan, goal, or purpose in the universe.
Evolution is a random process. There can therefore be no plan, no purpose and hence no creator for the universe.
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7. Causes and results require a planner or goal-giver.
From the level
of macrocosm down to the level of the smallest units, all the
interrelated, interdependent, and differing complexities certainly lead
to an unavoidable conclusion of an intelligent and conscious
plan-maker. Thus, because all complex units are interrelated and
interdependent they are proof of their purposeful existence. Plan and
purpose have their cause in the creator, Krishna, the cause of all
causes.
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8. Genetic similarities prove common ancestry.
By using DNA,
it is possible to construct an evolutionary "Tree of life". The number
of mutations between differing life forms determines the position in
the "Tree". Presently we do not have all the transitional forms but
future discoveries will certainly fill up the gaps.
The common biochemical functions of all species are an obvious proof of common descent.
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8. Genetic similarities prove common designer.
The
similarities between the species are there because God used similar
components when creating different forms of life. Thus, it is observed
that certain biochemical functions are similar in all living entities.
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9. The present is the key to the past.
The natural laws, in the past, present and future have always remained the same and unchanged
This principle
of uniformitarianism states that physical processes as they exist now
were the same in the past. Using this it is possible postulate what
happened in the remote past. However, it is recognised there are
limitations to this principle owing the complexity of and lack of
understanding of the universe.
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9. The past is the key to the present.
Vedic wisdom
states unequivocally that the natural laws remain unchanged, as the
Supreme Lord is their maintainer. However, He is free to change them.
This especially happens at the time of creation and annihilation.
Further, measuring and interpreting the events of past and future in
this complex material world is limited because of imperfect senses,
imperfect instruments and mistaken interpretations. Data can be
interpreted in many different ways and all theories are open revision.
Conclusively, our estimations of the past and future can only be vague
at best and a mere guess at worst.
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10. Evolution is a continuous process
The different
life forms we know are all transitional from one form to another. As
evolution is an undirected random process, it might result in
improvements to or degeneration of the ability of present species to
survive.
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10. The different types of species were all created and they undergo only minor changes.
The total
number of differing species is fixed, at 8.400.000 in the whole
universe. Sometimes some species are manifested while others are
non-manifested, depending on time, place and circumstance. The
variations within species, microevolution, arise due to the exchange of
their inherent genetic information. Mutations are mostly
non-beneficial and cause damage to or loss of genetic information.
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