"Theory" in the sense of "scientific theory" is not "this is what I imagine to be true". In science it is the highest level of proven and settled explanatory framework. No scientific theory since the advent of the modern scientific method around the time of Newton, has been disproven. Evolution is a scientific theory just like the theory of gravity or the theory of electromagnetism or the germ theory of disease. God-botherers are not suggesting that there's anything wrong with those other theories because the Bible is indifferent to (and ignorant of) gravity, electromagnetism or disease mechanisms. They only try to discredit science when it fails to agree with their dogma. That tells you all you need to know about their motives.

So anyway, your job is to understand what the theory of evolution does and does not address, what it does and does not say, and how that has been thoroughly established. For example it does not suggest that fish morphed into humans; it is not causeless or random; it does not address the origin of life but only its development, etc.

There is NOT currently a scientific theory of the origins of life itself, there are just hypotheses, some of which are scientifically valid (= falsifiable), some of which at least currently are not. Currently, the leading hypothesis in that domain is abiogenesis.

There is NOT currently a scientific theory of the origins of the universe. There, too, hypotheses exist that are duking it out to hopefully someday grow up to be proven explanatory frameworks (scientific theories).

Where science has not reached a settled conclusion, it's always helpful to ask yourself what religion has ever innovated or invented, or how it has ever corrected innacuracies in sciences. Even once. Then ask yourself whether religious faith or the scientific method are more likely to get to the bottom of any open questions.

Evolution is counterintuitive mainly because it is difficult for the human mind to grasp the vast amounts of time involved. The actual mechanism of natural selection is quite straightforward. Here again, there is lots of misinformation and mischaracterization about natural selection. Natural selection is not random, it is actually the opposite of random, for example. There's a lot of misinformation about dating methods and fossils and a whole bunch of other things. So long as you're not reading pseudoscience or theologians claiming to critique science, and stick to people with actual expertise in the actual field, you'll be fine.

If your main criteria is to know what is likely to be true based on evidence, you'll find your way to that consensus. If your main criteria is to find something consistent with what you need or want to believe or are comfortable with, then you will find that. It's your call.

um, we don't believe in adam and eve. that's why we're on this site, remember?

do you have google? you can find many, many scientific sites to explain evolution, and one of the first things you'll find out is that it took a long, long time for fish to morph (not directly) into humans. it's not actually "a real thinker: about which one is real." it's actually a no-brainer. there are evidence-based facts readily available regarding evolution. go look them up.

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On a side note about Adam and Eve. Every Classical painting of them had them with bellybuttons,....Think about that for a sec,...

A few points. 1/ Evolution as a science involves some internal debates along the lines of how species evolve. It's a complex area of academic study and the science is still being settled.
2/ It's impossible to prove God as the creator without using a circular argument. The Aristotelian notion of an unmoved mover is a false category for any god, for the unmoved mover is still within the cause-effect created being category. A transcendent god cannot be proved; it's simply not possible.
3/ There may be some evolutionary scientists on this site, who may be able to give you a detailed response on the question of 'fish to humans'.

Richard Dawkins' book "The Greatest Show on Earth" is a good place to start. If you google "The Greatest Show on Earth pdf", there is a free version you can read on your computer. You are welcome.

At some point a single cell organism split into organisms with a more complex cellular structure. Eventually these multi cell organisms split into male and female organisms. Much later humans evolved from an animal consciousness to human consciousness. Sure the male female split occurred much earlier than the evolution from animal to human but other than that Adam and Eve represents a fairly good metaphorical story (especially considering how old it is). Of course Eden was understood to be a spiritual state by the ancients and leaving the Garden represented a transition to material form. A pre existent spiritual state is a religious concept. One I believe in. I don't blame anyone for not believing it, I agree their view is more rational. I have no proof of my belief, I just like the concept of spiritual immortality.

Welcome. Unlike creationism evolutionary theory, although simple at first sight, can be quite complex, and you will not access it without some effort I am sorry to say. You can get a lot of information about it from the net such as Utube but it will be disorganized. It is really needful to read deeply some books, Richard Dawkins is good , especially for a first read The Blind Watchmaker, and River Out Of Eden. For some really easy reads which cover the basics in fun ways, Ursula Goodenough The Sacred Depths Of Nature, is a starter and even Bill Brysons , Short History of Nearly Everything is not a bad taster with a few other bits thrown in.

I recommend you go to a bookstore and buy a book on evolution, which will explain how it actually works. Believe me, you won't regret it - it makes a lot more sense than the biblical Creation.

"how are we suppose to believe in adam and eve if we have no proof." It's called "faith" if you choose to go that route.
"but then again how can evolution work." Do a little research and discover for yourself. There is so much information about the subject online and at the library.
"where did the animals come from 10 billion years ago." See above suggestion.
Good luck in your search for knowledge and truth.

Evolution is easy to understand if you can think in grand timescales and extremely tiny changes accumulating over such time. Then again, humans evolve from a single cell to a full person in only nine months.

I’ve often wondered, in the beginning, if god created two people, Adam and Eve, 6 to 10 thousand years ago, and they had two sons, how did we get 7+ billion people?