Indeed, to "believe in evolution" is contrary to the spirit of the science that produced it as an explanation -- this is not about taking anything on faith or committing oneself to an explanation, it's about making a best-possible assessment of what is more likely to be true, given the information available. That's a long way from the 'belief' of religious commitment.

No, no. I believe in evolution, with a desperate, grasping belief because if I don't I will be forced to admit that there really is a god and that god is the judeo-christian one and that means I won't be able to drink the blood of slaughtered goats while rooting unwilling virgins, robbing old ladies of their savings and bashing baby seals just 'cause it is fun because there will be rules like how long my hair must be and how loud I must sing in church and how high my arms must be lifted in praise and more praise and if I don't I will burn in hell....

well it really depends on what you mean by the word "believe." Evolution is one of those things which just happens as a consequence of the second law of theromdynamics. Things evolve from one state into another, and do so in predictable ways. The idea here however is that while these ways are predictable, we only really know the chance that things will happen. However, in many situations actually "seeing what happens next" usually increases the chances that it will happen again no matter what the outcome. In these cases, we know what will happen. Otherwise, we don't really and can't say much about it. Evolution is one of those things which just happens. From a very reductionist perspective however, evolution requires the existence of some sort of "beginning recursive sequence" of reactions converting one form of energy into another. The availablility of energy types changes which reactions assume dominance, and a new set of reactions creates a new set of "decay" reactions which 'feed' on the abundance of reactions (as a product moves from the energy source). The question then becomes whether this sequence can become "larger" in value (approaching some sort of size of scale), or if it by nature will remain "small" on subatomic scales.

"Believing" in something definitely has a sort of capricious wishy washyness to it. You either know something, which is a certainty, or you do not know it, which is certainty, with reservation. "I believe in something" implies an assumption without proof, naive faith, a hope, a wish whatever. I asked a similar question about ghosts and got ambushed.

The reason for the word belief is that it is the THEORY of evolution. As opposed to being a Principle such as Newtonian Principles for example... Theory means it is not proven... lots of holes in that theory ... Everyone is entitled to their opinion though. By the way I am not a christian fundamentalist. Way back when everyone believed religously that outside the atmoshphere lies emptiness, it was in my science book in middle school... then little by little the word void/emptiness was removed because it was not true. Just because religious fundamentalists say something is wrong, it does not make it right.

I believe you're right.

Oh, I totally understand where you're coming from. I've never understood how someone can disregard scientific fact, yet insist something that's a matter of faith is fact. I was brought up in church, and yet I accept the scientific facts I was taught in school. Who's to say God didn't create us to evolve?

same thing could be said of religion............. your point????????????????

It's irrelevant if people don't accept OR "believe" in evolution. It's an established fact.

Your question is flawed. A belief is simply an acceptance of something without absolute proof.

"Belief is the death of intelligence. As soon as one believes a doctrine of any sort, or assumes certitude, one stops thinking about that aspect of existence. Robert Anton Wilson, in Cosmic Trigger I : Final Secret of the Illuminati (1977)" Source and further information: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Belief

7-7-2017 In real life none of those words apply. A student is only required not to object to the concept. Kinda like a farmer does not object to the odor of bull manure.

I understand. beliefs are accepted as true with inadequate evidence, but evolution has much strong supporting evidence. Science does not use beliefs and faith, since they are blind and unreliable.