| The true religious believer believes that God created | | | | In 1820, a regular-looking orange tree in an orchard in |
| the Earth and the heavens, in much the same form as | | | | Brazil grew from a mutated seed and ended up |
| they take on now, about 6,000 years ago. They do not | | | | producing what we now call navel oranges. This was |
| believe in evolution, even though the proof is, quite | | | | a very bad mutation – as it made the tree sterile |
| literally, all around them. Yet, they believe in creationism | | | | (there are no seeds in a navel orange, and it therefore |
| which lacks any proof whatsoever. | | | | has no means of reproducing). Normally, a sterile |
| Everything around you is evidence of evolution. | | | | offspring would die out, never to be seen again. A |
| Everything. Every animal, every germ, every person on | | | | forgotten path on the road of evolution. But, human |
| this Earth. Everything can be shown to be the result of | | | | beings have learned to bend evolution to our whims (in |
| millennia of evolutionary processes. I won’t bore | | | | certain circumstances anyways). We’ve learned |
| you with millions of examples of how evolution exists | | | | how to, literally, play God in some cases. This bad |
| (which I could, if I had to – the creationists can’t | | | | mutation, that should have ended up on top of |
| give you even one that supports their world-view), | | | | evolution’s garbage-heap, ended up being very |
| I’ll just mention a few of the more interesting | | | | good for humans after all, as no longer did we have to |
| examples: | | | | worry about breaking a tooth on an orange seed ever |
| You’ve probably eaten an orange at some point in | | | | again! The mutation produced sweet, juicy, seedless |
| your life? Probably dozens or even hundreds, maybe | | | | navel oranges. |
| even thousands. Well, have you ever eaten a navel | | | | The demand for navel oranges skyrocketed around |
| orange? Those are evidence of evolution right there in | | | | the globe, and cuttings from the tree have been |
| the palm of your hand! You know, navel oranges are | | | | transported and planted in organge orchards |
| those ones without the seeds (well, they actually do | | | | worldwide (cuttings can be grown into full-sized trees). |
| have itsy-bitsy little seeds that don’t function, but | | | | And, each of those trees has the exact same DNA |
| we’ll say for argument’s sake that they are, in | | | | as that original 1820 mutant tree from Brazil. |
| effect, seedless), they have that tiny little | | | | Since each of those trees was grown from a cutting |
| (little-orange-tumor-like) second orange growing within | | | | of the original tree, you can say that every navel |
| the larger one. That’s why they’re called | | | | orange the world has ever known - came directly |
| ‘navel’ oranges – the second, baby-orange | | | | from the branches of that one single tree! |
| produces a little ‘belly-button’ or 'navel' on the | | | | I find that kind of beautiful and wonderous, don’t |
| orange's rind. | | | | you? Billions and billions of people on Earth - yet |
| You’ve probably eaten hundreds of navel oranges | | | | we’ve all eaten the fruit of the same tree… |
| in your lifetime. Well, you could say that all those navel | | | | Creationists believe that God is 100% perfect and |
| oranges you’ve eaten, every single little one – | | | | created the world pretty much exactly as it is right |
| as well as every navel orange everyone else on Earth | | | | now 6,000 years ago. If that was the case, the navel |
| has ever eaten – came from that same tree! Every | | | | orange shouldn’t exist! It just shouldn't be here. The |
| single one of 'em! | | | | Atheists must be right. |
| That is precisely because of the theory of - no, the | | | | Mutations shouldn’t happen in God’s world |
| fact of - evolution (or, more specifically, man’s | | | | (mutations would be an utter abomination). But they do. |
| manipulation of evolution). Evolution works by random | | | | And, evolution explains them perfectly – in a way |
| mutation. | | | | that God never,ever could. |
| Every once in a while, a random mutation creates a | | | | Every navel orange you’ve ever eaten is proof of |
| slightly different offspring in the population. If that | | | | evolution’s power and beauty (and of man’s |
| mutation is bad, the offspring will likely have a lowered | | | | incessant ability to toy with the world around us). |
| chance of reproducing (you don’t see women | | | | The closest a creationist will ever come to explaining |
| drooling over mentally and physically handicapped men, | | | | the existence of the navel orange – is that the |
| to point out a single human example). | | | | random mutation that created it - happened in a quaint |
| However, if that mutation is good, it might lead to an | | | | little orchard - near a monastery! |
| increased chance at reproduction. And, over | | | | -- Read the rest of God on Trial: The Case Against |
| generations, that mutation will work its way through the | | | | Religion, an Atheist's Debunking of Religious Dogma at |
| population until it becomes the norm, until it takes over. | | | | Simiantology. |