A Breakthrough

“Nothing in Biology makes sense except in the light of Evolution.” Theodosius Dobzhansky.

My right-wing, Christian parents believe Evolution is an affront to God.  That being said, it is difficult to have a conversation with them about my major.  I think there are several, uninformed people who, when confronted by the sciences, feel the need to defend their God.  Let me be upfront.  Science and Religion are mutually exclusive.  If we are talking about Biology, I don’t want to hear about what you think God thinks.  This is a conversation about what we know and how we can expand our knowledge.  At the same time, if we are discussing Religion, I don’t want to bring scientific “facts” in tow.  This is a conversation about what we do not know and how we can explore our faith.  (Those of strong religious belief, please do not read “what we do not know” and process it as God is not real.  That is not what it says. Religion is used to define that which we cannot know and must accept through faith.)

Most do not feel the way I do.  Most conversations I have with my parents about Biology inevitably turn to God and how He is the one who did all this.  Isn’t that great!  It can also turn into who is the ultimate law.  (Biology says homosexuality exists, but God says it’s wrong; or, you can’t live your life by the laws of science, you must live by God.)  Then there’s the ultimate tug-of-war between Creationism and Evolution.  I know, as scientists, we learn Creationism was a largely accepted theory until Charles Darwin introduced the idea of Evolution.  Even then, it took many years for his findings to catch on.  Now we see Creationism as unscientific, but it is a part of the history, so we will spend a few minutes on it. Now let’s move on.

That doesn’t happen when someone (my parents) don’t know science, but know God.  To them, seven days to create the universe isn’t implausible.  The diversity of species we see didn’t arise over billions of years, but rather, a guy with a leaf on his scrotum got to name them over the course of his lifetime.  Men don’t “come from monkeys” because he was created in God’s image!

It can be a struggle to try and assimilate the two.  My mom can accept Biology as long as it is understood that it first came from God.  I think this is a cheap cheat on science.  Science comes from man’s understanding of the world around him.  He is curious and has questions.  He does not accept that the convention is inherently right or that the truths can’t be proven false.  He is creative.  He takes risks.  Man created tools to help guide us through the world.  Man can see the tiniest organisms and the farthest reaches of the galaxy.  Man uses what he sees to develop ideas, and it is these ideas that become science.

This is where I stand, forced to side with my passions or my family.  Every time I talk to them, I both want and don’t want to talk about Biology.  I want to rip them apart and show them the truth.  I don’t want to fight and put up with their almighty crap.  I suppose that’s why this past Sunday’s conversation was such a surprise.

It started off simple.  I was talking about my classes and my dog.  Two easy enough topics.  Then I brought up Animal Behavior.  My dad instantly perked up and began telling me about this documentary they had watched.  He couldn’t remember the name or the channel it was on, but the premise was to study the behavior of chimpanzees.  There were two species under observation, and they collected some data.  They then wanted to see if humans act in a similar way when facing the same situation.  As our closest relative, I assumed the answer was yes! Primates behave similarly.  My parents on the other hand were somewhat surprised and intrigued to see that we behave so similarly to a lower creature.

I took this as my “in.” They already had questions and were already introduced to the idea.  All I had to do was supply some supplementary information.  I talked about how at some point in Evolutionary history, two chromosomes fused to become one.  This is why chimpanzees have an extra chromosome.  My mom thought this meant that there was some advantage to more chromosomes, and how does that work out.  I explained gene mapping, and how they still line up, millions of years later.  We talked about body language and universal signs of dominance and submission.   Other animals do this too!  We talked about morality, and how some animals can be more moral than others.  This led to more questions and a thorough explanation of plasticity and flexibility.  I even got to tell them about gene mutation!!!  I used cystic fibrosis as an example of how a deletion of one amino acid can change the entire protein.

I was thrilled.  They most likely did not realize this, but we discussed Evolution.  Not only that but we touched on the driving force, gene mutation.  And not once did religion or God enter the picture.  It was amazing, and the link to their understanding of my major was animal behavior.

The conclusion is simple.  We see animals behave every day.  Even if we see ourselves as higher beings by virtue, we also behave.  So it can make a clearer picture that A drives B leads to C.  This is science.  This is the acquisition of knowledge.  For them, it was a way to understand Biology.  For me, it was a way to convey the things I love most about life.