Regarding evolution - whether you and Pwcca have decided that my understanding of the process is skewed or not - my post was referring to the beginnings of where all these things arose from. Whether the definitions themselves have been simplified and made to sound ludicrous? Possibly, but I was using those examples in my post that either side could certainly make fun of the other by doing so. Since all life obviously arose out of matter of some kind right? And where did this matter come from and were we created or did we evolve?

My point was, we should be able to trace back via the fossil record to give us clues about our origins. Did they start of simply or do we continue to see only abrupt appearance/creation?

If life arose from simple celled organisms, or spontaneous abrupt creation, there should be evidence in the fossil record that one of these beliefs is based more upon assumptions than actual evidence.

If evolution is true and the beginnings were originally simple, then we should be able to find evidence of this in the fossil record at "some point" during the time all things evolved. Otherwise, if I have this wrong, could you explain how fully formed creatures made their appearance here in the first place if they did not start off simply and evolved over time?

If creation is true? Then the fossil record should be showing us the abrupt appearance of fully formed creatures no matter HOW far back we go. If it is not true and evolution is, then we should see things to the contrary. All things die during their lifetime at some point, so the fossil record, as I said, should be a record of evolution and going back far enough to where the beginnings of it from simple life can be proven. Or you're left with abrupt appearance and only have assumptions leftover as to how they got there. Either way, the explanations as to how it all arose and where it came from is the next problem.

Pwcca, I am FULLY aware that evolution does not preach that men come from "apes" (themselves). As for "rocks to men"? If you read my post, I used that as an example of what HAS been said by creationists regarding the evolution belief and how our side could just as easily be proposed as similar - since the bible tells us we were made from the dust of the earth).

I am fully aware of the evolutionary belief of the common ancestor and the "ape-like" one that we all supposedly branched off from into the primates and humans. I'm interested too in this ape-like ancestor we apparently share and why if we share "it" with the apes, did we wind up going down different paths of evolution and what was the cause?