Not sure yet, sorry.

Words by Juan Pedro Muñoz
Sylmar High School

The 1st amendment allows us to voice our opinion. We as a society must learn to respect the beliefs and opinions of others and not disrespect those who do not agree with our beliefs or opinions. There are times when we are misinformed or misunderstand what others believe. An example can be seen in how people’s beliefs of humans came to exist, creationism and evolution. Though some believe in one theory, they must understand and respect those that believe in the opposing theory.

Just because one side thinks the other is wrong does not make it so. It also does not give them the right to oppress the others. Understanding and respecting the opinions of others will make us a more tolerable society.

There are many religions in the world and many of them have there own creation theory. The following theory is based on the Judeo-Christian and Islamic beliefs. Creationists who follow this theory believe that a deity known as God created us and the world in which we live. The Book of Genesis in the Bible explains how God created everything in six days. For example, on the first day, God created day and night. The following days, God continue to create land and sky, the sun and stars, plants and animals. On the sixth day God created man. The life that was created by God was created in a way that was perfectly adapted to its environment. The rest of the book goes on to describe the origin of sin, the story of Noah, and God’s covenant with Abraham.

Evolutionists, on the other hand argue that life was formed through natural means and had no divine intervention. According to this theory, the universe was created when the planets, stars, and elements were formed. This phenomenon continued until life appeared on Earth. Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection states that animals and plants evolved from common ancestors. This is why many plants and animals belong to the same species. Humans and apes are believed to be descendants of a common ancestor which would explain why our DNA is almost identical to apes. This does not mean that humans are apes or vice versa. It means that humans and apes are closely related because we came from the same ancestor.