Argument #1: Transitional Fossils

[Revelation777]

If a kind or basic type of animal over a long period of time has evolved into a different kind of basic type of animal, then it is reasonable to expect a plethora of transitional forms in the fossil record. However, this is not the case, rather, the fossil record shows the original diversity of animal and plant forms.

Evolution models of the fossil record predict the following:
- wholesale transitions in organisms over time
- primitive forms evolving into complex forms
- gradual derivation of new organisms produced transitional forms

We do not find any of these to be true based on our fossil record.

Trilobites are an example of an organism appearing suddenly in the fossil record void of any evidence of transitions. Furthermore, trilobites have an organized complexity comparable to modern day invertebrates.

The facts remain, fossils have been discovered to suddenly appear in the record without transition. This is what would be expected from intelligent design not macroevolution.

[Thackerie]

Wow! This Rev guy is even dumber than I originally thought. Last week when he said he was going to post his thoughts on evolution, he was told repeatedly not to waste our time with garbage from the Institute for Creation Science or other such factories of delusion. And, what does he do? He steals directly from the icr website, without even attempting to attribute it.

I guess that makes him a liar as well as a thief.

[FifthElement]

What exactly do you mean by "basic type of animal" ?

[Faith No More]

http://www.transitionalfossils.com/

Well, that was easy.

[RobbyPants]

Evolution models of the fossil record predict the following:
- wholesale transitions in organisms over time
- primitive forms evolving into complex forms
- gradual derivation of new organisms produced transitional forms

We do not find any of these to be true based on our fossil record.

The fossil record doesn't have every single creature perfectly contained in it. Are you arguing that because we don't have the remains of any specific person, that the person didn't exist?

The problem here is you're stuck in thinking in terms of "final forms", so every time you see something, you assume it has to be a final form. Also, Faith No More provided an excellent list of many of the "intermediate forms" for you.

I imagine now you will simply declare them all "final forms", insist that all similarities between two creatures is purely coincidence, and then double our work by telling us to find more "intermediate forms" in the now doubled number of gaps.

[FreeTony]

If you want to play at science then I would expect you to answer this:

What would you expect to see in the fossil record that would support a Creationist hypothesis?

[pocaracas]

Ah... here they come!
The hounds of the creationist!

"kind"? What the heck does that mean? Species? Genus? Family? Order? Class? Phylum? Kingdom? or Domain?

Second, there are a myriad of transitional fossils collecting dust in museums all over the world!
Here's just one example for which we do have fossils, The elephant:

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On top of that, fossilization is an extremely rare event. Just think of all the humans from before the 20th Century for which fossils have been found... and all those that have vanished.
Given that it is rare, some holes are expected in the fossil record. The amazing thing is that we have so few holes as we do!

Last, the trilobite... what have they done to you, to deserve such unflattering representation?
They show up on the fossil record around 521 million years ago. Remember when I said fossilization is a rare event? Well, the farther back in time we go, the harder it is to find fossils... and this was a time on the planet's history when all life was underwater, making it even more difficult to generate fossils...
Just because we have no fossil evidence, it doesn't mean that they didn't evolve from something else.... what it was, we may never know... it may be lost to geology and plate tectonics and erosion.

You do know what a fossil is, don't you?

[KUSA]

Enen if there is a creator I wouldn't call it intelligent design. It's more like an evil dumbass went on a disease and inhospitable environment creating rampage. I'd call it retarded design.

[Angrboda]

Trilobites are an example of an organism appearing suddenly in the fossil record void of any evidence of transitions.

What do you mean "appearing suddenly" in the fossil record. Are you suggesting there was a "time" in the fossil record when there were no trilobytes, but at a later time, there were trilobytes? Sounds like evolution to me.

[Whateverist]

Trilobites are an example of an organism appearing suddenly in the fossil record void of any evidence of transitions.

What do you mean "appearing suddenly" in the fossil record. Are you suggesting there was a "time" in the fossil record when there were no trilobytes, but at a later time, there were trilobytes? Sounds like evolution to me.

Perhaps he thinks we should be able to take successive slices of rock below a fossil and watch it evolve from a single cell organism in gradual steps after a mile or two of slicing. If it doesn't work this neatly surely that is a problem for accepting godless evolution, right?