Evolution, religion, and ignorance.

[John V]

So, we've been getting a few evolution-denying theists around recently, and their threads attempting to poke holes in the theory have reminded me of an old question that I'd like to get an answer for, and maybe you creationists can help with that:

Is it possible to deny evolution and understand what it is at the same time?

So far, every one of you who has stated a disbelief in evolution has gone on to prove that you don't know what it is. Given that, what I'd like is for all the evolution denying theists here to let me know two things:

1. What is evolution?

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-intr...ology.html
Evolution is a change in the gene pool of a population over time. A gene is a hereditary unit that can be passed on unaltered for many generations. The gene pool is the set of all genes in a species or population.
...
Populations evolve. [evolution: a change in the gene pool] In order to understand evolution, it is necessary to view populations as a collection of individuals, each harboring a different set of traits. A single organism is never typical of an entire population unless there is no variation within that population. Individual organisms do not evolve, they retain the same genes throughout their life. When a population is evolving, the ratio of different genetic types is changing -- each individual organism within a population does not change. For example, in the previous example, the frequency of black moths increased; the moths did not turn from light to gray to dark in concert. The process of evolution can be summarized in three sentences: Genes mutate. [gene: a hereditary unit] Individuals are selected. Populations evolve.

Evolution can be divided into microevolution and macroevolution. The kind of evolution documented above is microevolution. Larger changes, such as when a new species is formed, are called macroevolution. Some biologists feel the mechanisms of macroevolution are different from those of microevolutionary change. Others think the distinction between the two is arbitrary -- macroevolution is cumulative microevolution.

The word evolution has a variety of meanings. The fact that all organisms are linked via descent to a common ancestor is often called evolution. The theory of how the first living organisms appeared is often called evolution. This should be called abiogenesis. And frequently, people use the word evolution when they really mean natural selection -- one of the many mechanisms of evolution.

2. Why do you not accept evolution?

You're displaying your own lack of understanding by asking this simplistic question. As noted above, the word has a variety of meanings. I accept some of those meanings. I reject others, reason being that I haven't seen compelling scientific evidence supporting them.