Theory

The following quote should be read a few times over by anyone tempted to stray down the path of doubting evolutionary theory simply on account of it "only being a theory" as I've often heard it put.

It seems that the latest tactic of the Intelligent Design camp, upon losing some footing in the school systems and legal circles, on account of Intelligent Design being a religious idea and not a scientific one, has been to attack the validity of Evolutionary Theory in hopes that they can gain ground by weakening what they see as the enemy.

Most people in the world use the word theory to mean uncertainty, guesswork, or a rough idea, but in science it has a different meaning. A scientific theory explains facts or phenomena that have been shown to be true by repeated independent tests and experiments. An educated guess in science is called a hypothesis.

Scientific theories are not laws, which describe phenomena thought to be invariable. Theories are generally used to describe why certain laws work. For example, the law of gravity is known to be true for falling bodies, but how and why it works is explained by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. Einstein's theory was accepted as true only after repeated experimentation and observation. Yet not even laws are absolute. They are rarely overturned, but they may be amended should new data warrant it.

-- Maia Weinstock, Discover magazine vol.26 no.11 November 2005.

It should also be noted that the scientific community is essentially wholly in agreement as to the validity of Evolutionary Theory. Any minor disagreements are over such things as Punctuated Equilibrium etc... ie; the pace at which the evolution took place, etc. The fact that Evolution happens is essentially accepted as fact.

Anyone telling you that the scientific community itself doesn't believe in Evolution is lying. Period.