There once was a population of beings roaming a planet. These beings were called “humans” and they had an insatiable hunger. The hunger was for knowledge, and they searched far and wide for a fruit that would satisfy it. Eventually, through a process of random mutation combined with selective breeding, the tree known as “Religion” produced a fruit that tasted good and filled the void left by the hunger. The hunger begged “where did we come from?” The fruit answered; “A supernatural being created us through his divine powers and inspiration.” It tasted good. The people ate, and in so doing, they spread the seed far and wide.
Eventually a tree known as “Science” began to grow nearby. It fought for the specks of sunlight filtering through the overwhelming canopy of the Religion tree. The fruits were bitter, but far more nourishing. Most humans avoided the bitter fruit in favor of the sweet, juicy flesh of the Religion tree. Eventually though, a small group of humans decided to try this newer fruit out of curiosity. While it didn’t taste very good, they soon felt a new strength provided by the improved nutrition. They grew strong and they realized the new vigor was a direct result of the better fruit. This group became known as “Skeptics.” They tried to tell others, but they were rejected and ridiculed most of the time. Fans of the Religion fruit even took to chopping down Science trees where they found them in hopes of eliminating this tiny competitor to their established food source. The Skeptics continued to eat and gain strength from the new fruit however, and they spread the seed just a bit quicker than the anti-Science people could cut them down. Eventually the Science fruit became a mainstay and the two trees evolved into many subspecies that produced different types of fruit. While people ate fruits from various trees, they tended to stick to the fruits either from the Science or the Religion subspecies.
One subspecies of the Religion tree produced a Creationist fruit. It had a unique flavor and offered specific nutrients that were not found in any Science trees for many, many years. People from both groups ate of this tree and spread its seeds, even though it tasted somewhat strange to the Skeptics. Eventually, one day a white bearded man known as Charles Darwin discovered a young tree with a unique fruit. It had never been seen before. He called this fruit “Evolution.” It tasted particularly strange, but the tree bore the distinct marks of the Science genera, so he knew from where it came. Many curious Skeptics came to try this new fruit and initially agreed that it tasted strange and exotic, but uniquely satisfying as well. They offered the fruit to the Creationist tree fans, but were spurned and shunned. The creationists saw a direct threat to the survival of their favorite tree and they began formulating a plan to rid the world of this competitor. They claimed it was poisonous. They pointed to negative acts perpetrated by Evolution fruit eaters and argued that the new fruits made them do it. They pointed to their own good acts as proof of the positive value of the Creationist fruit. Still, the Skeptics ate and grew stronger yet. The Evolution fruit was once again far more nutritious than the Creationist fruit. They grew strong and spread the seed. The Evolution trees began to fill the landscape. The nutritional needs of the people asked “Where did we come from?” The Creationist fruit answered “A supernatural being created us through his divine powers and inspiration.” The Evolution fruit answered “we evolved through a long process from earlier, simpler life forms.”
Just as the Creationist trees began to dwindle and die off, a random beneficial mutation occurred that produced a new subspecies of fruit known as “I.D.” It tasted similar to the Creationist fruit, but lacked some of the more offensive overtones that people had come to notice. It was still poor in nutrition, but its less offensive taste intrigued many people. It tasted good and it began to spread far and wide. Many people failed to notice the diminished health benefits it offered as compared to the Evolution fruit, but they ate anyway because it tasted good. The I.D. trees began to pop up around the landscape as the older Creation trees dwindled further. For the first time in many years, the Evolution trees faced a real challenge to dominance and survival. Fans of the Evolution trees continued to work hard to spread the seed and nurture the saplings in hopes that people would eventually understand the nutritive value their trees offered. The ID tree fans only saw the Evolution trees as competition that was taking up growing space that should be allotted to their favorite fruits. They planted their own seeds and pulled up the roots of the evolution trees at every opportunity. The nutritional needs of the people asked “Where did we come from?” The I.D. fruit answered “A supernatural being created us through his divine powers and inspiration, we’re just not 100% sure who he is.” The Evolution fruit answered “we evolved through a long process from earlier, simpler life forms.”
One day a comet struck the earth with devastating ferocity. It was known as the Kitzmiller Comet and it shook the foundation of the planet. Animals scattered in fear, as humans scrambled to make sense of it all. The comet blasted a great deal of debris into the air, and the debris rained down upon the plants and animals everywhere. Only the strongest species survived, and the I.D. trees proved to be very weak indeed. While a few struggled along valiantly, the stronger Evolution trees took over much of the landscape and nourished the hungry people. Life was good.
After a short period of time, the I.D. trees underwent another random mutation. This mutation produced a unique fruit that has begun to catch the attention of people everywhere, specifically former fans of the Creationist and the I.D. fruits. While offering little in nutritional value, it tastes good and has signs of increased survivability. There are only a few of the as yet unnamed trees, but fans are beginning to gather around to taste this strange and exotic new fruit. They have begun to spread the seeds and are telling others about the wonders of their new find. The nutritional needs of the people ask “Where did we come from?” The Evolution fruit answers “we evolved through a long process from earlier, simpler life forms.” This new fruit says “we do not know the answer, but evolution is clearly impossible.”
