Evolutionary theory offers not a single conclusive shred of proven material evidence for it's basis?

I would just like to say, it is the "law of gravity". stopped being a theory a long time ago.

Asker, this is not the place to throw out a statement/question without much thought. I am a young earth creationist and have stated many times on these boards. If you are going to ask a question, ask a "question". I agree with what you said but that doesn't matter here, truth is both sides have been indoctrinated, I highly doubt that any of your responders have studied creation science, or that you have studied evolution. I have studied both, and i find creation the much better answer. Both are nonprovable, both are based on faith. And without presuppositions both would be nonsense. My belief in God, and my belief in the Bible lead me on my search, and they have never, nor will ever let me down. Evolutionists will not consider creation, for if they do they have to admit being duped by lies, and so vehemently defending a religion. You need to study evolution and creation, and if you are a believer God will guide you. I timothy 6:20, Romans 1:22

"Does anyone else find it ironic that the explanation for such a vast amount of what exists in the material world hinges upon a theory that actually has not a single shred of physical evidence to back it up?"

Not ironic, considering there's all that fancy evidence stuff. You know, fossils, genetics, morphology, etc.

"What purpose does evidence serve?"

It, err, backs up scientific theories?

"Where are all the fossil records of the creatures that died during the 'transitional' phases of evolution?"

Every "phase" of evolution is transitional, between one gene pool of a particular organism, to a gene pool of a slightly different organism.

That said, you may want to look into the "transitional" (in the sense that creationists use it) fossils of tiktaalik, archaeopteryx, Australopithecus afarensis, etc.

The evidence for evolution is not going to march right up to you and bite you on the bottom, of course you haven't seen a shred of what you haven't looked into in the slightest. If you don't go looking for it, you can't see it, so it's not there, eh?

Let's get some perspective here, what you would be offering instead would be talking snakes, lions eating grass without a ruminant's digestive system, humans living alongside supercarnivore dinosaurs without being wiped out? On the basis of writings eighteen centuries older than the dawn of modern science?

One example of a 'problem' with evolutionary theory - the blind cave fish - has been solved to fit with evolutionary theory:

"What are cave fish? Like other cave-dwelling animals, fish that live in caves have often lost their eyes and body colour, but the evolutionary mechanisms underlying these reductions are unknown. There are 86 species of cave fish that belong to 18 different families, and many of them have lost their eyes independently. Comparing cave fish to their free-living ancestors can thus help us understand convergent evolution. However, the ancestors of most cave species are already extinct, with the notable exception of the Mexican Blind Cave fish.

How did they lose their eyes? The signaling molecule sonic hedgehog (Shh) is involved in eye, jaw, and taste bud development in the Mexican cave fish. During embryonic development, Shh expression is expanded in the cave fish compared to surface fish, causing eye degeneration and an increase in the number of taste buds. This pleiotropic effect supports the trade-off theory."

This is an example of how alterations to one gene or protein can affect many different parts of the body. In this case, the increased taste buds are beneficial as it allows the fish to source food in the dark. It just so happens that this affects the development of their eyes and it looks like the are lost through disuse or some amazing design.

For those who find it hard to unite faith and Christianity, please consider the following verse:

Ecclesiastes 3:18-20 (New International Version)

18 I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath [a] ; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.

There are probably a million ways to interpret that passage, but I find it interesting that man is said to share the same breath or spirit as the beasts, that man and his fate is the same as the animals and that both come from dust and to dust return. This is exactly what evolutionary theory states!

And if you must take the Bible literally then please pray for the poor folk from Crete:

Titus 1:12-13 (English Standard Version)

12 One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." 13This testimony is true.

The evidence is in the fossils which dates the world back 5 billion years, through layers of earth which effectively timelines the whole process as neatly as can be expected.

I take it then, by your tone, that you're a fan of the ultra scientific and factual notion of Creationism then?

Evolution has mountains of evidence.

Didn't your god mention something about lying?

* Evolution is very much a fact.

* The theory of evolution is a theory - just like atomic theory, gravity theory, and the germ theory of disease. The word "theory" has a very specific meaning in a scientific context: THE THEORY EXPLAINS THE FACTS. See http://www.notjustatheory.com/

* Creationism is not a theory; it's an assertion with zero evidence to support it.

* Over 99.8% of biologists and geologists accept evolution.

* There are no alternative scientific theories.

* There is a huge amount of evidence in support of evolution...

* And zero evidence against it.

* The "debate" is actually educated people trying to educate others.

* The more intelligent a person is, the more likely they are to understand and accept evolution.

* The "debate" only happens in backward places like Turkey and parts of the united states.

* There are two types of creationists: professionals who make money from books, lectures and such, and knowingly make false claims - and followers who accept those claims without understanding them.

* The basics of evolution: http://evolution.berkeley.edu/

* Examples of ridiculous creationist anti-science: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AC34813058...

* Examples of creationist quote mining (like quoting part of a scientists' sentence to make it sound like he's saying something completely different): http://www.toarchive.org/faqs/quotes/mine/project....

* Scientific American's 15 answers to creationist nonsense: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=15-answers-to-...

* The evolutionary tree: http://www.dhushara.com/book/evol/trevol.jpg

* Hominid species: http://www.toarchive.org/faqs/homs/species.html

* Transitional fossils: http://www.toarchive.org/indexcc/CC/CC200.html

* A comprehensive list of evolution resources: http://richarddawkins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&...

* Or just look at this bonobo: http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2007-04/bonob...

Please, just stop. You're embarrassing both christians and americans in general (I don't need to ask if you're a christian or american, your question gave it away).

there are indeed many holes in the theory of evolution. for example if the origin of species lies in random mutations over millions and millions of years then why does the fossil record show sudden explosions of new species usually following cataclysmic events? maybe it's not so random. maybe we possess the genetic codes in dormant form to grow tails or feathers or whatever we need in response to climactic changes and it is these changes and not random mutation that drives evolution. (stephen jay gould) (in a controlled laboratory experiment of simulated climactic changes susan lindquist of the university of chicago was able to cause fruit flies to undergo such changes within a few generations.) 1998. all theories are flawed but none more so than creationism and the need to worship an imagined creator.

Ah! A liar for Jesus/

Whenever I see this type of crap I just know the person posing the question has a direct monetary interest in exploiting gullible fundies.

You are a quacksaviour. You manufacture this rubbish and spew it for consumption by the credulous. You know the answer to the question as it has been answered a million times by millions of scientific writings.

The rest of the world watches with amusement at the stupidity of that minority of Americans that tries to impose their silly superstitions on the rest of society.

You are an idiot . Creationism is a joke . You need to study some science and stop listening to that backwards religious rubbish . People like you are the laughing stock of the 21st century , you're trying to take us back to the dark ages , you're as bad as the bloody muslims .

We have tonnes of physical evidence backing up evolution (fossil records, recorded mutations, etc), Religions, on the other hand, tend to use 1 out of date book for the explanation for everything and the basis for war and slavery.