Why do/don't we believe in the Theory of Evolution?

From Toriah.com

Answer: In order to respond to this question, a brief introduction is necessary.

Historically, mankind has always believed in a higher power. The greatest Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato also believed in a divine First Cause. It was obvious. The endless complexity apparent in the phenomena of the universe, the obvious plan and purpose inherent in each and every detail of the earth’s composition, left no doubt that a Divine Being was responsible for designing and creating the universe. Although the Greeks described the existence of the universe in terms of necessity, even they subscribed to the reality of an intelligent, divine cause. Without that, the world simply couldn’t exist.

In the late 18th century, there began to develop a movement dedicated to explaining the presence of our universe in materialistic terms. Fueled by the imperatives of European Enlightenment, this movement gained a foothold in academic circles. In 1859, Charles Darwin published his book detailing what he considered a viable materialistic explanation for the presence of complex organic beings. His book did not presume to describe their origins. It also did not attempt to explain all the rest of the phenomena of our world. Yet, the book was an instant best-seller. It didn’t take long for academic circles to begin embracing his theory. Eventually, it was fully adopted by all of the colleges and universities of the Western World. Evolution became a fact. It was the clarion call of the anti-church advocates. It was the ray of hope for the enlightened European masses. Evolution was not just a scientific breakthrough; it was social upheaval. The age old ramparts of “Divine origins” were crumbling. A new order was taking its place.

The problem is, Evolution is dogged by insurmountable obstacles at every step of its development. First of all, the Theory of Evolution is illogical. In addition, the Theory of Evolution lacks any evidence whatsoever. In fact, the Theory of Evolution is actually contradicted by the evidence. Furthermore, after 150 years, Evolution has still failed to provide a viable mechanism which would explain the ability of one type of family of organism to evolve into an entirely different type. In response to these problems, a veritable ocean of ink has been spilled in an attempt to uphold Darwin’s theory. Now here we are, 150 years later. Why don’t we believe in the Theory of Evolution? Here are 10 reasons, some scientific, some theological.

1) The theory of Evolution is illogical. Evolution is based on the “survival of the fittest”. If, say, birds evolved from dinosaurs, the intermediate forms would have been least capable of survival. During the millions of years these intermediates were somehow “shedding” their scales and “substituting” them for feathers, they should have died out. After all, they were not as fit for land-based survival as their contemporary forms which did not happen to evolve. But at the same time, they had not yet fully adopted the avian features necessary for airborne survival. So how did dinosaurs actually evolve into birds?

2) Evolution lacks any evidence whatsoever. Normally this might not be considered a reason to discard a scientific theory. But after 150 years we would expect some evidence. Unfortunately, this makes the theory somewhat suspect, notwithstanding the scientific community’s irrational dedication to its dictates.

3) The evidence actually contradicts the Theory. If species actually evolved, where are the countless intermediate forms? Where are the missing links?

Note: Low level media outlets are constantly announcing “amazing discoveries” of missing links. Ultimately, these claims have invariably been proven to be hoaxes, nothing more.

4) Any scientific theory which purports to explain the presence of any phenomenon, and especially if it presumes to explain the presence of a wide variety of phenomena, must obviously provide a mechanism which can be understood by scientists as a scientifically viable means of explaining the development of said phenomena. Unfortunately, no such mechanism has ever been demonstrated to exist.

5) The neo-Darwinian model which relies on random chance mutations over 4.5 billion years is mathematically ludicrous. It is inconceivable that the endless complexity plan and purpose evident in the tiniest biological organism could have evolved by chance, even over billions of years.

6) Evolution has never been observed to occur. Every species we encounter is fully functional and well-defined. If Evolution is a blind, random process, why do we not currently see countless intermediate forms “on their way up”?

7) The Torah states that Hashem created the world in a relatively short time. Six days. Not billions of years.

8) The Torah states that Hashem created the world supernaturally. It didn’t develop naturally via currently operating natural laws. It was created directly by Hashem, just as the biblical verses testify.

9) The bible constantly discusses the idea that the universe testifies to God’s Wisdom. In fact, one of the primary themes in the book of Psalms is God's Wisdom as manifest in Creation. How can the universe testify to God's Wisdom if the phenomena of nature can just as easily be explained by appealing to chance?

10) Our collective tradition for over three thousand years maintains that God created the world rapidly, supernaturally, less than 6000 years ago.