Gods vs. Darwinism

This post is going to be difficult and therefore going to take days to write but I am giving it a shot.

Have anybody wondered what my header picture was? Well...here is the answer...It is the confusion ...no...not confusion but the state of my mind between Gods vs. Darwinism.

Human beings are a combination of background, bringing-up & education.

I come from a devout Hindu family. We follow a vegetarian diet because I believe in olden days members of our caste used to be the care-takers of the temple. They were allowed to the inner sanctum of the temple and the ladies cleaned, cooked and made garlands for God. That is my background. My mother is a pious lady who strictly follows the traditions of lighting a lamp and praying at dawn and dusk. My father believes in God but prefers not displaying the same. He believes God resides in our hearts and if we do good to the world , that is prayer. That sums up my bringing-up.

Now, my education - I have gone to international schools where I met and interacted with heterogenous people of all religions and various places. The variety of people and their beliefs changed my outlook to life and the cultures. I began to believe in God irrespective of religion. Further, I graduated in microbiology and this led me to the vast and exciting field of biology. Now, as I do my doctoral studies in Statistical Genetics from a 800 year old University, I have been enountered with Darwin, Darwinism & evolution. Evolution of how we became what we are from the simplest forms of life that I studied during my graduation.

Before I talk of my state of my mind at present, I would like to devote a few lines to one of the individuals who proposed and propagated evolution as it is known today. Charles Darwin. He was born two hundred years ago and his work & life is well-documented by himself. What stuns me is the influence & impact of his life on our lives even after 2 centuries on one side and on the other we fight for religions and believe God is all!!

What do I believe? I believe in God as a super-natural power but I could not say which religion I would belong to...I guess none. But I also believe that the world became as it is today because of evolution. In other words I do not believe God created us but evolution did. If that is true, what role does God play in my life? Well...I think it is the hope, love and kindness in my heart which I would like to say that I learn from all Gods regardless of religion. So in short...I believe that our faiths help us unite and like each other in the extremely social world that is getting more and more closely knit by our own inventions!!

Help...if somebody understands the blabber and shall help those who don't!!

Awaiting Comments,
Aparna.