Evolution and religion “ Science without religion is lame , religion without science is blind , said Albert Einstein . This essay concentrates on evolution , religion , and creationism . In the first phase these are defined , and later their relationships and controversies are discussed . A conclusive statement is made a the end . Evolution The theory of evolution by natural selection was first put forth by Charles Darwin in his book , “ on the origin of species , in 1859 . In 1930 ‘s Darwinian natural selection was combined with Mendelian inheritance to form the modern evolutionary synthesis . With its enormous explanatory power , this theory provides a unifying answer to diversity of life on earth . Evolution is the change in a population ‘s inherited traits ,from generation to generation . These traits are encoded as genes that are copied and passed on to offspring during reproduction . Mutations and other random changes in the genes can produce new or altered traits , resulting in difference between organisms .Evolution occurs when these different traits become more common or rare in a population . This happens through genetic drift and is based on the reproductive value of traits through natural selection . Under natural selection organisms with traits that help them to survive and reproduce tend to have more off springs . In doing so , they will pass more copies of inheritable beneficial traits on to the next generation . This leads to advantageous traits becoming more common in each generation ,while disadvantageous traits become rarer . Over time , this process can result in varied adaptations to environmental conditions . As differences in populations accumulate ,new species may evolve . All known species have descended from a single ancestral gene pool through this process of gradual divergence . According to theory of evolution , life on Earth started its journey over 3 billion years ago , when oxygenic photosynthesis emerged , which made development of aerobic cellular respiration possible around 2 billion years ago . In the last billion years , multi cellular plants and animals began to appear in oceans . The Cambrian explosion originated all major body plans of modern animals . About 450 million years ago ( mya ) plants and fungi colonized the land , and were soon followed by anthropods and other animals . Amphibians first appeared around 300 mya , followed by reptiles and mammals around 200 mya , and birds around 100 mya . The human genus arose around 2 mya , while the earliest modern humans lived 200 thousand years ago . This theory states that all organisms on Earth have descended from a common ancestral gene pool . Evidence for this is inferred from traits shared between all living organisms . In Darwin ‘s days , this statement was based on visible observation of morphologic similarities . Today genetic science has proved this . For example ,every living cell makes use of nucleic acids as its genetic material and uses the same 20 amino acids as the building blocks of proteins . The universality of these traits suggest common ancestry . The roots of evolution theory were laid by Charles Darwin in 1858 . He could not propose any working mechanism for inheritance . This was…