Dear Editor:

Some people need Creationism because it gives them comfort. So it is natural that they prefer it. Even though both Creationism and Evolution are theories, both are knowledge. l prefer Evolution because l get much more than comfort from it. l get understanding as well. If something is true, it will accumulate more truth. If it isn't true, it is just a dead end. Evolution, on the other hand, ties in other sciences like genetics, geology, anthropology, anatomy, paleontology, etc. Creationism is either antagonistic, intolerant, or apathetic to other areas of knowledge. Long ago, the church told us that we only need to know what Pliny taught us, and we should just stick with the earth being the center of the universe. People who contradicted that were burned at the stake like Giordanno Bruno in 1600. Galileo would have followed, but he was extremely popular. Burning him would have been a mistake in that it would have turned people away from religion.Let me give an example of how understanding supplements comfort. In 1968, earthquakes were so mysterious that they were believed to be acts of God. Perhaps sacrificing a lamb would prevent them. But in 1912, a German meteorologist proposed that continents drift. Alfred Wegner was considered the joke of the century with his proposal. He submitted evidence, but he could not explain what force would be stronge enough to move a continent. In 1969, we began to realize that Wegner was right, and today we call it the Tectonic Plate Theory. No one has ever seen a continent move, but we are sure that they do even though it is only a theory. That theory ties in the occurances of earthquakes, volcanoes, coastlines, faunal and floral distribution, and hot spots. Note that that theory is backed up by facts, and it absorbs other facts, and enhances other fields of science. From all that, we get understanding and knowledge. We can progress and obtain more knowledge.Now that we know that earthquakes are caused by plate movements, we understand why they exist in certain regions and not in others. From this knowledge, we can almost predict earthquakes. We have noticed that land uplifts prior to an earthquake. We have noticed that radon concentrations increase in wells in the region. We have noticed that the electrical conductivity in bedrock decreases prior to earthquakes. We have noticed that seismic wave velocities decrease in areas prior to earthquakes. We have also noticed that some animals seem to be sensitive to the coming of earthquakes. Pandas in Chinese zoos become restless before a quake hits. During the Christmas tsunami of 2004, the casualty among the native fauna was next to nothing because the animals seemed to sense the pending disaster and moved inland. Scientists now have the potential to conjure up a method for prediction of quakes through this understanding. What could a creationist do sacrifice a lamb?Evolution has potential to expand in knowledge. Creationism is static. What color were Adam and Eve? l have always seen whites. Where did black, red, brown, and yellow come from? Did they evolve? Or were there Adam Alba, Adam Ebon, Adam Rubens, and Adam Lutea later created out of nothing and distributed elsewhere? Note that there is no logic here, only rationalization to satiate faith. Along with my comfort occurs understanding. That understanding is knowledge, and knowledge is power. Comfort by itself is merely complacency.J. A. LANKALISjalank@verizon.net