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I do happen to believe we're not random bits of matter that accidentally came together.

I agree with you, but the idea that evolution is the accidental combination of random bits of matter is false---that's not what evolution posits.

Ask PatrickHenry to send you a list of reading materials to bring you up to speed on the particulars of evolutionary theory.

Ask PatrickHenry to send you a list of reading materials to bring you up to speed on the particulars of evolutionary theory.

We're here to help:

The Theory of Evolution. Excellent introductory encyclopedia article.
Introduction to Evolutionary Biology. Another good introduction.
The Pocket Darwin. Very good, easily readable summary.
Is Evolution Science? It certainly is. Here's why.
Evolution and the Nature of Science. Excellent discussion.
Evolution as Fact and Theory by Stephen Jay Gould.

Lots more here: The List-O-Links.

I agree with you, but the idea that evolution is the accidental combination of random bits of matter is false---that's not what evolution posits.

Technically, you are correct. The problem is that the term evolution has been redefined so that it refers to a random process. Unfortunately, this is the way it is taught in a lot of schools. This take on evolution has been labeled "NeoDarwinism" by those who question whether the observable facts of evolution are a result of a random process.

A good compromise would be to simply point out the observable facts of evolution in Biology classes and inform the class that the question of whether this happened as a result of a random process, or by design, is a question for philosophy classes. If we simply stuck to the dictionary definition of evolution, a lot of the controversy would go away.

EVOLUTION: a process of change in a certain direction : UNFOLDING b : the action or an instance of forming and giving something off : EMISSION c (1) : a process of continuous change from a lower, simpler, or worse to a higher, more complex, or better state

The above definition makes no claim as to whether the process is random, or the result of design. Unfortunately, as I said above, that is not the way it is being taught today.