Evolution via Random Mutation is nothing more than an urban legend. Why does this superstition persist? I believe it's because 99.9% of the people who believe it and talk about it have never conducted an experiment like this to see with their own eyes that it just doesn't work.

Evolution through Random Mutation:

Possibly the Greatest Myth in Modern Science

The idea that random mutation creates biological diversity fails computer simulations*; it fails if you compute the statistics; and it fails biologically. This observation was confirmed by Theodosius Dobzhansky's fruit fly radiation experiments, Goldschmidt's gypsy moth experiments, and others. Decades of research were conducted in the early 20th century, bombarding fruit flies and moths with radiation in hope of mutating their DNA and producing improved creatures. These experiments were a total failure – there were no observed improvements – only weak, sickly, deformed fruit flies.

A bit of experimentation with the Random Mutation generator makes it clear why:

Language, plans and instructions do not evolve from the "bottom up."
Language, plans and instructions do not evolve in microscopic increments, one or two letters at a time. They evolve in increments of entire words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs.
Language, plans and instructions evolve as an expression of ideas which come first.
When you write or speak, you begin with intent which becomes a sentence made of words which are made of letters. When you translate from English to French, for example, you cannot translate one letter at a time. And you can't really translate one word at a time either, that's a disaster. You have to translate idea for idea. The same is true when you edit a document that you or someone else has written - the letters are subordinate to the words, which are subordinate to the ideas. Ideas come first.

Evolution via Random Mutation is nothing more than an urban legend. Why does this superstition persist? I believe it's because 99.9% of the people who believe it and talk about it have never conducted an experiment like this to see with their own eyes that it just doesn't work.

A Newer, 21st Century View of Evolution

G.K. Chesterton, the well-known 20th century intellectual, said "The Christian is quite free to believe that there is a considerable amount of settled order and inevitable development in the universe. But the materialist is not allowed to admit into his spotless machine the slightest speck of spiritualism or miracle." Chesterton is suggesting that battle over 'creation vs. evolution' is, to some extent, a false dichotomy.