The Biologist And The Creationist

(From a chat on a Creation/Evolution FB page):

In my youth, finishing up a doctoral program in evolutionary biologistics, I had a drinking buddy who was a creationist. We completed our degrees at about the same time and vowed to meet, once a year, at our favorite pub for of pint of the best.

My first year back, I was triumphant. "My friend," I announced, "I have discovered a fossil of a species (call it Species A) that is the clear ancestor of an existing species (call it species Z).'

"Not so," demurred my creationist friend, "For you are missing a transitional fossil between Species A and Species Z".

We drank up and left.

My second year back, I was again triumphant. "My friend," I announced, "I have discovered a fossil of a species (call it Species M) that is transitional between Species A and Species Z.'

"Not so," demurred my creationist friend, "For you are missing a transitional fossil between Species A and Species M, and another transitional fossil between Species M and Species Z".

We drank up and left.

My third year back, I was even more triumphant. "My friend," I announced, "I have discovered TWO fossils; Species G which is a transition between A and M, and Species T which is a transition between M and Z."

"Not so," demurred my creationist friend, "For you are now missing FOUR transitional fossils between A and G, G and M, M and T, and T and Z".

We drank up and left.

The next year back, I had noticed a pattern. "My friend," I announced, "I have discovered species D, K, P and W, each transitional between the ones I mentioned last year."

"Worse and worse for you," said my creationist friend, "Now you are missing transitional fossils between A and D, D and G, G and K, K and M, M and P, P and T, T and W, and T and Z".

We drank up and left.

At last I had assembled a complete line of 26 species - A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z - and revealed them to my creationist friend.

"Oh, dear friend of my youth," said he, "You have now 25 missing transitional fossils. Every time you learn something new, it only makes it worse. Why not recognized that your quest is futile?"

"I agree," I said. "The evidence proves that humanity is the product of intelligent intervention by a Power greater than any of us. I shall join a UFO cult and search the heavens for the Alien Overlords who created us. One day they will return."

We drank up and left.