"Changes in a species come about over time through mutation, small differences in genetic code that arise during reproduction."

I was born and raised in religion - a specific denomination I will not name here.

The teachings of this religion are absolute and taught as being unquestionable. It is the thoughts and will of a deity, interpreted by a select group of men through infallible, but invisible, divine inspiration.

The final goal is gaining a ticket to an infinitely long life in a utopian fantasy land. It's such an alluring hope it can be easy to see how someone could become blinded to reasonable thought and embrace such an idea.

I was somewhat blindly following these teachings and not spending time considering their credibility until a few years ago when I gained an interest in biology.

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I've learnt that life in this world originated from a single common ancestor through a process of evolution primarily by means of natural selection. It is a fundamental fact of biology and the evidence is clear and overwhelming.

I came to understand that after reading more books than some people do in a lifetime. From Charles Darwin's seminal On the Origin of Species, his exhaustive follow-up The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex to a large variety of modern titles including The Greatest Show on Earth and The Blind Watchmaker by renowned biologist Richard Dawkins.

Look at the evidence in the development of the human embryo. Early in development a tail begins to form, the jaw starts to be like that of a reptile before the bones separate out to integrate into the ears. The recurrent laryngeal nerve starts to lay the groundwork for gills.

Even a fully-grown adult shows evidence of their distant ancestry. Look at the spine; it was clearly built like an upright segmented swing bridge, which was extremely stupid if it was designed, but makes perfect sense when going back over our genealogy to distant ancestors who walked on four limbs.

Changes in a species come about over time through mutation, small differences in genetic code that arise during reproduction. Over millions of years these small changes accumulate to shape living beings to best exploit their environment for survival and further reproduction. Mutation is a documented, observable and testable rule that is a foundation of life science.



Some of the evolution books the author has read. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Science tells us that humanity, along with all other life on Earth, did not come from extreme random chance or the hand of an invisible deity. The beautiful variety and complexity seen is the result of billions of years of accumulation through the most simple process of trial and error.

As you might expect this caused a bit of a crisis for me.

Before I continue, I have to make something very clear: I do not have any problem with people who choose to believe in a god. I have no issues with associating with such people, learning from them and, most importantly, giving them respect.

This isn't the case for everyone. The religion I was raised in, and that most of my family is still part of, practices shunning or casting out people who stop following their doctrine.

If I am open about the facts of biology and discuss it with anyone, no matter how discretely, I risk being cast out as a heretic. The other option is to explicitly condone something I believe is a lie.

But my biggest fear is disappointment. My father is someone I greatly care for. He has done an excellent job raising my family and I, and I have a close and happy relationship with him. But now that is at risk. If I can't reason with him our relationship may break down and he and most of my family may see me as an embarrassment and a failure.

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There is a tremendous temptation to curl up in a corner and give in to despair, but I choose to fight it. I rely on my strength and integrity to push through and keep a positive attitude.

I don't mind being alone, it's not something I dread. My social and interpersonal skills have always been lacking, I can struggle with conversations and stumble over my words. From a certain perspective that's a fortunate coincidence.

And how could I ever lose hope while knowing that I am part of The Greatest Show on Earth? The world we live in is full of wonder. As an atheist I believe everything from the land, sea and sky are crafted by the majesty of the universal laws of physics. It is fascinating, and understand it could be the ultimate ambition of humanity, the final goal of our evolved consciousness.

And that is worth continuing for.