I'll tell you what, though, I love horses and the racetrack. I haven't been in a few years, used to go all the time with my Dad, but I used to bet a couple bucks here and there. (That'll make my bishop upset!)
In any case, I know a BAD bet when I see one.
Let me ask you this: Do you think life starting on earth in an evolutionary way was a LONGSHOT or do you think it is so common that it was inevitable?
Answer the question clearly, please. And then feel free to add any proviso's, explantions, whatever that you feel necessary.
The origin of life itself is not part of traditional evolution theory, which only explains how life (once it existed) proliferated into all the species we see today. However, the origin of living material does not seem all that improbable. Organic compounds -- the building blocks of protiens, have been found on meteorites, and have been located drifting in space. The stuff seems commonplace. Given a planet with oceans of water, plus billions of years, and the way that organic compounds naturally combine, it not only seems likely that self-replicating molecules could eventually form, but -- because we're here -- it's a 100% sure bet that it does happen.
Anyway, I'm outta here for the evening. Perhaps we'll continue tomorrow.