Well, to be fair...I have a good understanding of the bible...and it could easily be interpreted that the "days" it took to complete the earth and hence man are not literal. It also says that to god the day is a thousand years, and a thousand years a day. Time would have no meaning...only to the writer. But I am not defending the claim, just displaying how people who have a general understanding of current scientific believe and theory could still hold onto faith.
But even given that...assume humans only DID appear roughly 6000 years ago...how did Noah put every single species of animal on an ark...taking into account the animals that have also gone extinct in the years since his large undertaking...and taking OUT water acclimated animals...the numbers are still staggering. But that is only an argument with Christian belief...not religious belief as a whole.
To me, evolution is key because we have so many species so close together they are essentially still the same...but are more adept to certain areas than others OF THEIR SAME SPECIES (by that, I am implying that they could breed...if the animals could not breed...then enough seperation has occured and I would consider them different species).
Humans have selective bred domestic dogs...dating back to the egyptian empire (which seems to have had a greyhound like dog they preferred). Someone can start with 2 dogs...and in the span of mear years...have a new breed that could be considered purebred...
But the true telling of how quickly a organism of any kind can change is not really measured in years and time...its measured in life cycles of the individuals in question. Bacteria...like another poster mentioned...has a MUCH faster reproductive rate than humans, therefore...the genes mutate at a faster rate...for better and worse...the better ones surviving...in the span of years these organisms are fighting back from antibiotics...
I love the illustration that was introduced to me in a book i read by R. Dawkins. Not directly quoted...
If only 1 part of a genetic sequence was changed every generation...for an animal with a reproductive cycle as fast as bacteria, or other single cell organisms....it would change substantially in what we would consider no time at all. Humans by default...will evolve and change slower than those organisms because of how long it takes our species to reproduce. But of course we cant SEE a single celled organism on a daily basis without proper equipment..but we see the results...infections of some kinds becoming more difficult to treat. And new diseases pop up more frequently than we find new multicelled creatures.
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