Which theory did atheists believe before the theory of evolution?

Why do you ask only atheists? Many theists/religious accept scientific explanations.

And we don't believe in a theory, we accept it as the best way available to explain reality. If someone comes up with any better one, evolution will become obsolete, just like previous theories.

The initial theories were centered in spontaneous generation, which means life was originated from inorganic matter. This was disproven by Pasteur's experiments. Pasteur was one of the first significant biologists, so noone had scientifically analyzed that theory before, it was just a though (there were very little scientists by that time).

Other theory was Lamarckism, for example. It stated that, during their lifetimes, organisms adapted to the environment and passed those characteristics to their descendence. However, it implied big changes within one generation.

Darwin's theory seems to be the most realistic, since it is backed up by genetics, and there's lots of evidence to prove it.

ok, i'm going to bypass hassle-free on you considering you're in basic terms 13. first of all, there's a huge bang concept, and there is an evolution concept. the two are thoroughly unrelated, different than that the 1st is mandatory for the 2d to happen. would be unable to no longer often have issues evolving if the universe by no potential banged, suitable? 2d, that is >achievable< that some 'god', for loss of a greater useful term, began each little thing off, and then purely stepped aside to enable issues take their course. achievable, yet no longer mandatory. purely sayin'. 0.33, there is no information that any god exists, neither is there any disproof, and there by no potential would be any. The bible does not coach something, different than that a protracted time in the past some adult men wrote down some stuff and it have been given amassed into one e book that some human beings take as scripture. finally, technology could be depended on. in case you comprehend the medical approach, it relatively is self obtrusive that it relatively is infallible whilst amazing used, and whilst improperly used, the blunders is quickly discovered by using rival scientists. even even with the undeniable fact that, no area of ANY medical concept says "....and subsequently, no god exists." technology deals in basic terms with the organic worldwide, and the supernatural is left to religionists to argue approximately. one subject greater - thank you lots for being concerned approximately ultimate spelling and grammar. that is an exceedingly uncommon high quality at present (purely take a seem at lots of the posts in this web site), and a great number of people do delight in it.

Theories don't involve "belief." I'm sorry that religious indoctrination has apparently rendered you incapable of understanding science, and given you an inflated sense of the merit of "faith," but that's your issue -- you're still wrong.

I wasn't alive before the theory of evolution had been proposed, tested, verified, and shown correct by hundreds of millions of pieces of evidence. So your question doesn't apply to me, or anyone else alive today.

Peace.

Atheists do not believe in a god. Evolution is science. I am sure you can find a 6 year old to explain the difference if it is lost on you.

I think your very young or a troll, not sure which. I don't think there was an origin theory prior to evolution. So, none. Also believe isn't the right word. You believe in things that don't exist, you know about things that do.

To my knowledge, there was no theory. There may have been hypotheses, but none were proven like the theory of evolution.

And if you understood the definition of "theory" then you'd understand what that means. And if you don't, then you're wasting my time.

I know it's difficult for anyone in the Abrahamic religious tradition to understand, but the rest of the world is perfectly content with the sentence, "I don't know."

When we admit that we don't know, then we can actually search for an answer. When you assume that you already have the answer, you can't actually learn anything.

Actually they probably tried to make sense out of what they knew and what they were told just like every one else. Some people listened more to what they were told and still are glued to that. And some took the more reasonable path of trying to make sense out of what they know and are still glued to that.

Even when the theory of evolution did not exist, "I don't know" was a better answer than "Christian magic sky clown did it with magic".

I think you don't quite understand the term "atheist". All that an atheist is is one who disbelieves in any god or gods. There is no dogma: that's for the theist types.