Americans Not Buying Evolution
Thursday, August 24, 2006 at 10:26AM Jon Miller of Michigan State University is befuddled. He conducted a survey, as reported in New Scientist Magazine, and it seems Americans are at the bottom of the “I believe in evolution” totem pole. A survey of 32 European countries, the US and Japan shows that “only Turkey is less willing than the US to accept evolution as fact.” The percentage of people in the country who accept the idea of evolution has declined from 45 in 1985 to 40 in 2005.
This has totally frustrated and confused evolutionists. Some of the insulting and arrogant sentiments expressed by Miller and his colleagues:
Religious fundamentalism, bitter partisan politics and poor science education have all contributed to this denial of evolution in the US.
"The US is the only country in which [the teaching of evolution] has been politicized," he says. " Republicans have clearly adopted this as one of their wedge issues. In most of the world, this is a non-issue."
Miller's report makes for grim reading for adherents of evolutionary theory. Even though the average American has more years of education than when Miller began his surveys 20 years ago, the percentage of people in the country who accept the idea of evolution has declined from 45 in 1985 to 40 in 2005 (Science, vol 313, p 765). That's despite a series of widely publicised advances in genetics, including genetic sequencing, which shows strong overlap of the human genome with those of chimpanzees and mice. "We don't seem to be going in the right direction," Miller says.
There is some cause for hope. Team member Eugenie Scott of the National Center for Science Education in Oakland, California, finds solace in the finding that the percentage of adults overtly rejecting evolution has dropped from 48 to 39 in the same time. Meanwhile the fraction of Americans unsure about evolution has soared, from 7 per cent in 1985 to 21 per cent last year. "That is a group of people that can be reached," says Scott.
Miller thinks more genetics should be on the syllabus to reinforce the idea of evolution. American adults may be harder to reach: nearly two-thirds don't agree that more than half of human genes are common to chimpanzees. How would these people respond when told that humans and chimps share 99 per cent of their genes?
Actually, it’s closer to 95%, but whose counting. Human DNA is also similar to that of the worms, mosquitoes, and chickens. There is a 75% similarity between the DNA of nematode worms and man. The genes of fruit flies belonging to the Drosophila genus and human genes yielded a similarity of 60%. How should people respond to that, Mr. Miller? Common design is not common ancestry.
“Republicans” “politicize” “poor science education”. Meanwhile, evolutionists hope to evangelize the “unsure” Americans. Who says evolution isn’t part of the religion of liberalism as Ann Coulter claims? In her book GODLESS; the Church of Liberalism says, Coulter says, “If people are born gay, why hasn’t Darwinism weeded out people who don’t reproduce? (for that we need a theory of survival of the most fabulous)”.
Perhaps Americans aren’t buying evolution because we know better. To blindly accept what a mostly atheistic scientific community can only call a “scientific theory” that starts with the end result and attempts to reconstruct the math backwards to make it work is clearly problematic, as evidenced by the numerous revisions “science” has had to make over the past decades. America has been around longer than Darwinism. America has seen the success of her Judeo-Christian beliefs and the utter failure of cultures that embrace evolution. Heroes of Fascism, Marxism and Communism have all worshipped at the altar of evolution with tragic human results. America has witnessed the decline of Europe and its journey down the drain morally, culturally and economically in it’s rejection of religion and adherence to Darwinism.
Maybe in the end it's because America is largely a religious country that understands faith in a Creator God is more foolproof than faith in a Father Ape. Maybe Americans have seen "science" give proof only to take it back time and time again as the evidence changes, whereas the steadfastness of Creation remains logical and infallible. Maybe because it takes faith to believe that a Neandertal Man living 350,000 years ago first discovered in the mid 1800's with only 300 remains found worldwide is sufficient explanation for our evolutionary ancestry is why Americans aren't buying evoluntion, especially since we all personally know 300 people who look like the Neandertal man today!
In any case, the day scientists stop condescending to those of us who are "unsure" of scientific theory in favor of common sense is the day creationists might say, "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle."
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Amy Proctor
Pope Prepares to Embrace Theory of Intelligent Design
There have been growing signs the Pope is considering aligning his church more closely with the theory of "intelligent design" taught in some US states. Advocates of the theory argue that some features of the universe and nature are so complex that they must have been designed by a higher intelligence. Critics say it is a disguise for creationism.
A prominent anti-evolutionist and Roman Catholic scientist, Dominique Tassot, told the US National Catholic Reporter that this week's meeting was "to give a broader extension to the debate. Even if [the Pope] knows where he wants to go, and I believe he does, it will take time. Most Catholic intellectuals today are convinced that evolution is obviously true because most scientists say so." In 1996, in what was seen as a capitulation to scientific orthodoxy, John Paul II said Darwin's theories were "more than a hypothesis".
Last week, at a conference in Rimini, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Austria revealed that evolution and creation had been chosen as the subjects for this year's meeting of the Pope's Schülerkreis - a group consisting mainly of his former doctoral students that has been gathering annually since the late 1970s. Apart from Cardinal Schönborn, participants at the closed-door meeting will include the president of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Peter Schuster; the conservative ethical philosopher Robert Spaemann; and Paul Elbrich, professor of philosophy at Munich University.
Last December, a US court sparked controversy when it ruled that intelligent design should not be taught alongside evolution theory. Cardinal Schönborn said: "The debate of recent months has undoubtedly motivated the Holy Father's choice." But he added that in the 1960s the then Joseph Ratzinger had "underlined emphatically the need to return to the topic of creation".
The Pope also raised the issue in the inaugural sermon of his pontificate, saying: "We are not the accidental product, without meaning, of evolution."
A few months later, Cardinal Schönborn, who is regarded as being close to Benedict, wrote an article for the New York Times backing moves to teach ID. He was attacked by Father George Coyne, director of the Vatican Observatory. On August 19, Fr Coyne was replaced without explanation. Vatican sources said the Pope's former astronomer, who has cancer, had asked to be replaced.
Amy Proctor
Coa's Blog provides these links in her article:
Rabbi defends show linking Darwin, Hitler
‘Darwin’s Deadly Legacy’ Gives Shocking Look at Social Impact
Also see this post at the ID Report
“Darwin-Hitler connection sparks attacks,” WorldNetDaily.com, Aug. 22, 2006
“ADL Furious Over Darwin Documentary,” NewsMax.com, Aug. 22, 2006
Why Evolution breeds monsters like Hitler, Trotsky and Stalin
Marx & Engels: writings quotes and parallels to today’s leftists
From Ecofascism: Lessons from the German Experience comes an excellent piece called Fascist Ecology: The “Green Wing” of the Nazi Party and its Historical Antecedents by Peter Staudenmaier,
From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany
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Response: Americans don’t go for DarwinDarwinists totally discount any scientific evidence that doesn?t fit within the Theory of Evolution; that seems to me to be incredibly biased. In science, when you have a hypothesis, you test it, and if it doesn?t pan out, you?re supposed to wit... -
Response: Americans, Are You Proud?*Romania* scores higher than America… I’m still completely freaked out by this…
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Response: kurtigisubeg noebaci
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Response: Doing it rightDespite the nattering of some fools, it is fairly simple to incorporate science with religion. Being raised Jewish, I’ve come into contact with many Jews (duh!) and have only found one creationist –my uncle. So here’s an article that...
Reader Comments (518)
Excellant Post Amy and you are absolutely correct.
“Republicans” “politicize” “poor science education”. Meanwhile, evolutionists hope to evangelize the “unsure” Americans. Who says evolution isn’t part of the religion of liberalism as Ann Coulter claims? In her book GODLESS; the Church of Liberalism says, Coulter says, “If people are born gay, why hasn’t Darwinism weeded out people who don’t reproduce? (for that we need a theory of survival of the most fabulous)”.
It drives me nuts the way the Discovery Channel and BBC programming treat darwinian evolution like it's scientific fact, when it's nothing more than a completely unsubstantiated Victorian-age theory.
I think the reason secularists/atheists are such big believers in evoution is because they NEED it to be true... otherwise, they'd have to believe in God. Theists don't need to believe that evolution is false-- one can believe in God and still believe in evolution-- but atheists need to believe evolution is true.
But how about this: even if darwinian evolution were discovered to be scientific fact, we're still left with the question of who or what started the process...
That doesn't seem to be working either, if certain jr high and high school students in California are anything to judge by.
On a different note, it's funny how people say "religion has caused more wars than blahblahblah". Really, it makes me wonder how I could've missed the religious element in both World Wars. The Darwinistic influence is obvious enough though.
"...especially since we all personally know 300 people who look like the Neandertal man today!"
Its true!
EXCELLENT POINT!
There is only one irrifutable fact proven time and time again. God the Father is our creator!
They need all the luck in trying to dispute that fact.
Great post Amy, as always!
Karen, made several good points here to, she used to have a article on her blog that said if the evolutionists beleive that we came from fish, then why are there still fish.
Karen Writes: "It drives me nuts the way the Discovery Channel and BBC programming treat darwinian evolution like it's scientific fact, when it's nothing more than a completely unsubstantiated Victorian-age theory."
The reason for that Karen is that the Left do not beleive in GOD and they have to beleive in something so they preferr to beleive in something that is so obtuse that no one else could believe in no matter how many of the Leftist started nagging on that.
Another excellant point that Karen made here is: I think the reason secularists/atheists are such big believers in evoution is because they NEED it to be true... otherwise, they'd have to believe in God. That is so very True Karen. Also You went on and stated: Theists don't need to believe that evolution is false--one can believe in God and still believe in evolution-- but atheists need to believe evolution is true. Why is that It is because they need to beleive in something because to have nothing to beleive in is a very empty feeling.
This point here that Karen made hits the nail right on the head and it still baffles the Evolutionist today.
But how about this: even if darwinian evolution were discovered to be scientific fact, we're still left with the question of who or what started the process...
Johnny Writes: "...especially since we all personally know 300 people who look like the Neandertal man today!"
Johnny, Those that look like the Neandertal man of today are all Liberals. LOL
A whole series of mostly short essays can be found here: http://www.catholiceducation.org/links/search.cgi?query=darwin&submit.x=21&submit.y=13
I just finished reading ARCHITECTS OF THE CULTURE OF DEATH by Donald De Marco and Benjamin Wiker. It's excellent, and even I understood most of it. They have an essay on Darwin. They don't focus much on his theory in THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES but on the racist theories he drew up on its basis. This he did in a book called THE DESCENT OF MAN.
By the way, the full title of the Origin of Species is this: THE ORIGIN OF SPEICIES BY MEANS OF NATURAL SELECTION OR THE PRESERVATION OF FAVORED RACES IN THE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. Scratch an evolutionist and you'll find a eugenicist.
"Blah, blah, blah," is right. By all accounts America is a faith nation, but how many of its wars have been motivated by religion? If any nations wars should have been motivated by religion (assuming that religion leads necessarily to wars) it is this one. Most of our wars were in fact motivated by greed of some kind, such as land or natural resources. That holds true for most other wars. Also, political ideaologies are a major factor.
"War is hell, and you can;t refine it." (General William T. Sherman). Because war is so nasty and frightening people "get religion." There are few atheists or liberals in fox holes. My dad has many audio tapes of talks given by Archbishop Fulton Sheen. I recall him once talking about how during WW II the atheist communists in Russia began talking about "Holy Mother Russia" and began encouraging people to attend church. Even the un-devote will turn to their god or gods in a war. When people claim that religion has started more wars than anthing else they're looking at the facade rather than the facts.
In your article, you used the phrase "worshipped at the altar of evolution"... Now that's a bit scary, since I used almost that exact same phrase in the manuscript of my book (never published) back in 1982, and concerning the exact same subject! (Goose bumps now going up and down body!)
Perhaps we can attribute this "coincidence" to the Holy Spirit who may enjoy using this particular phrase??
God Bless...
http://victory.envy.nu/index.htm
I would appreciate any comments you might have for how to improve the site, etc.
Best regards to you and Johnny...
I was quoting Trent above in the 'war...' remarks, so your very astute remarks belong to Trent, not me. you can call me Johnny, that's fine.
Your Dad is a Catholic theologian, or just a Bishop Sheen fan?