Majority of American Reject Theory of Evolution

[MisterMark]

I'm part of the 15 percent. I believe in science, not ghosts.

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NEW YORK (Oct. 23) - Most Americans do not accept the theory of evolution. Instead, 51 percent of Americans say God created humans in their present form, and another three in 10 say that while humans evolved, God guided the process. Just 15 percent say humans evolved, and that God was not involved.

More: http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article....024100409990019

 

[D_Barbi_Queue]

Wow - that's astounding. I would have guessed that it would be more like 51% evolution, 15% creation. I guess I fall in the 30%.

 

[GottaBigOne]

Goes to show you how far we are from dealing with reality.

 

[mindseye]

Then again, 15% of Americans over 25 never finished high school, and only 28% went on to earn a college degree. (source: census.gov)

Accordingly, few Americans have critically studied the evidence which supports the theory of evolution. I suspect that a 'poll' asking people whether they believed in Zorn's Lemma would produce equally kooky results.

This poll reveals a lot about the cultural lack of intellectual curiosity in this country. ("Read a book? Too much work, and besides, Fear Factor is on!")

 

[Dr Rock]

STOP THE PRESSES! PEOPLE ARE FUCKING STUPID

TONIGHT'S EXCLUSIVE: SHIT FOUND IN WOODS, POLICE SUSPECT BEARS

 

[Pecker]

Originally posted by mindseye@Oct 25 2005, 02:47 PM
Then again, 15% of Americans over 25 never finished high school, and only 28% went on to earn a college degree. (source: census.gov)

Accordingly, few Americans have critically studied the evidence which supports the theory of evolution. I suspect that a 'poll' asking people whether they believed in Zorn's Lemma would produce equally kooky results.

This poll reveals a lot about the cultural lack of intellectual curiosity in this country. ("Read a book? Too much work, and besides, Fear Factor is on!")

[post=355201]Quoted post[/post]​

Heath, are you saying that all a Creationist has to do is read a few scholarly tomes on Evolution and he'll change his mind?

Many of us have been there, done that but have simply recognized that there are many opinions out there that don't necessarily agree with ours.

 

[SpeedoGuy]

Originally posted by mindseye@Oct 25 2005, 06:47 PM
Then again, 15% of Americans over 25 never finished high school, and only 28% went on to earn a college degree. (source: census.gov)

Accordingly, few Americans have critically studied the evidence which supports the theory of evolution. I suspect that a 'poll' asking people whether they believed in Zorn's Lemma would produce equally kooky results.

This poll reveals a lot about the cultural lack of intellectual curiosity in this country. ("Read a book? Too much work, and besides, Fear Factor is on!")

[post=355201]Quoted post[/post]​

A sad, but true, commentary on the state of education in the U.S. system. Further, let us not forget that of the students who do graduate from high school, the U.S. students consistently turn in among the lowest test scores of all the industrialized nations. Rigor in academic subjects, particularly science, is so much higher in European and Asian school systems it should be a national embarrassment.

No wonder myths are debated here as if they are on equal footing with mountains of observable evidence.

SG

 

[madame_zora]

This is completely creepy. When I was in school (yeah, back in the dark ages) evolution was commonly accepted. I wonder how such a poll would have fared in the 70's? It's hard for me to accept that we've taken such a far step backward, but as the illustrious Dr. Rock reminds us, it sure lets us know what we're dealing with.

Sorry, but when superstition is far more accepted than our applied sciences, we are in deep shit. Now, science is developing and ongoing, both it AND religion are man's attempts to explain natural phenomena. Science is a living and growing entity, whereas religion is static. While they are not mutually exclusive by necessity, as things stand right now, we seem to be heading into a place where they are diametrically opposed.
To believe that a supernatural being created the whole world with the wave of a magic wand defies any sort of logic, but perhaps it fills the viod in people's lives to believe that someone (even if invisible) still gives a shit about them. I sure hate the fact that I am surrounded by a bunch of people who hold mythologies in higher esteem that the search for knowledge. I am disgusted by my fellow man, and this sure explains why the poor idiots who still support bush can hold fast to nonsensical ideas long beyond the point where they are proven false.

 

[B_HappyHammer1977]

Originally posted by madame_zora@Oct 26 2005, 06:12 AM
This is completely creepy. When I was in school (yeah, back in the dark ages) evolution was commonly accepted. I wonder how such a poll would have fared in the 70's? It's hard for me to accept that we've taken such a far step backward, but as the illustrious Dr. Rock reminds us, it sure lets us know what we're dealing with.

Sorry, but when superstition is far more accepted than our applied sciences, we are in deep shit. Now, science is developing and ongoing, both it AND religion are man's attempts to explain natural phenomena. Science is a living and growing entity, whereas religion is static. While they are not mutually exclusive by necessity, as things stand right now, we seem to be heading into a place where they are diametrically opposed.
To believe that a supernatural being created the whole world with the wave of a magic wand defies any sort of logic, but perhaps it fills the viod in people's lives to believe that someone (even if invisible) still gives a shit about them. I sure hate the fact that I am surrounded by a bunch of people who hold mythologies in higher esteem that the search for knowledge. I am disgusted by my fellow man, and this sure explains why the poor idiots who still support bush can hold fast to nonsensical ideas long beyond the point where they are proven false.

[post=355360]Quoted post[/post]​

I couldn't agree more.

 

[Dr. Dilznick]

Originally posted by Pecker
Heath, are you saying that all a Creationist has to do is read a few scholarly tomes on Evolution and he'll change his mind?

Many of us have been there, done that but have simply recognized that there are many opinions out there that don't necessarily agree with ours.

Both creation "scientists" and scientists start with hypotheses and a given set of assumptions they use when investigating things. However, scientists are willing to discard their hypotheses (albeit usually after a long time, such as Newton's false law of gravitation) if there are enough points at which the theory does not correspond to actual data.

In the case of "creation science," which is not science at all, the hypotheses and assumptions will *never* be discarded. Ever. You will continue ad nauseum to attempt, as Thomas Kuhn put it, to "force" the data into your conceptual "box" and ignore shit that doesn't fit. Scientists sometimes do this, but eventually discard it when, as Kuhn says, a "crisis" emerges in which the theory and the facts just do not fit. But creationists will never abandon creationism. That is not science. That is quackery.

 

[mindseye]

Originally posted by Pecker@Oct 25 2005, 04:55 PM
Heath, are you saying that all a Creationist has to do is read a few scholarly tomes on Evolution and he'll change his mind?

Many of us have been there, done that but have simply recognized that there are many opinions out there that don't necessarily agree with ours.

[post=355240]Quoted post[/post]​

What I'm saying is that any creationist who hasn't done so is unqualified to speak on the matter. Why do you call evolution an 'opinion'? Do you consider gravity an opinion as well?

 

[steve319]

Oh, but we all know that The Devil has spent hundreds of years planting false evidence of evolution all over the world just to plant the seed of doubt in the minds of humanity! :evilgrin:

I can just see hiim out on the plains, shitting out dinosaur bones here and there to great delight...

(be honest--is that TOO vivid an image?)

Somehow, these numbers are much easier for me to believe living here in darkest Appalachia (and being an educator).

This point stays with me:

Originally posted by madame_zora@Oct 26 2005, 01:12 AM
I wonder how such a poll would have fared in the 70's? It's hard for me to accept that we've taken such a far step backward,...

Perhaps it's because I grew up thinking the world was different from the way it actually turned out to be, but I also wonder if we really have retreated in so many ways.

 

[B_HappyHammer1977]

Originally posted by steve319+Oct 26 2005, 03:33 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(steve319 &#064; Oct 26 2005, 03:33 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'>Oh, but we all know that The Devil has spent hundreds of years planting false evidence of evolution all over the world just to plant the seed of doubt in the minds of humanity&#33; :evilgrin:

I can just see hiim out on the plains, shitting out dinosaur bones here and there to great delight...

(be honest--is that TOO vivid an image?)

Somehow, these numbers are much easier for me to believe living here in darkest Appalachia (and being an educator).

This point stays with me:

<!--QuoteBegin-madame_zora@Oct 26 2005, 01:12 AM
I wonder how such a poll would have fared in the 70&#39;s? It&#39;s hard for me to accept that we&#39;ve taken such a far step backward,...

Perhaps it&#39;s because I grew up thinking the world was different from the way it actually turned out to be, but I also wonder if we really have retreated in so many ways.

[post=355449]Quoted post[/post]​

[/b][/quote]


To quote the late, great Bill Hicks;

"Does anyone else think that God is fucking with our minds? Like there&#39;s some kind of prankster God up there? &#39;Let&#39;s see who believes&#39; in me now&#33;&#39; *Plants dinosaur bones in ground to &#39;test peoples faith&#39;* "

"Oh my me&#33;"

 

[Dr. Dilznick]

Evangelical Christians won&#39;t admit that even God couldn&#39;t narrow it down to one version of creation in Genesis.

 

[jay_too]

or that the creation stories are much, much younger than the rest of the old testament [ca. 50 BC]. They were added not because they were true [a revelation] but so that Jews could have creation myth(s) like competing middle eastern religions. The myths are a compromise of committee of rabbis; everyone knows committees make the best decisions. :evilgrin:

jay

 

[jay_too]

Evolution 15.

The proof for the dumbing down of America is growing. May I suggest replacing sex ed with stork theory......err, make that reality?

jay

 

[Dr. Dilznick]

Originally posted by Pecker
Many of us have been there, done that but have simply recognized that there are many opinions out there that don&#39;t necessarily agree with ours.

So why do whales have leg bones? I&#39;m just curious.

 

[steve319]

Originally posted by Dr. Dilznick@Oct 26 2005, 01:48 PM
So why do whales have leg bones? I&#39;m just curious.

[post=355498]Quoted post[/post]​

I think it made it much easier for them to move around on Noah&#39;s Ark.

 

[Love-it]

Vision of creationists as little children running around with fingers stuck in their ears, eyes closed but their mouths open and babbling.

 

[jonb]

I&#39;ve actually seen creationists invoke the 24 Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It&#39;s like OH NOES&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;1 TEH DEVEL = EVRYWERE&#33;&#33;&#33;1&#33;&#33;&#33;cos(0)