Is it true 'half of Americans don't believe in evolution'?

[pnutchuck]

I can't believe that National Geographic actually thinks this. Then again, the source of the article is from a conservative Christian site. I was doing a search for the big bank theory and disproving it. I had seen an article in a Science mag about 6 months ago about a group of scientists that were proving that there was no singular point in time and came across this:

Obviously, National Geographic (hereafter simply NG) thinks that a significant percentage of their readers are slipping in their faith in evolution and need a remedial course in the some of the “abundant, various, ever increasing, solidly interconnected, and easily available” evidence (p. 8). NG admits that nearly half of Americans don’t believe in evolution, due in part to “Scriptural literalism” and the “proselytizing” work of young-earth creationist and intelligent design proponents (p. 6). They also blame it on “honest confusion and ignorance”; but given that the popular science magazines, the mass media and the educational establishment are controlled by evolutionists, evolutionists have no one to blame but themselves for this alleged confusion and ignorance.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2004/1106ng.asp

[trotsky]

1. No, that's wrong. I'm sure it's more!

Seriously. I seem to recall figures that a majority of people believe in cretinism. Oops, did I misspell that?

[Donald Ian Rankin]

24. It can't be right, surely.

John Kerry got 48% of the vote. I can't imagine more than about 5% of creationists voted for him, so that would leave him winning of the order of 95% of the evolutionist vote. That would be encouraging, but I don't believe it for a minute.

Surely this is wrong. Surely?

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. Latest figures

"God created humans in present form":
All Americans 55%
Kerry voters 47%
Bush voters 67%

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/22/opinion/polls/main657083.shtml

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. Half from a CC site?

And you find the source credible?

Stop.

[liberalpragmatist]

3. Don't overestimate people

Yes. A shockingly large number of people don't believe in evolution in this country.

[pnutchuck]

4. What's shocking is that they're blaming the media and schools for this

I can't believe they think that it is evolutionists failure to properly educate about evolution when they're the ones sending out this crazy theory about ribs, serpents, and apples:freak:

[TaraMoon]

32. Absolutely true

I would bet that well over half of the people in this country don't believe in Evolution and even more than that don't know that it doesn't say we descended from monkeys.

[Nicholas_J]

5. So half of them were stupid enough to vote for Bush

I find the arguments about scriptural literalism being a bit incorrect, because consevatives are rather selective in what they decide should be taken literally. After all Christ said that in order to be saved a rich person had to take all they had and give it to the poor.
I find that in economic matters, they decide that a less than literal inmterpretation is always justified, whle when it come to other things, litealism is the case.

It is the typical case of conservative inconsistancy.

[SouthPasadenaDem]

6. Yeah, it's shocking.

I was talking to my 72-year old father recently, and he said "You know, if you told me when I was in high school (late 40's) that in fifty years, half the population would not believe in evolution, I would have told you that you were crazy. There was nobody who didn't believe in evolution, or if they didn't believe in evolution, they kept it to themselves because they would have been embarrassed so badly by the public ridicule."

Wow.

[physioex]

9. Unless you were a wealthy white man...

Back then, you were essentially considered a second class citizen. Blacks and women did not have the freedom that the do today. So in that sense it's not shocking that "most people" believed in evolution.

[physioex]

7. I do believe in evolution...

But I don't care what some one else does, as long as they don't force it on me.

There are many scientists and physicsts that are working on such theories like Stephen Hawking. The problem with science is that doens't give people easy answers and many people find that uncomfortable. First thing that people have to be taught is that the only thing that is certain is uncertainty. What is thought as "science" today will be seen as bullshit a few centuries from now. Like politicsand SUV's, your beliefs are simply easier when you go with your reptilian instincts (ID) rather than your super ego.

[pnutchuck]

10. In SC they've put stickers in the biology books

"evolution is only a theory, not a fact"! What's that about? If the RWCC can do that in all school books, then what can kids hold as truths? Just God? Can we put stickers in the church bibles: "Creationism is only a belief system that cannot be proven"?

[physioex]

18. I am aware of these things...

But change is slow. Liberalism wants quick change and conservatism slows it down. Galelio was thrown in jail for suggesting that gravity attracts all objects equally and that earth was NOT the center of the universe. So give it time, I tend to think that the only constant is change. An like the Virginia Slims ad says "You've come a long way baby".

[TaraMoon]

33. Slowing down or turning the clock back?

The fundamentalists are not just slowing down progressive
thought and action, they are turning the clock back. We can
not afford to be patient. We must fight this movement. It
poses a very real threat to us.

[sdfernando]

8. I believe that statistic

I've met a lot of people who either don't believe it or are ignorant of the theory of evolution...don't they teach this in school anymore...nevermind, I just figured THAT out.

I've also met a few SANE individuals who are deep in their faith but are of the opinion that GOD created man and evolution is the way he did it. I was intrigued when I first heard this, so I asked: In SIX days??? Their answer was to quote from the Bible (sorry I don't know the chapter or verse) something to the effect that: A day to the Lord is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day.

Well that puts it at 6000 years, certainly enough time to get the rudimentary human animal started don't you think?

[pnutchuck]

12. I've heard that one before

When I was in high school a hard core christian friend of mine told me the same thing. I still didn't buy it. And now with the DNA map, and it's consistency among all creatures doesn't that help prove that we all evolved from the same original gene pool?

[TaraMoon]

34. Intelligent Design Spin

That's Intelligent Design theory and it's the latest attempt
by the Religious Right to do an end run around science in the
classrooms. Almost all young-earth creationist materials are
produced by Institute for Creation Research in Santee,
California. It's a cinderblock building about the size of a
large Kinkos. They have a "science" program that
issues degrees in hard sciences. However, the faculty must
sign an agreement to hold the Bible as the ultimate authority
and not teach anything that conflicts with it and students
must sign an agreement saying they accept the Bible as the
ultimate authority. In other words, they teach pseudo-science
and try to pass it off as science. All their courses are
lecture. They do no lab work and no field work.  Now,
Institute for Creation Research is pushing (although not
publishing) Intelligent Design Theory to suck in people too
sophisticated to buy strict Creationism but not sophisticated
enough to realize that it is just Creationism with
scientific-sounding terminology.  The Director of Institute
for Creation Research has said that their agenda is to get
Intelligent Design taught in schools as a way to pave the way
for blatant Creation.  For those who don't know, Intelligent
Design is the theory that an "intelligent designer"
(ie. God) created evolution and everything else. 

[indigobusiness]

11. Evolution is independent of belief. Much like gravity.

Which is also hardly understood, but also undeniable.

[pnutchuck]

13. but aren't religious beliefs restricted from entering our public schools?

[indigobusiness]

15. Only proselytizing is forbidden.

The main purpose of the seperation was to keep the State out of the Church.

A survey of Religion is not outlawed.

[pnutchuck]

19. Which brings to mind all of these tax exempt church organizations

promoting Bush and telling their paritioners to vote their moral values, ie Bush!

[ChickMagic]

29. Absolutely right.

Evolution is totally independent of belief. It is not a faith issue. It is based on solid observation and repeatable laboratory testing. It is also predictive which is a hallmark of good science.

I like to ask creationists how their belief can predict changes. They do not understand the word "theory". They think it means "hypothesis".

[TaraMoon]

35. Dark Ages Part II

Unfortunately, we're going to find that most school board
members also think a scientific theory is a hypothesis. 
Intelligent Design is almost certainly going to prevail.
Welcome to Dark Ages Part II

[NC_Nurse]

14. I believe that half of Americans

have NOT participated in evolution and are instead devolving into sheep! ;)

How's that for a theory? Where's can we get funding for my study? :D

[indigobusiness]

17. "Whip it...

Whip it good."

[Eagle_Eye]

16. Half of Americans don't believe in evolution

Of the half that don't believe in evolution, half of them don't give a sh!7 one way or the other. And of the ones left a good percentage of them couldn't tell you the difference between evolution and creationism. But not to worry, Bush will leave no child behind.

[MrModerate]

20. Hell, half of Amurricans don't believe in GRAVITY! n/t

[renaissanceguy]

22. Since that half believes in the story of Genesis....

women should be alarmed. Because the Bible blames Eve for all of humankind's suffering. Just like in the Middle East, women will be subordinated.

[JoshWatermanMN]

21. I believe it

My parents aren't particularly religious (in that they are non-denominational), and they do not believe in evolution. Believe me, growing up as a young agnostic before the web was tough in that household.

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. 45% believe God created humans in the last 10,000 years

Gallup, Nov 19th, 2004

Only about a third of Americans believe that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is a scientific theory that has been well supported by the evidence, while just as many say that it is just one of many theories and has not been supported by the evidence. The rest say they don't know enough to say. Forty-five percent of Americans also believe that God created human beings pretty much in their present form about 10,000 years ago. A third of Americans are biblical literalists who believe that the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/content/login.aspx?ci=14107

[progressoid]

25. I've said it before and I'll say it again - People are DUMB

[seaj11]

26. I wouldn't doubt it.

Although not believing in evolution and believing in creationism are not the same thing, the numbers for one might indicate the numbers for the other. According to Tim Berra's Evolution and the Myth of Creationism, in one study of undergraduates in 3 states, more than one-half said they were creationists. Berra also points out that American students rank among the lowest in geography, science, and mathematics out of all industrialized nations. Let's face it: ours is a generally anti-intellectual society. Even the administration ignores hard science!

[CheckyPantz]

28. Study incompleteness?

I'd be curious to see if, in all of these polls and studies, if the term "creationism" is being defined? I could see this as a source of confusion for some. While creationism generally refers to the literal interpretation of Genesis and a 6,000-year old universe, some folks might misinterpret the question to mean something along the lines of "do you believe God created the Universe?" That leaves some ambiguity, and allows people to respond positively without actually believing in something that has the exact opposite of scientific validity.

[seaj11]

31. Good point.

Some studies probably are deliberately ambiguous in their questions. I don't know how the question in this particular study was worded. But performance in science and math can be objectively measured, and in those areas American youth is in a sorry state. I wonder: does the belief in or propaganda about creationism cause that, or does that cause the belief in creationism? Or are they completely separate?

[TaraMoon]

36. Grasping at Straws

Nice straw grasp but you need only attempt to discuss this
topic with the people you encounter on a daily basis (unless
you're a scientist) to discover that people believe
Creationism is exactly what the fundies mean by it.

[GOPBasher]

30. Yes, people are stupid.

Many people don't seem to understand that there is nothing contradictory about evolution and the concept that we were created by God.

[TaraMoon]

37. Uh...that's Intelligent Design Theory

Uh...that's Intelligent Design Theory and nothing more than
disguised Creationism.