The headline reads "One-third of Americans reject evolution, poll shows."
Somehow, the fact that more Republicans are rejecting evolution doesn't surprise me. That's only to be expected when a political party is dominated by a group that rejects science and most of the contemporary world. The kicker is that the percentage of Republicans who accept evolution has dropped by eleven points in four years. Somehow, I don't think this is a result of carefully considering the evidence.
The ironic part of this is that there is really no conflict between the Bible and evolutionary theory, as a number of denominations have concluded, including the Roman Catholic Church. Unless, of course, you are a biblical literalist who believes every word of the Bible is the absolute truth, even those parts that contradict each other. My own take is that if you insist that any sacred text is the literal truth, you're not playing with a full deck. It's called "metaphor," and myth makes great use of it
And of course, as made plain by the example of evangelical Protestantism, there's a strong element of ideology over reality. That seems to be a foundational principle of the Republican party these days, across the board, from economics to -- well, to science. (And where are most the climate change denialists housed? Yep.)
I sometimes -- OK, often -- wonder about the need some people display for eternal truth, unchanging and immutable. The universe isn't like that. It keeps changing, and what we know about it tends to change. You either deal with that or fall by the wayside.
And that is the real lesson: adapt or die.
Via just about everyone.
Sixty percent of Americans say that "humans and other living things have evolved over time," the telephone survey by the Pew Research Center's Religion and Public Life Project showed (Click here for the full survey).
But 33 percent reject the idea of evolution, saying that "humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time," Pew said in a statement.
Although this percentage remained steady since 2009, the last time Pew asked the question, there was a growing partisan gap on whether humans evolved.
"The gap is coming from the Republicans, where fewer are now saying that humans have evolved over time," said Cary Funk, a Pew senior researcher who conducted the analysis.
Somehow, the fact that more Republicans are rejecting evolution doesn't surprise me. That's only to be expected when a political party is dominated by a group that rejects science and most of the contemporary world. The kicker is that the percentage of Republicans who accept evolution has dropped by eleven points in four years. Somehow, I don't think this is a result of carefully considering the evidence.
Among religious groups, white evangelical Protestants topped the list of those rejecting evolution, with 64 percent of those polled saying they believe humans have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.
"This has been a staple of evangelical Protestantism for nearly 100 years," said Alan Lichtman, an American University history professor and author of "White Protestant Nation: The Rise of the American Conservative Movement."
The ironic part of this is that there is really no conflict between the Bible and evolutionary theory, as a number of denominations have concluded, including the Roman Catholic Church. Unless, of course, you are a biblical literalist who believes every word of the Bible is the absolute truth, even those parts that contradict each other. My own take is that if you insist that any sacred text is the literal truth, you're not playing with a full deck. It's called "metaphor," and myth makes great use of it
And of course, as made plain by the example of evangelical Protestantism, there's a strong element of ideology over reality. That seems to be a foundational principle of the Republican party these days, across the board, from economics to -- well, to science. (And where are most the climate change denialists housed? Yep.)
I sometimes -- OK, often -- wonder about the need some people display for eternal truth, unchanging and immutable. The universe isn't like that. It keeps changing, and what we know about it tends to change. You either deal with that or fall by the wayside.
And that is the real lesson: adapt or die.
Via just about everyone.
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