I can’t help but wonder how many times Mr. Darwin heard something like the title of this post. After all of the time since the 1858 paper by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace and Darwin’s 1859 book The Origin of Species, the idea of evolution is still a hot topic – at least here in America. Read on…
Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2006 12:23 a.m. EDT
Americans Stubbornly Refuse to Accept EvolutionA survey in 32 European countries, Japan and the U.S. reveals that only people in Turkey are less likely than Americans to accept the theory of evolution as a fact.
Religious fundamentalism, partisan politics and poor science education have contributed to Americans’ reluctance to accept evolution, according to John Miller of Michigan State University, who conducted the survey along with colleagues.
Miller found that the percentage of people in the U.S. who accept the idea of evolution has dropped from 45 in 1985 to 40 last year.
At the other end of the scale, more than 80 percent of those surveyed in Iceland say they believe that evolution is fact.
The percentage of adults in the United States who reject evolution outright has dropped from 48 to 39 over that period, but the percentage of Americans who are unsure about evolution has soared from 7 in 1985 to 21 last year.
According to a report on the survey from the publication New Scientist, “the main opposition to evolution comes from fundamentalist Christians, who are much more abundant in the U.S. than in Europe.â€??
Miller also found that nearly two-thirds of Americans don’t believe that more than half of human genes are common to chimpanzees. In fact, Miller said, humans and chimps share 99 percent of their genes.
You know, that is my second favorite thing about America. I get to believe what I want to believe. Even if the rest of the planet thinks I’m a quack! Personally I have no conflict with the idea of evolution and my faith in a higher power. If there is a god, or gods, that have the power to create the universe as we know it, they could have just as easily planned the evolution of species. I don’t know. I wasn’t there.
Anyway, you are entitled to your beliefs just as I am. You are also entitled to change your mind if you so desire. Apparently many Americans are doing just that, and finding Faith along the way. Even though The Bull is a Pagan and sees room for many gods, I still find that thought of Faith in a higher power growing in America somewhat comforting.
Oh yeah, my #1 favorite thing about America is that I get to help hire and fire those that represent my interest in the leadership. It’s called “Voting“. You should try it!
Bull, out.
