Evolution Held Hostage

POSTED BY: misbehaven
UPDATED: Monday, August 21, 2006 21:25
VIEWED: 5944
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MISBEHAVEN

Monday, August 14, 2006 4:33 PM

Hey everyone,

I just came across this article, and I found it to be very informative. I think it helps explain why other countries are now surpassing the United States in certain fields of scientific study. In the United States, our ability to advance important areas of scientific research is too often held hostage by the beliefs of our own religious fundamentalists.

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U.S. Lags World in Grasp of Genetics and Acceptance of Evolution

By Ker Than
LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 10 August 2006
02:01 pm ET

A comparison of peoples' views in 34 countries finds that the United States ranks near the bottom when it comes to public acceptance of evolution. Only Turkey ranked lower.

Among the factors contributing to America's low score are poor understanding of biology, especially genetics, the politicization of science and the literal interpretation of the Bible by a small but vocal group of American Christians, the researchers say.

“American Protestantism is more fundamentalist than anybody except perhaps the Islamic fundamentalist, which is why Turkey and we are so close,” said study co-author Jon Miller of Michigan State University.

The researchers combined data from public surveys on evolution collected from 32 European countries, the United States and Japan between 1985 and 2005. Adults in each country were asked whether they thought the statement “Human beings, as we know them, developed from earlier species of animals,” was true, false, or if they were unsure.

The study found that over the past 20 years:

The percentage of U.S. adults who accept evolution declined from 45 to 40 percent. The percentage overtly rejecting evolution declined from 48 to 39 percent, however. And the percentage of adults who were unsure increased, from 7 to 21 percent.

Of the other countries surveyed, only Turkey ranked lower, with about 25 percent of the population accepting evolution and 75 percent rejecting it. In Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and France, 80 percent or more of adults accepted evolution; in Japan, 78 percent of adults did.

The findings are detailed in the Aug. 11 issue of the journal Science.

"The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation."
- Bertrand Russell

ERIC

Monday, August 14, 2006 5:01 PM

Dear God, save me from Your fan club!

DAYVE

Monday, August 14, 2006 5:08 PM

Dear God...protect me from your followers.....

TRISTAN

Monday, August 14, 2006 5:11 PM

Dear god....wait a minute, what am I saying....

______________________________________

AURAPTOR

Monday, August 14, 2006 5:52 PM

Defending evolution, before 9-11 happened, was definatly one of my hot button issues. It still is. The sheer nonsense I've had to deal with while 'debating' a literal Young Earth Creationist (YEC) has left me less intelligent than had I never engaged them in the 1st place. They're THAT stupid. What's sad is that through my general interest in paleontology, I've gleaned more info on evolution than I was ever taught in H.S. or college. It's no wonder that so many in our population are left clueless over the topic.

People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

HERO

Monday, August 14, 2006 6:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by misbehaven:
In the United States, our ability to advance important areas of scientific research is too often held hostage by the beliefs of our own religious fundamentalists.

I admit I have been disappointed by this thread.

I really expected something along the lines of a Catholic Priest with a gun to a monkey's head shouting: "ONE MORE DISCOVERY AND THE MONKEY GETS IT!"

Instead you give us just another version of "repent or your going to hell." In this case its worship at the alter of science or you will be left behind.

H

AURAPTOR

Monday, August 14, 2006 7:05 PM

Quote:
Instead you give us just another version of "repent or your going to hell." In this case its worship at the alter of science or you will be left behind.

"Left behind " heh heh. Sorry, I just had to laugh.

Just as long as you leave me the keys to your car and your beach house, I'm ok !

People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

SIGMANUNKI

Monday, August 14, 2006 7:08 PM

I actually have mostly stopped engaging these people for those reasons and more. There really is no reasoning with them.

They say science is a religon and we point out that any definition of religon that includes science will also include baseball as a religon as well.

We point out that we have mountains of evidence and they just cling to there big invisible guy in the sky conjecture against all reason.

It's sad really.

----
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

CHRISISALL

Monday, August 14, 2006 7:20 PM

Holocaust never happened, the Lone Gunman was all it took, WMD's being an imminent threat, Manimal being a good show; people will always believe things that ain't true just 'cause it makes 'em feel better, that's all.

Forgiving Chrisisall

SOUPCATCHER

Monday, August 14, 2006 7:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
What's sad is that through my general interest in paleontology, I've gleaned more info on evolution than I was ever taught in H.S. or college. It's no wonder that so many in our population are left clueless over the topic.

This is a very important point. The reason why I try to stay out of these debates is because I was never taught about evolution in a classroom. Not once. Of course, that's because I was a product of religious schooling up until I received my BS degree (when I take that into consideration, the S part of the BS becomes pretty hilarious

). The classes that I took at community college were all in history or math or english so the topic never came up. In my graduate work the focus has been on engineering courses. Once again, the topic never came up. Outside of formal schooling, I have never felt the need to study the topic in great depth. So that's on me.

That's why I always laugh when people complain about evolution being taught in public schools. If they want to keep their children from learning about evolution at all there are numerous options available. Then they can be blessed by such great insights as the flood is the reason the earth tilts on its axis (all that water caused the earth to shift, dontchaknow?) or that dinosaurs were created as gardeners to keep the vegetation down until man could expand to fill the world (okay, that's one I came up with in elementary school to rationalize the existence of dinosaurs

but you get my point).

If a parent wants to keep their children from being preached at by creationists there are really only a few options and the ID crowd wants to limit even those.

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