7 in 10 U.S. Protestant pastors reject evolution

POSTED BY: SignyM
UPDATED: Wednesday, October 2, 2024 16:34
VIEWED: 9190
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BYTEMITE

Thursday, January 12, 2012 3:57 PM

Magons: Also, it's damn hell to create a working clay golem, let alone a living human from scratch outside of the traditional method. I suspect occultists had access to advanced robotics from long dead civilizations or space.

But to be truly fair, most of the old estimates of the age of the universe and ideas about the shape and size of the Earth technically didn't come from religion, Western civilization pretty much stole that from the Greeks. I suspect also that there was a bit of cross over between the early Semites/Canaanites, some of which would later become Jews, and ancient Greece, as both religions had a story about mankind being sculpted from clay by the gods (yes, gods, the Jews weren't always monotheistic). They also both had a story about a big flood, and the only two decent humans left in the world repopulated the world with animals and other humans.

DREAMTROVE

Thursday, January 12, 2012 4:50 PM

Some folks think that just because their manifestation of divinity (evolution, big bang, etc) is preached in a different part of their church (err university) than the strict moral religious code (socialism, political correctness, etc.) that somehow they aren't members of a religion.

Intellectuals didn't vote for Obama because of his skills, which everyone knew were very sadly lacking in economics and foreign policy, they voted for him because he was a high priest of the academy and held all of those views that the faithful aspire to.

The heretics don't need the flock to tell us what to think, we have our own brains.

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

MALACHITE

Thursday, January 12, 2012 5:20 PM

Sig said: "Belief by definition requires the acceptance of ideas which run counter to available evidence, because if you can point to proof, do you really need belief?"

Sig, I believe you are mistaken in your definition of the word "belief". The definition for "belief" on m-w.com includes, "conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence". This is in direct contrast to your own definition of "belief". Just sayin'...

BYTEMITE

Thursday, January 12, 2012 5:51 PM

Not the definition we're using.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/belief

Quote:
confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof

AURAPTOR

Thursday, January 12, 2012 6:30 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:

RAPPY
Quote:
I was unaware that the role of the President was to promote current and cutting edge views on science. ... The odds that Newt's view, for example, that both magical bible creation and the mechanics of evolution can both be true, will have any meaningful effect on how he runs the country, is negligible.

Actually, it is. I prefer a President who has both feet on the ground and both eyes on reality. A President who is not well-grounded is likely to engage in futile wars on flimsy evidence of threat and even flimsier evidence for success. And, since when is evolution "cutting edge?" When were you born? 1880?

"Actually, it is..." - what, your OPINION that a President needs to be in concordance with your personal views on all matters, including science ? Fine, but that's not what I asked.

Per the issue of 'wars', I'm assuming you mean Iraq. A quick survey of quotes from the Clinton era and then the Bush era politicians will show that first Dems, and then Republicans both said nearly EXACTLY the same things, w/ regard to evidence of Saddam's WMD program. Funny thing is, it was the Dems who were rattling the sabres when their guy was office, and even after, only to eventually flip on the matter.

And read what I said again. I never said that evolution was 'cutting edge'. In fact, I specifically said CURRENT and cutting edge, to distinguish between more established topics ( like evolution )and other matters, say like string theory . Perhaps I could have made the distinction more clear, but the point I was trying to make is, the realm of science isn't, nor should be, a role for the President to concern himself with all that much. Policy, say like putting a man on the moon, sure, but that doesn't mean HE /SHE has to actually be a rocket scientist to take the oath of office.

Now, if a sitting President declares that all ships must stay with in sight of US shores, for fear they may venture too far out and fall off the edge of the Earth, then yeah, we've got a big problem there.

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

MALACHITE

Thursday, January 12, 2012 6:37 PM

Byte --

If your definition of belief is the case, then CTS is even more justified in saying that we all operate with a system of "beliefs". For example, the claim that life can spontaneously arise from non-life also qualifies as a "belief" then. It is not, as you say, "immediately suseptible to rigourous proof"... (as in, the best we can get from experiments trying to simulate prebiotic conditions is some amino acids and possibly a few nucleotide bases -- hardly the kind of rigourous proof that would get us beyond the word "belief")

Besides, the definition you mention is still contrary to Sig's made up definition in which belief is "the acceptance of ideas that run counter to available evidence"...

MALACHITE

Thursday, January 12, 2012 7:06 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
I don't see why evolution is such a controversy in the US. I had a religious upbringing and was still taught evolution. Is it not possible to believe in a God and understand and accept the theory of evolution?

I think it is possible. The word "evolution" can raise hackles, though, because it gets used by atheists in an attempt to debunk religion -- that's how I sometimes hear it and used to use it. Something like, "Life can generate itself without external, divine intervention, therefore there is no Creator." It appears to raise hackles the same way the word "belief" can raise an atheist's hackles... :)

BYTEMITE

Thursday, January 12, 2012 7:35 PM

...

....?

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/biologists-on-t/

Ultimately, however, I care very little about questions about why we're here and how because, really, what difference does it make?

Quote:

Besides, the definition you mention is still contrary to Sig's made up definition in which belief is "the acceptance of ideas that run counter to available evidence"...

Oh? It sounded rather synonymous to me.

STORYMARK

Thursday, January 12, 2012 10:10 PM

Hmmm...

It may all be belief - but I think there are several magnitudes of difference between belief based upon evidence, and belief based upon a storybook - no matter how old it is.

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

RIONAEIRE

Thursday, January 12, 2012 10:11 PM

I just thought it was funny that Signe was so shocked, given the sample population given in the title. I suppose I can see how she was surprised about the country wide stats, but really of course pastors believe in intelligent design, no shocker there. It just made me laugh.

Mal, great point about life arising from nothing, that would take some belief.

I feel DT makes a really good point, for some people party line fills a spot in their life that religeon and belief play in others lives. Our family friend Lisa and her husband to be were having lunch one day, he asked her what she believed in, as in did she have a religeon. She said "democrat of course", he said "no I don't mean how do you vote I mean what religeon, if any, would you consider yourself" and she said "I already told you, democrat." He's a Republican, but they got married and have been happily so for the last six years. It was a funny story that related to DT's statement above.
"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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