However, Gallup's methodology is not shown. Did they play "the TERB game" and label anyone who said that they believed evolution is not entirely random a denier of the theory?
God Helps with Personal Decisions, Most Americans Say
- Thread starter mandrill
- Start date
That would be getting evolution confused with the theory of natural selection. Many/most people do get the two confused. However, most polls do show that over 40% of Americans believe in creationism by selecting options that rule out either evolution by natural selection or evolution guided by a mythical being: http://www.gallup.com/poll/21814/evolution-creationism-intelligent-design.aspx
I was thinking in terms of the following paper: “Is Personal Insecurity a Cause of Cross-National Differences in the Intensity of Religious Belief?“
http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2009/2009-17.html
I'm not entirely sure that you understand my meaning. However, as to what you replied, the two are inexorably linked.
So much depends upon how a question is asked. For instance in 2007 Gallup asked "Do you [believe in] Evolution, that is, the idea that human beings developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life" to which 52 percent replied either definitely or probably true while only 44 percent said it was definitely or probably false.
Yet in the same survey 66 percent answered that the statement "God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years" was definitely or probably true.
It doesn't require great mathematical skill to see that the numbers don't add up well 66 percent believing in Creationism while at the same time only 44 percent don't believe in Evolution.
They are linked in terms of supporting evidence but not in terms of the ideas involved. As you may or may not know, the idea of evolution predates Charles Darwin by a number of years. Europeans were aware of fossil evidence indicating a progression of characteristics. However, the idea never caught on as no one had an explanation of the mechanism until Charles Darwin (I specify Charles as his grandfather was one of the earlier figures to raise the possibility of evolution).
Moreover, although the supporting evidence is “inexorably linked”, evidence is not the issue when religious beliefs are concerned. For example, the poll indicates that almost 40% of the American population accepts evolution but rejects natural selection (the option of man developing with god’s guiding hand).
A lot always depends on how a question is ask. For example, asking people whether they “believe” in evolution (as is often done) is poor wording as it should not be a belief for an educated person but a matter of recognizing the evidence. Moreover, even in polls done for academic projects, follow up questions show that even people who say they accept evolution are often ignorant of some very basic facts with significant numbers getting the basics wrong (e.g. thinking that dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time). Indeed, I recall one paper that found a significant number of people would actually end up contradicting themselves in follow up questions. They tended to be people with a very poor knowledge of the details of evolution. In this case the first question asks them to choose between options so it is likely the best question to see which people most closely identify with.
BTW, this is not the only issue for which Americans are scientifically illiterate. I recall one poll that found many first-year science students at one American university thought winter occurred when earth was furthest from the sun. And those were science students!
I'm a supporter of Alfred Russel Wallace.
I'm not at all sure that Canadian's do all that much better.
When it comes to the general public, I suspect a that even in Canada a lot of people have forgotten that the seasons are due to the earth tilting on its axis even through they would have learnt that in elementary school. However, I very much doubt you would see many of them majoring in science in university.
Meanwhile in the U.K.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/...tyear-beats-Neil-Armstrong-in-space-race.html
And meanwhile in the U.K. Buz Lightyear was the first person to set foot on the moon.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/...tyear-beats-Neil-Armstrong-in-space-race.html
I'm being realistic. This is the world we live in. Christianity has had its time and may be on the decline but "the religion of peace", Islam, is the fastest growing religion in the world.Yepper!
You like that huh! You want to promote more of it?
That thinking is working out REAL GOOD over in Iran & Israel, eh.....
I heard Christianity is the fastest growing cult in RED China!
If this is true we may all be farked in a few years!.....
If this is true we may all be farked in a few years!.....
Well it's time for a change in let's come to the modern world and ditch these mythologies. But looks like that ain't happening
Yeah they are Christian just like China is communist. Their brand of christianity is mild. They are not going to step backwards. (not like christianity in Africa). Actually the area with the strongest Christian faith and high growth is South America. That's why many felt the pope should have been from the region, not this German guy. Brasil is the centre of Christian faith in South America. But how they celebrate their faith don't bother me as much... like Carnival, which is rooted in Catholic faith ;-)I heard Christianity is the fastest growing cult in RED China!
If this is true we may all be farked in a few years!.....
South America nailed Christianity!
They feel it's only good for the young and the old who are worried about dying soon. All those in between merely give Christianity lip-service as they do as they please and enjoy Carnival, etc.....
They feel it's only good for the young and the old who are worried about dying soon. All those in between merely give Christianity lip-service as they do as they please and enjoy Carnival, etc.....
Because many of us think knowledge is preferable to superstition. I think that it is undoubtedly better for people to think for themselves. There may be some people who live very sad lives and find religion a useful escape. i.e. no matter how bad things get, at least things will be better when they die if they repeat the right chants in church on Sunday. For those people, religion may be a good thing. However, I don’t think the vast majority of people in developed countries fall into that category. In the vast majority of cases, people just believe religious superstitions because they were indoctrinated with it as children before they were old enough to think for themselves.
There is a significantly large segment of evangelical christians who view the catholics as
non-christians. From that perspective Christianity is only as old as Protestantism which makes it
500 years old. Adding to it the time elapsed between Emperor Constantine (who worshiped the
Roman sun god along with Christ) and Paul you get about 700-800 years. Whatever you accept
as its age Christianity among major religions is only older than Islam and Bahai. It is younger than
Judaism, Hinduism and (if you count it as a religion) Buddhism.
