Why is it you are more likely to dismiss evolution If you are an American?.

The USA when I was a kid I looked at the USA in awe because of the space shuttle and great achievements they have done. But it still astounds me the USA is the 2nd worse believers in evolution in western countrys.

news.nationalgeographic.com...

So why is this when it is obvious evolution has happened and is happening now?.
Is it the education system has gotten worse? or is it Religious teachings have infiltrated the classroom?.
Anyhow I really hope you sort it out and get with the rest of the western world.
Thoughts?.

Also this bit interested me.

"The team found that individuals with anti-abortion, pro-life views associated with the conservative wing of the Republican Party were significantly more likely to reject evolution than people with pro-choice views."

So is it also a political thing?.
Are republicans anti science? as well as anti abortionist?

Because theyre brainwashed by their book of fairytales to believe in creationism ..
Maybe one day theyll catch up to the rest of the world and get proper education.

a reply to: Expat888

Ahaha!..Don't insult my intelligence.


Science is always changing. One week, something might be thought to be true, then not the next. Evolution, while most likely true, isn't 100% proven. In other words, science itself evolves. So, take your arrogance somewhere else.

a reply to: boymonkey74

Also this bit interested me.

"The team found that individuals with anti-abortion, pro-life views associated with the conservative wing of the Republican Party were significantly more likely to reject evolution than people with pro-choice views."

So is it also a political thing?.
Are republicans anti science? as well as anti abortionist?

That doesn't surprise me, really. Some people just can't think for themselves.
Now, just for the record, and to break the mold, so to speak... I think abortion is okay for two reasons only, rape and health complications. Since you brought it up, anyway.

I cant fathom the idea we just appeared one day the bible is an idiotic book and those who believe in it are just as bad evolution may not be proven 100% but people seriously need to use there head sometimes when reading such silly books they believe to be real .....

This is not what you were asking for, but it pertains to evolution. There is lots of evidence to support the theory of evolution, but what many people fail to realize is that there are some glaring problems with the theory in general. Some notable examples are the sparse fossil evidence of intermediary species, although there is some evidence where this is concerned; the lack of a mechanism for producing extremely complex dependent information, irreducible complexity, etc.; natural selection seems like it would have a very low selection coefficient; the existence of dominant traits that offer no survival advantage...Among many others. I do not have a thorough grasp of evolution, say like someone who works on it for a living might have, but nevertheless I believe that I understand it well enough to know that there are problems that need addressing. Perhaps they've been solved and I am just not aware of this fact, but this seems unlikely to me.

Anyway, what I have noticed is quite alarming. The vast majority of discussions involving problems with evolution resort to religion. We know religious people have a problem with evolution, or many of them, but what is alarming are those scientists who cannot see anyone criticizing the theory without lumping them in with religious individuals. Since when was the scientific debate on evolution closed? There are problems Darwin himself pointed out that have still not been satisfactorily answered. There is some evidence supporting evolution where some of these problems are concerned, but this does not equate to proof of the theory by any means, at least in my opinion.

To get to the point of your thread, perhaps America is just a more religious nation. Religion in general has been on a dramatic decline in developed nations. This trend, if it continues, will mean religion in general could be eradicated in the near future. I think this is horrible for a couple of reasons, but I won't get into that. America also has a rather large population. So I'm sure it is a numbers game. But the idea of "dismissing" evolution is not something I agree with. Just like I state that the problems with evolution should be addressed, I will also state that the aspects that support it be stated as well. So I wouldn't dismiss evolution outright just because there are certain problems with it. Perhaps these problems will be solved in the future. But there is also the possibility that the theory has yet to be fully developed. Some of the ideas may be wrong, or maybe they just need to be expanded upon.

originally posted by: Expat888
Because theyre brainwashed by their book of fairytales to believe in creationism ..
Maybe one day theyll catch up to the rest of the world and get proper education.

After reading through the second part of the article I saw this :

Miller says the U.S. has a tradition of Protestant fundamentalism not found in Europe that takes the Bible literally and sees the Book of Genesis as an accurate account of the creation of human life.

Also this :

The investigation also showed that the percentage of U.S. adults who are uncertain about evolution has risen from 7 percent to 21 percent in the past 20 years.

Taking into account that this article was published in 2006 it would be interesting to know how those percentages have evolved since?

Kindest respects

Rodinus

a reply to: Rodinus

Pretty much the same here.

whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com...

a reply to: boymonkey74

I don't believe the reported numbers.

I wonder if Skeptic Overlord would be willing to set up an ATS poll so we can see for ourselves.

a reply to: Snarl

Do you think they are lower? higher?.
Good idea about the poll.

It's the Protestant factor.

I have observed that in France, at least, the main religion is Catholicism, and they read the Bible as a source of moral and ethical guidance, using metaphor and analogy and such; they are myths, and myths are the vectors of culture.
It is considered spiritual information, pertaining to non-material concepts, mind and spirit.

It is not considered a science nor historical book.

Therefore they easily embrace their religion as being equally true and valuable as science.

a reply to: Bluesma

Thing is Catholicism accepts evolution.

io9.com...

a reply to: boymonkey74 I would have to say because people came to the "New World" to have religious freedom. I mean think about it; that's why they came so they could practice their religion without fear of persecution.

My American history is not the best but I will try: the Quakers, the Mennonites, then the Mormons, etc...I think the so called "New World's" draw was for freedom of religion. (I'm sure I skipped bunches in between)

I do know that is why many flocked to this country for freedom of religion, and then the Constitution evolved and got more all inclusive and made this country the "free" world that millions flocked to. And they still come.

Interesting on which religions tend to accept evolution.

originally posted by: boymonkey74
a reply to: Snarl

Do you think they are lower? higher?.
Good idea about the poll.

I think it all depends on how the questions were asked.

Were someone to ask me:
Is Evolution based on sound scientific principals: No
Is Evolution obvious: Yes

It's a poll. My conspiracy alarm bells are ringing. Especially considering the fiasco Common Core turned out to be.

originally posted by: boymonkey74
a reply to: Rodinus

Pretty much the same here.

whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com...

This is dated to 2012 :

In U.S., 77% Identify as Christian

Eighteen percent have no explicit religious identity

The large majority of Americans -- 77% of the adult population -- identify with a Christian religion, including 52% who are Protestants or some other non-Catholic Christian religion, 23% who are Catholic, and 2% who affiliate with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Another 18% of Americans do not have an explicit religious identity and 5% identify with a non-Christian religion.


77%... Humongous?

More here : www.gallup.com...

However, this contradicts the above (August 2014) :

More than one-quarter of American adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion - or no religion at all.

If change in affiliation from one type of Protestantism to another is included, 44% of adults have either switched religious affiliation, moved from being unaffiliated with any religion to being affiliated with a particular faith, or dropped any connection to a specific religious tradition altogether.

The survey finds that the number of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith today (16.1%) is more than double the number who say they were not affiliated with any particular religion as children. Among Americans ages 18-29, one-in-four say they are not currently affiliated with any particular religion.

The Landscape Survey confirms that the United States is on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country; the number of Americans who report that they are members of Protestant denominations now stands at barely 51%. Moreover, the Protestant population is characterized by significant internal diversity and fragmentation, encompassing hundreds of different denominations loosely grouped around three fairly distinct religious traditions - evangelical Protestant churches (26.3% of the overall adult population), mainline Protestant churches (18.1%) and historically black Protestant churches (6.9%).

More here : religions.pewforum.org...

Kindest respects

Rodinus

originally posted by: boymonkey74
a reply to: Bluesma

Thing is Catholicism accepts evolution.

io9.com...

That's exactly what I said. For the European Catholics, the stories in the Bible are not to be taken literally as science or historical fact.

There is no debate here about teaching Creationism in schools, and I have never met anyone here who believes in it.

But maybe all those that wanted to do that moved to the US to have their religious freedom to do so.

a reply to: Bluesma

Ah sorry misread I sure am tired .
I think that is the thing isn't it the Bible and any Holy book should never be seen as a science book because it dumbs down the populace.

a reply to: Rodinus

Great post Rod .
Maybe people are escaping the shackles of religion.
Good to see, I don't think people are losing their spirituality but are seeing Religion for what it is.
Maybe there is hope .
Good for them.