Less than half (45%) of US adults believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution- how does that make you feel?

Question

40% believe in creationism...40% of adult Americans. ADULTS. Not kids with homework and crushes and bullys to worry about, but people who have to pay taxes and can legally buy cigarettes and lottery tickets!

Many people consider themselves Christians without necessarily believing in some of the key beliefs of Christianity.

2009 Harris Poll.

Answer 1

Because evolution is a lot more insane of an idea then creationism

Answer 2

OK, there's some silly and uneducated answers on here. I'm no biologist but I did study physical anthropology at university (human evolution) Evolutionary theory is the only agent of change theory verified and earning its pay so to speak. Despite the noises from some fundamentalist Christian groups, there is no challenge or debate to modern evolutionary synthesis within the scientific community. All of it is based on hard evidence and there are none of those supposed "lies" involved. At least none I have ever heard of. (Other than "Piltdown Man" - google it if you want a chuckle) So is it legit? Hm... well look at it this way. We have a bunch of fossils of life forms going back half a billion years. We tend to know when they died, and we can extrapolate their species from their remains - these are the hard facts, the evidence of the case if you like. What connects all these millions of years and thousands of extinct species to us now? Evolution is so far the only theory brought forward that does just this. For it to be ever replaced, someone would need connect all these pieces of evidence a different way and prove it was simpler and better at doing it. Intelligent Design didn't even get into the peer reviewed journals so in biology it was an epic fail! "Irreducible Complexity" was discredited in style in the US supreme court! Argh - Rant Edit: Stop it saying "Well its just a theory not a law!" Its an imbecilic thing to say. Why? Atomic Theory is STILL a THEORY. Yet Nagasaki and Hiroshima blew up big style in 1945 Electrical Theory is STILL a THEORY - but your computer works doesn't it? It wouldn't do without it. A theory in science is the mechanism that explains the facts. (The factual evidence is the driver and the theory is the car they drive to use a bizarre analogy.) It is not equatable with guess or faith or belief. Theories are continually updated and revised as new information is added to human knowledge. The great "Missing link" complained about was actually found in the 1960s - yet people still go on about it! Look up "Australopithecus Afarensis" There's still gaps here and there in the fossil record, but nothing that endangers Evolution.

Answer 3

Less than 5% of US adults are in any way affected by Darwin's Theory of Evolution...



Come on America is a country where Iron manufacturers put a warning in the box telling people not to iron their clothes while they are wearing them. Is it any wonder 55% of the would be stupid enough to believe in a theory that was disproved in 1953?

Answer 4

Sad that America is seen as so backward and unchristian!



The Pope, Catholic Church, Church of England and mainstream churches all accept the big bang and evolution!



Lord Carey the former Archbishop of Canterbury put it rather well – “Creationism is the fruit of a fundamentalist approach to scripture, ignoring scholarship and critical learning, and confusing different understandings of truth”!



Nice that christians and atheists can agree and laugh together even if it is at fundie expense!



But behind the laughter is the despair at the fundamentalists striving so hard to destroy christianity by turning it from a religion to an ideology!



Just fundamentalists striving so hard to destroy christianity by turning it from a religion to an ideology!



Does anyone know of an extremist sect or cult that is not American?!

Answer 5

It makes me feel like I have for a long time, that the majority of people in the world are sheep willing to be lead by what comforts them and makes them feel good. Hopefully they can be lead towards critical thinking and lead away from comfortable myths.

Answer 6

Depends on what the figure was before- say, 50 years ago. I'd wager that 45% represents an ongoing increase. ;)

Answer 7

I worry about myself and care less about the others that believe there is a God. They have every right to believe in what they choose to believe, just don't force it upon me.

Answer 8

45% believe in evolution, and 40% believe in creationism... Doesn't it say something that more people believe in evolution?

Answer 9

Why is this in the religion & spirituality section, lol are you really that bored that you need to start a flame way? Go outside plant a tree or do something useful.

Answer 10

If you think about it, it explains a lot. For one thing, it explains how American school students score almost dead last in science knowledge compared to kids in the rest of the world.

Answer 11

I really hate how people say, ARE U DUMB LOL!!! U TINK WE CAME FROM MONKEYS! How is that

dumb. Its shown to be scientificially possible which is why alot of scientist believe in

it and the fact that chimps share something like 95% of our genes, I think its DUMB to

say that its stupid. Also it wasn't even "MONKEYS".

Answer 12

It makes me feel like most people are horribly undereducated in the sciences or simply ignore their education outright. Education is underrated in the US (look at the military budget; our country is all about WAR, WAR, and WAR).

Answer 13

Well, it doesn't change my beliefs at all. I still believe that God created everything, and that He is in control of everything, and that He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient.

Answer 14

Indifferent. Studies show that the rate of nonbelievers is growing among younger people, and that atheists will be the majority in 2038.

Answer 15

That means 55% of Americans are deceived by the evolutionary lie, so it's not really good news.

Answer 16

Concerned that these adults would gladly revert society back to the Bronze Ages.

Answer 17

Sad about the state of education

Answer 18

don't forget we vote too! did you know humans peel a banana wrong? lol

Answer 19

It terrifies me, because they can vote. And I'm guessing they are voting republican..... Sigh

Answer 20

makes me feel like i got alot of work to do. we proved christianity to be false.

exposingchristianity.com

in your face! what? uhhhhhh!

Answer 21

55% of the adults in the US are idiots.



Argumentum ad populum fallacy

Answer 22

Why would we evolve from monkeys.... Ima go finish my bannanas

Answer 23

82.53% Christians don't know what 1+1 is.



MMM STATISTICS.

Answer 24

It is sad that so many still think they are the descendants of apes.