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Physiofly
Skeptic Friend
USA
90 Posts |
 Posted - 02/20/2002 : 18:27:26
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This month's Scientific American magazine has a short article on how states rank in teaching evolution:
http://www.sciam.com/2002/0302issue/0302numbers.html
It's good to see that most states are at least "satisfactory/good" or better, but it's evident that we Americans have a long way to go.
"Be careful about reading health books. You might die of a misprint." - Mark Twain
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Lisa
SFN Regular
USA
1223 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2002 : 18:42:19 [Permalink]
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Am I being a Pollyanna here? I find it very hard to believe that 45% of Americans subscribe to the creationist viewpoint. I'd like to know who's being asked, and who's doing the asking. For example, I could make a dozen phone calls right now and "prove" that 100% of Americans don't believe in god. A different set of calls could prove 100% believe in Bigfoot.
Lisa
If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2002 : 20:10:18 [Permalink]
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I think the numbers are not very far out.
Consider: most people don't think about it very much. They've been told for all for their lives that they were 'created' and many never questioned it. They have too many other things going - families, bills, and so forth. Creation / Evolution debates are very close to the bottom of their list of priorities.
It's encouraging to know that we are in the majority. But I think that if most of them were asked what to teach in the schools, they'd want the best of what science has to offer.
f
"Don't tell me your doubts; I've got enough doubts of my own. Tell me something you BELIEVE in!"
Brother Dave Gardner |
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Lars_H
SFN Regular
Germany
630 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2002 : 20:17:23 [Permalink]
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quote:
Am I being a Pollyanna here? I find it very hard to believe that 45% of Americans subscribe to the creationist viewpoint. I'd like to know who's being asked, and who's doing the asking. For example, I could make a dozen phone calls right now and "prove" that 100% of Americans don't believe in god. A different set of calls could prove 100% believe in Bigfoot.
Lisa
I think Gallup can be considered to be as reliable and objective as those polls get (wich is not in my opinion very far)
I could not get a copy of the 2001 poll. They want to charge money for that, but at http://www.religioustolerance.org/ev_publi.htm they have a copy of the old one. The questiones should have stayed the same. And from what could be read in the article the numbers did not change much either.
It is frightening how many christians have bought into this "do you belive in god or evolution?" trick.
Regarding the map in the original artickle. As they already said themselves it does not have much to do with what is actually thougth in the classroom.
Interesting, but probably just as meaningless, would be a similar map of the world.
Edited by - Lars_H on 02/20/2002 20:20:43 |
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Lisa
SFN Regular
USA
1223 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2002 : 21:20:26 [Permalink]
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quote:
It is frightening how many christians have bought into this "do you belive in god or evolution?" trick.
Any survey that would phrase the question thus IMO isn't valid. Its right up there with the old chestnut "are you still beating your wife?".
Most of the people I know are christian, yet still manage to believe in evolution.
Lisa
If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room. |
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Lars_H
SFN Regular
Germany
630 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2002 : 06:51:44 [Permalink]
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quote:
quote:
It is frightening how many christians have bought into this "do you belive in god or evolution?" trick.
Any survey that would phrase the question thus IMO isn't valid. Its right up there with the old chestnut "are you still beating your wife?".
I did not mean that the poll asked the question like this. The options they gave was:
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God created man pretty much in his present form at one time within the last 10,000 years. (47% in 91) -
Man has developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process, including man's creation.(40% in 91)
Man has developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life. God had no part in this process.(9% in 91)
I still have a bit of a problem with the advanced bit and it does not cover all possibilities, but I think it is OK.
What I meant is that those who preach creationism have managed to get many people to think along the lines of either god or religion.
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Tim
SFN Regular
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2002 : 07:19:00 [Permalink]
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Being raised in Florida and having lived in Louisiana for twenty years, now, I find it hard to believe that Louisiana is rated 'satisfactory' and Florida is rated 'unsatisfactory'. Stranger things have been known to happen.
quote:
Am I being a Pollyanna here? I find it very hard to believe that 45% of Americans subscribe to the creationist viewpoint.
To the contrary, Lisa, I find it hard to believe only 45% of the population subscribes to the Creationists' point of view. Maybe, it all has to do with the people we interact with on a regular basis.
"The Constitution ..., is a marvelous document for self-government by Christian people. But the minute you turn the document into the hands of non-Christian and atheistic people they can use it to destroy the very foundation of our society." P. Robertson |
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Lisa
SFN Regular
USA
1223 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2002 : 08:15:06 [Permalink]
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quote:
To the contrary, Lisa, I find it hard to believe only 45% of the population subscribes to the Creationists' point of view. Maybe, it all has to do with the people we interact with on a regular basis.
Hey Tim, long time no see. How's it going?
I see your point. You live in Louisiana. I was traveling through there last week. We stayed in a Comfort Inn. Fundy literature was handed out by a hotel employee at the breakfast bar in the morning.
Here in South Dakota there are lots of fossil sites open to the public. School kids are taken on trips to the Mammoth dig and to the Badlands national park. Ever been to the Badlands? Besides the wonderful fossil displays, the geologic record is rather "in your face".
I know a few creationists, but they're all damn near old enough to have seen the last Mammoth anyway. The younger generation seems to have more sense.
Lisa
If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room. |
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Trish
SFN Addict
USA
2102 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2002 : 11:29:45 [Permalink]
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CO has much the same thing as the Badlands apparently in the way of open fossil sites. One of our most famous, the Hogback. Yeah, anywhere you have exposed rocks you have a pretty good in your face geologic record, for those that care to look. Besides, science is more fun anyway, just think of the opportunity to discover something more bizaare than the last guy.
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There is no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our world. It underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've known. Sagan |
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Tim
SFN Regular
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2002 : 14:01:08 [Permalink]
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I have missed this forum, but work keeps me away and awake for very long periods of time. The oilfields can be very unforgiving.
As for fossils, they seem to be very hard to find under water, and many cubic feet of Louisiana mud.
The predominate religion in So. Louisiana is the Catholic Church, and most of the people here haven't kept up with the latest positions of the Pope.
The missionary churches of No. Louisiana are now making inroads into the Bayous, leaving a very odd mix of fundamentalism and conservative Catholicism.
I love it down here!
"The Constitution ..., is a marvelous document for self-government by Christian people. But the minute you turn the document into the hands of non-Christian and atheistic people they can use it to destroy the very foundation of our society." P. Robertson |
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