By this count there are more creationist museums in the United States than in the rest of the world put together.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creationist_museum

In the meanwhile, the United States, once considered the world leader in science and engineering, loses ground:

.............................

"The National Academies, the country’s leading advisory group on science and technology, warned in 2005 that unless the United States improved the quality of math and science education, at all levels, it would continue to lose economic ground to foreign competitors.

"The situation remains grim. According to a follow-up report published last month, the academies found that the United States ranks 27th out of 29 wealthy countries in the proportion of college students with degrees in science or engineering, while the World Economic Forum ranked this country 48th out of 133 developed and developing nations in quality of math and science instruction."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/opinion/26tue2.html

For now we are able to get away with it as a nation because our university system still attracts many of the best and brightest academics from around the world. A combination of academic prestige, resources, and salary continues to lure them in. Go to the top tier universities and in many departments you will find that a large number of faculty members were not born in the United States. All three of my dissertation advisors were foreign born. So a disproportionate share of significant published research still originates from universities and colleges located in the United States. But less and less of it is actually being done by American-born researchers.

The U.S. does have many serious problems. Many of the U.S. born scientists that I work with are more interested in reconciling science with their religious beliefs and political leanings. They are mostly conservatives in my company...go figure. As the following survey indicates many professors (and others with similar education levels) are religionists/deists of various stripes.

http://religion.ssrc.org/reforum/Gross_Simmons.pdf

I am appalled by the lack of critical and logical thinking among people in the U.S. Even many with advanced degrees are not able to effectively navigate evidence and arrive at logical conclusions on a consistent basis.

the pawn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
As
> the following survey indicates many professors
> (and others with similar education levels) are
> religionists/deists of various stripes.
>
> http://religion.ssrc.org/reforum/Gross_Simmons.pdf

Once you start polling scientists who are members of elite academies the number of religionists drops very significantly. People are voted into these academies by their peers on the basis of the quality and impact of their science.

Simon in Oz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> the pawn Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> As
> > the following survey indicates many professors
> > (and others with similar education levels) are
> > religionists/deists of various stripes.
> >
> >
> http://religion.ssrc.org/reforum/Gross_Simmons.pdf
>
>
> Once you start polling scientists who are members
> of elite academies the number of religionists
> drops very significantly. People are voted into
> these academies by their peers on the basis of the
> quality and impact of their science.

Good point. I was actually looking for the study that mentioned that fact but could not find it in the brief search I conducted.

Until I read that he's an ob-gyn that doesn't believe in evolution, and believes a zygote should be afforded all the rights and priviledges of a human being (because life begins at ejaculation or ovulation or during a simultaneous orgasm or something like that).

Sheez.

What happened to the U.S. being a shining example of science and enlightenment?

We've devolved into a nation of simpering, paranoid, narcissistic, entitled, pampered dummies.

(See the Ricky Gervais movie "The Invention of Lying" for a way out of our dullardness.)

And he gets scarier the more I find out about him.

He appears to be a mystical white supremicist scumbag.

http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/ron-paul-and-his-kkk-white/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2011 04:44PM by Dave the Atheist.

A TBM friend doctor is also a creationist. We have talked on several occasions and I am not able to follow his train of magical thinking. Not sure how he made it through med school without having an awakening but such is his situation.

thinks our health system needs overhaul! yep he is a keeper...:)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2011 02:21PM by bignevermo.

It truly scares me. We are moving toward a disturbing re-play of the past. A corporate theocracy.