He's probably got a point there. I'd rather kill a few brain cells with really good beer and fine single malt scotch. Much more enjoyable and rewarding. Just sayin'
Every US president has proclaimed themselves a Christian, and I don't know of any that have claimed to believe in the correct age of the Earth. But, I could be wrong.
I remember JFK commenting about how we all come from the sea and that the percentage of salt in ourblood is.close to that of the sea. Sounds like he had no problem with evolution. However, presidents are not scientists and lecturing on the age of the earth isnt their job. Again, most Christians are not young earth creationists. That includes just about everyone but the Fundies. You know, Catholics,Lutherans, Methodists, Eppiscoplians, Presbyerians and lots of others including a lot of Mormons.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2014 05:16PM by bona dea.
For everyone else, however, I doubt they have even decided what they think. Too much cognitive dissonance.
"A 2009 poll by Harris Interactive found that 39% of Americans agreed with the statement that "God created the universe, the earth, the sun, moon, stars, plants, animals, and the first two people within the past 10 000 years", yet only 18% of those same Americans agreed with the statement "The earth is less than 10 000 years old."
Now add in a billion Muslims. I don't think Young Earth Creationism is as rare as you seem to think.
Creationism, young or not, is certainly extremely widespread. Both ideas are ignorant.
You can believe that God used evolution to create and,even if that is not your view,it is hardly ignorant. Eighteen per cent is far from a majority and while it is appalling, I am not that surprised. There are a lot of people who are very ignorant and their ignorance may be more about lack of education than it is about religion. As a teacher I see ignorance every day in both religious kids and non religious.kids.A person who cannot name the president of VP or who thinks Obama is a Muslim may be totally ignorant and not all of the reason are religious.Maybe some of them are poorly educated ignoramuses who slept through school and never read anything.Another point is that Muslim.views on evolutipn are.diverse. Many Muslims have no problem with it. Google Mualims and evolution
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2014 06:14PM by bona dea.
bona dea Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > He is talking about creationism,not religion in > general. This is a point some atheists need to > get. ALL RELIGIONS ARE NOT CREATIONISTS!!!
We already "get" that. Other religious beliefs are no less ridiculous...and at least the "young earth creationists" are honest about what their book of myths says. :)
I am glad you get that and I hope you get that most Christians as far back Augustine were not Biblical literalists. Beaides, I was not talking to you bit to the OP who misquoted Bill Nye and changed his meaning. Sounds like he didnt get it.
bona dea Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am glad you get that and I hope you get that > most Christians as far back Augustine were not > Biblical literalists. Beaides, I was not talking > to you bit to the OP who misquoted Bill Nye and > changed his meaning. Sounds like he didnt get it.
Yes, I know. As far back as Augustine, apologetics was in developement, because even then observed reality contradicted a "literal" reading of "holy scripture."
Oh, and while "believing" that "god used evolution to create" isn't ignorant per se, it is unsupportable by any evidence of any kind (and in fact contradicts directly how we *know* evolution works, by natural selection, with nothing supernatural needed). Which puts that "belief" in the same category as believing Ba'al Hadad makes storms, or that Venus determines your level of fertility :)
I believed in the Creationism taught by Mormonism. Both of my parents were highly educated, but it still took me until I was almost 30 to understand the damage that religious lies like a "Young Earth" had done to my education.
Any religion that teaches well-known and provably false lies should be ridiculed out of existence. (the religion, not the believer)
I took two years of biology in high school with an excellent teacher. He taught us evolution. He also told us that the curriculum required him to present "creation science." He did so. It was perfectly clear from his tone what he thought of it. I had no trouble separating the science of evolution from the community-imposed silliness of "creation science."