Only 4 in 10 Americans believe in evolution?

Most of us Europeans find these statistics amazing, throughout our continent the figure is well over 80% of the population who accept evolution.

A study carried out in 2006 published a short comparative study of international acceptance of evolution. Thirty-four countries were polled, and The US were 33rd - edging out Turkey for last place.

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.

Research found that in America 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.

Whereas in Europe having pro-life or right-wing political views had little correlation with a person's attitude toward evolution.

This reflects the politicization of the evolution issue in the U.S. in a manner never seen in Europe. In the second half of the 20th century, the conservative wing of the Republican Party has adopted creationism as part of a platform designed to consolidate their support in Southern and Midwestern states. For example when Ronald Reagan was running for President of the U.S., he gave speeches in these states where he would slip in the sentence, "I have no chimpanzees in my family."

When such a view comes from the U.S. President or other prominent political figures, it lends a degree of legitimacy to the dispute.

studies in the U.S. suggest substantial numbers of American adults are confused about some core ideas related to 20th- and 21st-century biology.

Other researchers cite a 2005 study finding that 78 percent of adults in the U.S. agreed that plants and animals had evolved from other organisms. In the same study, 62 percent also believed that God created humans without any evolutionary development.

They found that fewer than half of American adults can provide a minimal definition of DNA.

As adults with some understanding of genetics are more likely to have a belief in evolution it must be the teaching of biology throughout the States which is the reason for these statistics.

Therefore I believe until evolution is taken out of the political agenda and the influence of the church over the teaching of Biology is removed from the schools, Americans will continue to fail to be properly educated in this subject.

do you really believe in evolution or just adaptation. Most people including Darwin himself believed in adaptation not some crazy complete overhaul of a species into another. Darwin's belief was twisted by you guessed it the politicians of his time to say what it does now. By his death he didn't even believe what everyone was saying he taught.

I believe in Creationism as i am a Christian. But i believe God created us to be able to adapt to our situation.

It really has nothing to do with education. Educated people sometimes won't believe in something because they haven't been convinced

Before you can even argue your cause, I'd like to see who were the people interviewed, where the estimate came from and how many were used in the survey

High School or Less

Yes 21%

No 27%

N/A 57%

Some College

Yes 41%

No 29%

N/A 30%

College Grad

Yes 53%

No 22%

N/A 26%

Considering the fact that NEITHER side can prove it in total...I think it is honestly irrelevant. The present education system seems to feel that a higher percentage of people accepting a certain theory equals its absolute truth...it does not. People felt at one time the world was flat and it was accepted as truth by educators of the highest degree. This is why science is theory...until you know it all, you only have speculation and ideas.

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing

-Socrates

Try Philosophy first...

*Theory: idea formed by speculation

*Speculation: a conclusion, theory, or opinion based on incomplete facts or information

*Belief: acceptance by the mind that something is true or real.

America is starting to become a Christian version of Saudi Arabia.

If America doesn't become a civilized secular democracy with freedoms and civil liberties then Western Europe, China, and East Asia will leave us in the dust and the US will be considered a 3rd world country. Haven't the Bush years tought us that Religious Nutbags will only move America back to the 1800s? It's good that Obama isn't a dumb Redneck like Bush or an Evil Genius like Cheney.

And most people believe in a god even though there is no evidence in his existence so what they then? Less stupid than the ones that don't believe in evolution? or is this just another one of your selective biases on whats is acceptable to believe and not to believe?

Your question is an epic fail

Evolution no matter how much it's been said, is still in fact a theory

I'm catholic, and I believe in limited adaptation

First you convince me how the **** a t Rex became a chicken today?

Or how we evolved from primates, but monkeys are still running around

Anyways your question is an epic fail because it's all about

personal belief

And another thing don't compare gravity to evolution

Gravity is a thing that has been proven and we experience in everyday

Think before you talk because you comparison is completely asinine

Go masturbate to an obama poster while I laugh at his failed stimulus plan

Funny you say gravity is a theory is bullshit

Because it's been proven

Evolution has been presented with evidence

Not proven

As well as religion, but it is still personal belief

Before you say **** absorb this with your overly educated mind

This comes back to the monkey argument

If adaptation was so much proven like you said, why are the monkeys still around yet to "adapt" to our environment

Yet we somehow magically adapted in some way as science says

Go talk to a monkey about evolution so he can throw feces at you

If evolution was true, narrow minded liberals like you persuaded by NBC CBS and your Obama loving teachers wouldn't be around

So how'd that coming from a 16 year old living in Texas?

Looks like you certaintly haven't "evolved" one bit

Once again, disproving evolution

Ones belief in creationism or evolution has nothing to do with education and everything to do with personal experiences and the way they were raised. I don't send my children to school for the teachers to educate them with their "opinions". The U.S. does need to fix public education but they need to address real problems that will actually affect these children when they're adults and not waste the kids time when he or she could be learning something productive.

Well, I'm one of the 10 that does not believe in evolution. And took an Anthropology course in college because I found it interesting. But challenged my Professor all the time on many things.

I am too sleepy to do my own championing of Evolution. However, I will say simply, the manor in which the word "theory" is used in reference to mathematics and science is not at all the same as the definition and use in lay conversation of the same word. This video explains it quite well I think. It is about 10 minutes long.....so I doubt anyone will bother.

http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=3...

EDIT Nice job though, Sam. I appreciate your informed stance. Unfortunately I fear it is Mozart at the Monster Truck Rally.