Religion constantly stifles knowledge

[cain_7777]

<snip> U.S. Lags World in Grasp of Genetics and Acceptance of Evolution

By Ker Than
LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 10 August 2006
02:01 pm ET

A comparison of peoples' views in 34 countries finds that the United States ranks near the bottom when it comes to public acceptance of evolution. Only Turkey ranked lower. Among the factors contributing to America's low score are poor understanding of biology, especially genetics, the politicization of science and the literal interpretation of the Bible by a small but vocal group of American Christians, the researchers say. “American Protestantism is more fundamentalist than anybody except perhaps the Islamic fundamentalist, which is why Turkey and we are so close,” said study co-author Jon Miller of Michigan State University.

The researchers combined data from public surveys on evolution collected from 32 European countries, the United States and Japan between 1985 and 2005. Adults in each country were asked whether they thought the statement “Human beings, as we know them, developed from earlier species of animals,” was true, false, or if they were unsure.

The study found that over the past 20 years:

The percentage of U.S. adults who accept evolution declined from 45 to 40 percent.
The percentage overtly rejecting evolution declined from 48 to 39 percent, however.
And the percentage of adults who were unsure increased, from 7 to 21 percent.
Of the other countries surveyed, only Turkey ranked lower, with about 25 percent of the population accepting evolution and 75 percent rejecting it. In Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and France, 80 percent or more of adults accepted evolution; in Japan, 78 percent of adults did.

The findings are detailed in the Aug. 11 issue of the journal Science.<snip>

more @ http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060810_evo_rank...

Evolution is a theory, not a hypothesis. Learn the difference. I would like to know why Christians in this country believe a compilation of stories, mixed with historical context, written by a group of people spanning hundreds of years apart with no scientific knowledge more-so than educated scholars of today? Christian fundamentalism will be America's downfall as the rest of the world surpasses us in education.

[BOSSHOG]

1. I could not possibly agree with you more

The number one domestic enemy of our constitution is insane religious fundamentalists who believe they thrive on their ignorance. I look forward to the next civil war where once again "conservatives" will get their asses kicked.

[cain_7777]

2. Education is the key, not war.

I don't believe civil war is the answer. Education is the best tool to fight religious ignorance.

[BOSSHOG]

4. I think you would agree that

efforts to educate fundamentalists in this country have failed miserably. They do not want to be educated, they are happy and serene in their beliefs; their happiness needs to be disrupted.

[cain_7777]

6. Ignorance needs to be countered with freethought

It needs to be a concerted effort to change the religious cultural movement here in the US, but I do not believe that their happiness should be disrupted. For these bible humpers, ignorance is bliss, and it will be hard for them to wake up, but over time in a few generations education can phase out religious myths, and the knowledge of reality will lead to a much better state of mind to live their lives to a much fuller degree.

[trotsky]

9. "They do not want to be educated"

Exactly. They opt out of public schools for that very reason - to protect their children from being exposed to ideas that might challenge their fundamentalist faith. How can you educate someone when they won't even try to listen to others?

[cain_7777]

10. very true

They do fight to remain ignorant because their faith will crumble as cold hard facts permeate their consciousness. If we educate the general masses with a better educational system and have much more of the general population recieving higher educations then it will further marginalize the fundies who refuse knowledge. It will take a few generations but it is achievable and must happen for America to remain a leading nation.

[kestrel91316]

3. If we keep this trend up, some day we will achieve the

greatness of Afghanistan.

[madrchsod]

5. "developed from earlier species of animals"?

horses? dogs? just what the hell kind of response were they looking for? "american protestantism is more fundamentalist than anyone except "perhaps" the islamic fundamentalist" wow that a real educated statement to say the least.
he lumps in 250 some million people with small european countries who have a far better education system and standard of living. japan has an entirely different religous tradition than the west.
if there is any "decline" it is the failure of the people of the united states to demand the highest quality education for all it`s citizens no matter their status in society.

[RethugAssKicker]

7. Which is one of the reasons that Americans are the dumbest

MFers in the world!

[Warpy]

8. Evolution is a fact. Natural selection is the theory.

And yes, when god gets thrust into science, all inquiry stops. Saying god did it is the end, there is no need to look any deeper, and if one does, it's heresy.

Religion has always been especially hard on science, and it doesn't matter if science simply wants to be left alone to explore. Inquiry is the enemy of faith, and nothing is more threatening to the faithful than someone who searches.

[cain_7777]

13. Its a fact and theory

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolution-fact.html

[cosmik debris]

16. How can you contest the fact

That we, as a species, have evolved horses to run faster.We have evolved cows to give more milk. We have evolved chickens to have larger breasts. We have evolved a hundred different kinds of hunting dogs. Virtually every domesticated animal has been evolved by man to serve the purpose of man better. Evolution is an observable fact. Our species is responsible for the evolution of many other species. It is not a theory.

You may argue that mankind is not a product of evolution, but you can not argue that other animals have not evolved. Evolution has occurred, it is not a theory.

[neebob]

18. It amazes me how anyone over, say, 45

(just because I'm 45) can observe and know and agree that people are getting taller - a lot taller, in their lifetime - and still deny evolution. It's happening right before their eyes.

[charlie]

11. Graphic

from a recent NY Times article (subscription):



and the article itself:

http://halrager.org/WordPress/?p=1765

*shiver*

*weeps*

[cain_7777]

12. Thanks for the hubris, and chart

but its the religious who want to beleive more than reality, not their "anti-intellectualism" as your article suggests. Then again that's my opinion and everythings relative.

[charlie]

14. "Thanks for the hubris"

Lol. Okay, I know where you're coming from. If I posted an article called The Arrogance of Power, you'd say, "thanks for the arrogance", right? Pfft.

[TreasonousBastard]

15. Sorry, but I find your thread title highly objectionable...

since it's not religion, but some religious attitudes taht help stifle science.

And it is not ewntirely those attitudes here in the US. Granted that there are a lot of fundagelicals who have their own crackpot ideas (they have "proven" that the furthest star is only 5,000 light years away) but more to the point is an anti-intellectual bias this country has shown since Spiro Agnew first complained about "pointy headed intellectuals."

When I was a kid in the '60s, science fairs, Westinghouse competitions, and all such things were the rage. My parochial high school, along with thousands of other schools, got a Federal grant to put in state-of-the-art physics, chem, and bio labs and hire good teachers. We were in the midst of the Eisenhower-Kennedy rush for science education after Sputnik scared the crap out of us that we weren't maybe so smart after all.

Well, that all dried up soon enough. First Vietnam stole a lot of money from other programs and Johnson didn't make science ed a priority, then when Nixon got in the well just dried up completely. We got the EPA, but not much in the way of training specialists to run it.

I heard 75% of the grad students in the hard sciences in US universities are furriners-- Indians, Japanese, Chinese, Arabs...

Don't put all the blame on the fundies when we have to look at our own students majoring in "(insert cause here) Studies" and preferring to get an MBA or law degree than study graduate physics.

[SPKrazy]

17. What A Misleading OP Title

when your link is to a story: U.S. Lags World in Grasp of Genetics and Acceptance of Evolution

a theory is fluid and therefore changing

your "hypothesis" is not fact, nor theory, just your opinion

and misleading as hell in your OP title

[and-justice-for-all]

19. Progress and Knowledge is exactly what religion fears....

Its been that way each the inseption of these false ideals in order to gain control over the masses; the Church has always feared knowledge and progress. Their platform is supression and freewheel has been a thorn in the Churches side for millenia.

CHRISTIAN FUNDMENTALISM is what is leading us back to the when religion did rule, it was called the Dark Ages!!

More so fear in the Christian Cult religion then any other, maybe Islm, but Christianity is a cancer that is wrecking havoc on the planet.