Fundies at my work and the "51 percent"

[Ishoutandscream2]

A thread just came up about 51 percent of Americans do not believe in evolution. Out of my mouth in my office, I exclaimed "51 percent don't believe in evolution. My God!!"

So, my fellow workers, who think I'm arrogant, once again stated, "So, if anyone doesn't agree with you, they're ignorant?" And my arrogant self stated, "Yes, on some topics, especially this one." So I asked this particular person, "Do you believe in anything within the theory of evolution? Doesn't 51% bother you?" No was the answer.

I said that I wanted my nation to be more in tune with science. They don't seem to care, and really believe they will be sucked up into heaven on the day of the rapture. And yes, these people vote Republican.

This is where I come from. These are the people I work with. This is the community that gives us Congressman Ralph Hall (Bushbot). These people, including Ralph, are still friends of mine. But God, their ignorance just floors me.

[DawnIsis]

1. I wanna see that poll. If 51% of Americans don't believe in science

we are friggin doomed.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. I don't know which poll the OP was referring to, but there is some

interesting polling data on the subject here:

http://www.pollingreport.com/science.htm

[ThomCat]

2. I'm very sorry that you have to work with people like that.

Being around deliberately ignorant people is almost painful. x(

[gratuitous]

3. Someone is ignorant not because they don't agree with me

A person is ignorant who isn't informed. There's a cure for that, and it's called education. And not "believing" in evolution is on a par with not "believing" in electricity. Someone who told you that the light comes on when you flip the switch because little fairies live in the walls and they generate the light by rubbing their wings together is on a par with someone who doesn't "believe" in evolution.

I can tell a person about electricity and its currents until I'm blue in the face, but if someone wants to believe in the little fairy theory of light generation, it's pretty useless to explain it to them.

[Ishoutandscream2]

5. Exactly, and that would have been a good way for me to put it

But I was just absolutely floored.

[gratuitous]

14. Yeah, I know

I'm much better at a keyboard with a few minutes to process and think, too. It is flooring to think that there are people walking around who think that evolution is a matter of faith and are actually proud of their ignorance!

Maybe it's still not too late to mention to your esteemed colleague that you've thought over something he said, and you want to correct his misimpression, to-wit: You don't think he's ignorant because he disagrees with you; you think he's ignorant because he's uneducated.

[valerief]

4. Most of Murka doesn't believe in god although many may give a

non-thinking lip-service to a god to avoid confrontations (I know I used to). And most people trust science. I suggest you move. You're living in their hell now.

(edited to correct grammar only)

[Ishoutandscream2]

6. I can only wish, valerief

I have an elderly mother to take care of, and an elderly grandmother-in-law. Both in the same community. There is absolutely no way I can leave here, until sadly both pass away.

If I could, I'd move to one of the maritime provinces of Canada. I love the people, the beauty, and what I consider the free flowing of ideas. That's my wish, but I don't think it will happen. At least, not anytime soon.

[valerief]

15. Good god, Texas? You poor baby. Best of luck. nt

[Ishoutandscream2]

21. Thanks for your kind words

Ya know, I'm native born, and there are things about my state I truly love. But this is just an example of what I have to deal with that drive me absolutely nuts. I want to talk with people who share my ideas. There are those like that here, but they seem to be closeted. And I can see why, because I have been called:

1. A traitor
2. A communist
and, I have been told to
3. Move to Massachusetts (that would be pretty cool, actually).

The day after the 2004 presidential election, one of my co-workers (who, thank God, no longer works with me) came into my office to "comfort me." With a Sean Hannity like self-righteousness in his face, he asked me, "James, are you a Christian?" Well, I'm not, but to assume that only "Godless heathens" vote Democratic is so insulting and ridiculous.

Yes, it's frustrating.

[valerief]

22. I know all of Texas isn't damaged, of course. It's just that too much

of it is already damaged. We got rid of Romney in Massachusetts (I swear it was election tampering that got him in). When you can make it to Taxachusetts, you'd be quite welcome. It's not perfect, but there are many, many "blue" people here.

[Ishoutandscream2]

25. I love Boston

and the New England area. I know several that bitch about the cold weather and try to steer me away from it, but I think I could eventually adapt.

Yeah, good ol' heathen Massachusetts. My friends' heads explode when I explain that Massachusetts has a lower rate of divorce per capita than Texas.

[valerief]

26. I think it may even be the lowest rate in the country. You can drive along

a stretch of highway and not see one anti-abortion billboard nor one church billboard.

I've never been to Texas, but I'm guessing it's like the other holy states.

[qdemn7]

7. Oh c'mon

don't be so naive. :crazy: You live in Rockwall for godsakes. You know how religious North Texas is, how many Baptist churches there are in N. Texas, not to mention Texas itself. All this is a reflection of just how much an influence religion has in America. Hell, a woman shows her tits here and it's a three ring media circus. Anywhere else in the world it's fine and dandy.

[momster]

8. I don't believe in Evolution.

I say 'I'm convinced that the theory of evolution is the correct one.' Belief is for religions. Belief is for the Tooth Fairy when my kid was 6. I 'believe' I can play the piano...but not in public.

[valerief]

16. Good point, but noozcasters like Tweety would never refine their

questions to make such sense. Everything must be constructed to be interpreted more than one way with them.

[EstimatedProphet]

18. Exactly

It's not a question of belief. It's a question of accepting facts. Our idjit media has been doing a great job of confusing the two, to the point that people now have no idea what the difference is.

[bunkerbuster1]

9. I suspect of the 51% who claim to believe...

Probably half, maybe more (maybe WAY more) are secretly skeptical, and know in their hearts that they're following instructions from a book written by men thousands of years ago that has very little to do with reality.

To acknowledge evolution, in their minds, would be to acknowledge that skepticism. That's what it's come down to. So instead they say evolution is a "myth," atheism is a "religion", and they usually vote Republican.

Which is kinda weird, given that many religious leaders have said pointedly that evolution and religious belief are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

I don't claim to get it all, but I do think there's a lot more closeted skepticism out there than those polls would indicate. I really do.

[NavyDavy]

11. i betcha most of that 51 % go to sa doctor when they

are sick and need healing....some may still pray to god to save them from the evil vapors....but I could be wrong....

[valerief]

17. Yeah, the insurance companies shouldn't cover their medical claims.

They can always say, "Well, it was god's will you got sick."

[neverforget]

12. Scientists know nothing about science. After all, if it wasn't for religion

we wouldn't have nuclear power, space travel, computers, satellite radio, etc. :eyes:

[Neecy]

13. I hear ya

One of my neighbors is a retired high school teacher who doesn't believe in evolution. It just floors me - a teacher, a college educated man who doesn't believe in science. I don't believe it's just ignorance, but willful ignorance.

I have a bumper sticker on my car that drives him wild:

FINE.
I EVOLVED, YOU DIDN'T

[Rosemary2205]

19. Why can't it be BOTH?????

Evolution is obviously happening right before our own eyes. It's no secret the viruses and germs and evolving to survive our anti-biotics.

I don't understand why a person of faith can't recognize the process that is happening and believe some sort of God has a hand in making that process happen. So what if mankind evolved from apes over millions of years - the bible doesn't specify exactly what method god used in creating people. I dont' understand why it has to be either/or. The two thing work hand in hand just fine.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. I'll tell you why

if you recognize that evolution haoppened, then we are like any other animal, and not superior to them

Also in their views, that is too random to explain the presence of the divisine

I've told people like this the miracle (they believe in them, I don't) is that we are having this converstation at this moment in time.

But really, for many of these folks the didea that they are an animal, just like dogs and cats scasres them, maily it means that if we have a soul, so do animals

[valerief]

23. It can't be worked out logically both ways. It's either magic or it's science.

Even if you factor science into the magic, then it's still magic.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

24. And when I was in high school in Minnesota 40 years ago

evolution was NOT considered problematic, except by the Jehovah's Witnesses. I grew up with the impression that this had all been settled in times past.

All this anti-evolution crap started to pick up steam during the Reagan administration. Before then, most people accepted evolution as fact.

[CreekDog]

27. Could be they don't even understand the bible

The rapture as a concept is not biblical and in fact was not even a Christian belief until the 19th century. Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Episcopalians in fact teach against the rapture.

And this leads to my point:

If they misunderstand the bible enough to think the rapture is scriptural, which it is not, perhaps they misunderstand the bible to exclude the knowledge that science gives us. Maybe they should look at the bible more closely.

[Luna_C_06]

28. Damn, 51%?

I know how you feel, plus Hall is my congressman too.

[Strelnikov_]

29. Then no modern antibiotics or influenza vaccines for them

Because if bacteria and viruses don't evolve, shouldn't penicillin and the first influenza vaccine be good enough.