# How common is creationism outside the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2001, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975 "2001-10-02T14:55:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wiwaxia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Wiwaxia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wiwaxia)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/1 "2001-10-02T14:55:17Z")
This is not a debate, just a question. I’ve travelled extensively. I have many friends from different countries and cultures. I work in an international environment. My personal, anecdotal evidence shows young earth creationism is almost unknown outsede the US. However, my personal experince might not be representative. Does anyone know? Are there any statistics available? ---
**Author:** ![geepee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ebca7d/32.png) [@geepee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geepee)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/2 "2001-10-02T15:03:29Z")
nothing direct but UK is supposed to be up to 80% atheist and on the news recently the church of england said it was in a crisis because of low attendances and lack of belief within England , also we seem to take things with a pinch of salt , when in University and High school , evolution was touted only as a theory and the professor emphasised this point to any creationists in the audience which there was only one out of about 500 people . Curiculum doesn’t say you have to believe it or anything just to know facts and accepted history of religions , which is touted also as theories ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/3 "2001-10-02T15:40:13Z")
This isn’t an answer to the OP, but on my last trip to the UK I learned that some of the newest 10 pound notes have pictures of Charles Darwin on them. Just imagine trying to put Darwin on our money here in the States. Oh, the hue and cry! Even if he’d been American. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/4 "2001-10-02T15:51:33Z")
\ Old £10 - Charles Dickens New £10 (the one with the hologram - Charles **Darwin** ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/5 "2001-10-02T15:55:20Z")
I’d say probably 80% of evangelical Christians that I know are weak creationists, I don’t think they’d go as far as trying to get evolution removed from the curriculum, but they would most likely argue the case person-to-person. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/6 "2001-10-02T15:58:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by geepee \* > \*\*nothing direct but UK is supposed to be up to 80% atheist > \*\* And remember that even among the 20% who profess to be religious, probably most won’t be creationist. So that works out to be a very small percentage of creationists indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/7 "2001-10-02T16:13:23Z")
It was my impression from reading “New Scientist”, a British science journal, that creationism is almost unheard of outside the US. Quite a source of embarrassment for me. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/8 "2001-10-02T18:54:00Z")
The discussion of the UK by Ronald Numbers in _The Creationists_ (Knopf, 1992) makes it clear that there was an independent, if marginal, tradition of creationism in this country in the early 20th century. Since the 60s, however, even what little creationism there is has been little more than an imitation of the US version. (Of course, the emergence of young earth creationism as a particularly American phenomenon is very much what Numbers’ book is about.) I suspect that for most Britons, the only people they will ever encounter _expressing_ creationist views are Jehovah Witnesses or Morman missionaries. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/9 "2001-10-02T22:02:56Z")
Although it’s nowhere near as rampant here in Canada… we certainly have pockets of creationists… at least in the West. The leader of our National opposition party (which has lots of support in the West) has espoused such a position. A quick google search found a site [http://members.aol.com/dwr51055/Creation.html](http://members.aol.com/dwr51055/Creation.html) that listed creationist organizations in Brazil Canada France Hungary India Russia South Africa Sweden Switzerland and Turkey ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/10 "2001-10-02T22:21:11Z")
I teach in a Christian school founded over 400 years ago by an Archdeacon. All our pupils attend chapel weekly, and we have a resident chaplain. Our biology department teaches science i.e. evolution. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/11 "2001-10-02T22:31:43Z")
My impression is that Australia has a fairly active creationist contingent (including evangelical Christian Young Earth Creationists), although nowhere near as strong a political or cultural force as in the U.S. The only group included in Talk.Origins’ [listing of Creation/Evolution Organizations and Periodicals](http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/organizations.html) that’s outside the U.S. is an Australian group, the [Creation Science Foundation](http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/organizations.html#aig). The CSF is evidently affiliated with the American group Answers in Genesis, which reinforces the idea that creationism, or at least YEC, is basically an American export. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/12 "2001-10-02T22:32:50Z")
The figures I have from a survey on religion in New Zealand (unfortunately not in front of me) were something like: [ul] [li]30% _hard_ evolutionist – no God or gods involved.[/li][li]30% _theist_ evolutionist – God exists and big bang/evolution as described by science over billions/millions of years was the method God used to create the universe/life.[/li][li]10% young earth creationist.[/li][/ul] (Remaining 30% undecided/no answer/etc). The same survey had some information from the US, where it claimed upwards of 40% are young earth creationists, and only 10% or so agree with the scientific theory of evolution . (There were no figures for Old Earth creation or theist evolution). ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/13 "2001-10-02T22:33:41Z")
Ian Paisley’s Free Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland teaches creationism. I’d imagine its counterpart in Scotland does as well. ---
**Author:** ![Wiwaxia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Wiwaxia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wiwaxia)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/14 "2001-10-02T22:49:01Z")
Thank you all 🙂 I just read an article from New scientist, _Unnatural selection_, MacKenzie, 22 Apr 00, and according to this article, 47% of Amercians believe “humans did not evolve but were created by god a few thousand years ago”. The article does not differ between young and old earth creationism, but this still sounds remarkable high compared to Europe and Australasia. How come? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/15 "2001-10-02T23:08:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Apollyon \* > The figures I have from a survey on religion in New Zealand (unfortunately not in front of me) were something like: > [ul] > [li]30% _hard_ evolutionist – no God or gods involved.[/li][li]30% _theist_ evolutionist – God exists and big bang/evolution as described by science over billions/millions of years was the method God used to create the universe/life.[/li][li]10% young earth creationist.[/li][/ul] > (Remaining 30% undecided/no answer/etc). > > The same survey had some information from the US, where it claimed upwards of 40% are young earth creationists, and only 10% or so agree with the scientific theory of evolution . (There were no figures for Old Earth creation or theist evolution). [Gallup poll figures](http://www.gallup.com/poll/releases/pr010305.asp) indicate that (as of February 2001), about 45% of Americans were “hard creationists” (agreeing with the statement “God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so”, which would still include “day-age” and other “Old Earth Creationists”); 37% were theistic evolutionists (“Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process”); 12% were atheistic or weak Deistic evolutionists (“Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process”, which I guess could still include a clockmaker God who created the Universe but then stood back and let it run its own way); and 6% were other or no opinion. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/16 "2001-10-03T14:56:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wiwaxia \* > \*\*Thank you all 🙂 > > I just read an article from New scientist, _Unnatural selection_, MacKenzie, 22 Apr 00, and according to this article, 47% of Amercians believe “humans did not evolve but were created by god a few thousand years ago”. The article does not differ between young and old earth creationism, but this still sounds remarkable high compared to Europe and Australasia. > > How come? \*\* Maybe because our country was founded in large part by religious zealots whose countrymen couldn’t live with them. It only stands to reason that a bunch of religious zealots would still be around. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/17 "2001-10-03T18:08:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by toadspittle \* > Maybe because our country was founded in large part by religious zealots whose countrymen couldn’t live with them. It only stands to reason that a bunch of religious zealots would still be around. I submit that the majority of the people involved in drafting the Constitution were, in fact, nothing of the sort. Religious, to be sure, but by no means zealots. ---
**Author:** ![Wiwaxia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Wiwaxia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wiwaxia)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/18 "2001-10-03T18:55:18Z")
But according to polls, about 40% of natural scientists have religious beliefs, and they are not creationists? (With a few exceptions) There must be additional factors that explain the high rate of creationism in the US. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-creationism-outside-the-us/84975/19 "2001-10-03T21:21:26Z")
One of the reasons I think creationism is so popular in North America, is that North American Protestant Christians view God anthropomorphically. They believe that God is a being that can be conversed with, dealt with on a one-to-one basis. This is because they the bible describes God in anthropomorphic terms. When the description of God is taken so literally, it follows that the description of creation will also be take literally.