# Why do most Americans deny evolution? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 31, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801 "2005-12-31T00:16:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bonitahi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@bonitahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonitahi)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/1 "2005-12-31T00:16:49Z")
Why do most Americans deny evolution? “Less than half of all Americans believe in evolution.” source American Museum of Natural History page 53, Newsweek, November 28, 2005. Last week Gov. Jeb Bush of FL (I’m paraphrasing) said he did not want the teaching of evolution to be part of the public school’s curriculum. Do the majority also believe in astrology, as did Nancy Reagan? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/2 "2005-12-31T00:20:25Z")
> [@bonitahi](#): > > Why do most Americans deny evolution? A combination of strong religion and pathetic science education, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/3 "2005-12-31T00:22:53Z")
Why would religion be a factor in the denial of evolution? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/4 "2005-12-31T00:24:40Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Why would religion be a factor in the denial of evolution? It’s the _only_ factor of importance; all the facts, all the science is on the side of evolution. Besides, how do you have non-religious creationism ? ---
**Author:** ![lonesome\_loser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@lonesome\_loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lonesome_loser)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/5 "2005-12-31T00:25:59Z")
[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/22/opinion/polls/main965223.shtml](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/22/opinion/polls/main965223.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/6 "2005-12-31T00:35:25Z")
> [@Der Trihs](#): > > It’s the _only_ factor of importance; all the facts, all the science is on the side of evolution. I reject the premise that religion and science are somehow opposed. Not only do they not oppose, they do not even intersect. They do not examine the same things. > [@](#): > > Besides, how do you have non-religious creationism ? Lots of non-religious people accept the existence of supernatural phenomena. God is supernatural, but something supernatural is not necessarily God — just as a cow is a bovine, but a bovine is not necessarily a cow. Ghosts, for example, are supernatural. ---
**Author:** ![bonitahi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@bonitahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonitahi)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/7 "2005-12-31T00:39:28Z")
> [@lonesome loser](#): > > [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/22/opinion/polls/main965223.shtml](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/22/opinion/polls/main965223.shtml) Nice link But why? Didn’t the pope (Pope John) in the late 1990’s say evolution should be accepted? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/8 "2005-12-31T00:42:39Z")
**Liberal** , I agree with you that there’s no conflict between science and religion, but not everyone feels that way. A lot (I would say most) resistance to evolution stems from the feeling that evolution is an attack on their belief system. I’ve certainly never heard an objection to evolution that wasn’t founded on religion, although that obviously doesn’t mean that such objections don’t exsist. Do you know of any? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/9 "2005-12-31T00:42:53Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I reject the premise that religion and science are somehow opposed. Not only do they not oppose, they do not even intersect. They do not examine the same things. I suggest you read the link from \*\*lonesome loser \*\*. Disbelief in evolution _does_ come from religion, whether you choose to deny reality or not. Religion and science are opposed, for the simple reason that religion promotes faith, while science relies on reason and facts. To the extent they “do not examine the same things”, it’s because science has systematically disproven so much of religion. Religion can only survive by avoiding/denying science or forceful imposition. > [@Liberal](#): > > Lots of non-religious people accept the existence of supernatural phenomena. God is supernatural, but something supernatural is not necessarily God — just as a cow is a bovine, but a bovine is not necessarily a cow. Ghosts, for example, are supernatural. A creator/shaper of life and a god are usually considered the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/10 "2005-12-31T00:43:29Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Why would religion be a factor in the denial of evolution? Err - what other factors could there possibly be? ---
**Author:** ![lonesome\_loser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@lonesome\_loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lonesome_loser)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/11 "2005-12-31T00:44:53Z")
So, are there giant wizards that did it or what? ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/12 "2005-12-31T00:45:25Z")
Perhaps it is the phrasing of the question that impacts on the responses. I know many people who “believe” in evolution, but query why and how the universe was formed. I also wonder just who Newsweek polled for those results. And I am somewhat dismayed by the results, no matter the methodology. To me, religion and science are neither mutually exclusive nor at odds with one another–they are infrequently tangentially related. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/13 "2005-12-31T00:46:49Z")
> [@bonitahi](#): > > Last week Gov. Jeb Bush of FL (I’m paraphrasing) said he did not want the teaching of evolution to be part of the public school’s curriculum. I seriously doubt that. Let’s see a cite. > [@Liberal](#): > > I reject the premise that religion and science are somehow opposed. Not only do they not oppose, they do not even intersect. They do not examine the same things. I agree. But we’re not talking about you and me here, we’re talking about Americans who don’t accept evolution by natural selection. Most of them will cite the Bible as their source of information about the formation of the Earth and the life on it. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/14 "2005-12-31T00:50:16Z")
> [@bonitahi](#): > > Nice link > But why? > Didn’t the pope (Pope John) in the late 1990’s say evolution should be accepted? Typical christian creationists are not Roman Catholic. I have the strange perspective of having grown up Roman Catholic then later a string of fundimentalists denominations from Southern Baptist to Assembly of God. Literal interpretation is paramount to fundimentalists. I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I’m going to hell because I don’t believe the universe was created in 144 hours. Seriously many believe their faith is at stake if they accept anything that contradicts what Genesis says. Fortunately plenty of Christians accept that Genesis was written for it’s audience and that it isn’t exactly a blueprint for the world. Oh, the pope in the '90s was John-Paul II. Don’t confuse him with the most recent pope John, the XXIII. ---
**Author:** ![lonesome\_loser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@lonesome\_loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lonesome_loser)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/15 "2005-12-31T00:50:56Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > I seriously doubt that. Let’s see a cite. > > snip… > [@](#): > > Bush said last week he did not think Darwin’s theory of evolution needed to be part of the state’s public school science standards, according to an account in the Miami Herald. > > “I think people have different points of view and they can be discussed in school,” Bush said. “They don’t need to be in the curriculum.” [http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/28/State/Leave\_evolution\_out\_o.shtml](http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/28/State/Leave_evolution_out_o.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/16 "2005-12-31T00:55:03Z")
The problem is that the question is poorly phrased, presenting two disparate concepts as though they were either/or excluded-middle choices. ---
**Author:** ![Age\_Quod\_Agis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@Age\_Quod\_Agis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Age_Quod_Agis)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/17 "2005-12-31T00:56:38Z")
> [@bonitahi](#): > > Nice link > But why? The link was so that others could see the poll you’re talking about. It helps if we know the nature of the question as well as the actual results. For example, your statement that Jeb Bush did not want the teaching of evolution to be part of the public school curriculum looks a little different [when you put it in its context](http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/28/State/Leave_evolution_out_o.shtml). > [@](#): > > “I think people have different points of view and they can be discussed in school,” Bush said. “They don’t need to be in the curriculum.” > > Bush’s comments came in response to reporters’ questions about a court ruling in Pennsylvania on intelligent design, which holds that life on Earth is too complicated to have been created by chance. > > On Tuesday, Bush spokesman Russell Schweiss clarified Bush’s position somewhat: Evolution “is a scientific theory and he’s not opposed to it being taught in classrooms,” Schweiss said. “But he doesn’t think it should necessarily be dictated in the standards.” I imagine the reason that people believe in creationism is the same reason that people believe in evolution: they find the evidence and explanations more satisfying and/or it better fits with their preconceived worldview. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/18 "2005-12-31T00:57:32Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > I agree. But we’re not talking about you and me here, we’re talking about Americans who don’t accept evolution by natural selection. Most of them will cite the Bible as their source of information about the formation of the Earth and the life on it. But that’s not a conflict between science and religion. It’s just plain ignorance — of exactly the same kind as the people who cite science as their source of information about God. ---
**Author:** ![lonesome\_loser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@lonesome\_loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lonesome_loser)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/19 "2005-12-31T01:03:56Z")
I find it amazing how often a right wing politician will say something, then along trots someone else to tell you what he really said. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801/20 "2005-12-31T01:10:48Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > But that’s not a conflict between science and religion. It’s just plain ignorance — of exactly the same kind as the people who cite science as their source of information about God. Hmm. Do you accept that the anti-evolution position is in conflict with science? If so, would “a conflict between science and certain religious beliefs” be an accurate way of describing the debate? I would also be reluctant to use the word “ignorance”. Many creationists know as much, if not more, about the fossil record, the geologic column, radiometric dating, etc, than the typical non-scientific supporter of evolution, yet they still choose to adopt an anti-scientific position. There are many words, most of them uncomplimentary, that can be used to describe this attitude, but “ignorant” isn’t one of them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-americans-deny-evolution/337801.md?page=2)