[CobaltBlue]

CB's theory on why evolution is rejected in the Bible Belt(worth what you paid for it - no charge).

Darwin started writing in the 19th century, when the United States was still struggling with slavery and its aftermath. The "Descent of Man" was published in 1871.

At that time, it was widely perceived in the South that blacks looked, acted, and smelled like apes. Dehumanizing black people was convenient for their consciences, because nice people wouldn't treat other human beings the way they treated black people, and they knew it.

Along came Darwin, who pointed out that mankind's closest relatives are apes, which is indisputable, but also that we are directly related to apes, which was intolerable to Southerners who hated blacks.

This is what really scalds and burns them. How can they hate the detestable ape-like blacks when they are so closely related to them?

Jesus Christ, of course, was blonde and blue-eyed, which only enhances his adorable nature. If you don't believe me, take a look at Southern Baptist portrayals of Him.

Blacks are like apes. Apes are Bad. Blonds are Good. Thus, being related to apes is intolerable.

I'll bet you a dollar to a donut that if you scratch a creationist, this is what you'll find hidden in the deepest recesses of his or her mind.

[Ben Chad]

Good zinger!

[Doctor Stochastic]

This attitude (which I had heard bandied about during the middle of the last century) may help explain the emotional response against the "out of Africa" theory of the spread of the proto-humans. Of course, new evidence could change the current thinking about human migration. (The Chinese seem to want to refute the OoA idea even more than most.)

[Modernman]

Jesus Christ, of course, was blonde and blue-eyed, which only enhances his adorable nature. If you don't believe me, take a look at Southern Baptist portrayals of Him.

I love it. It's probably painful to a lot of fundamentalists that Jesus looked a lot more like the average Middleasterner than the average Midwesterner.

[tcuoohjohn]

Hmmm...Some underlying racial motif to creationism?..Seems like a reach to me. I suspect it is more like conspiracy thinkers. They demand absolute complete evidence of the theory. When presented with 99.8% of the evidence they cite the 0.2% missing evidence as proof that the theory is wrong and then proceed to adopt a position that has ZERO evidence as correct and undeniably true.

I don't begrudge a man his faith. Faith is unarguable because it is not rooted in the observable and the measurable. I do begrudge anyone who attempts to label his faith as Science which IS rooted in the observable and the measurable.

[Nataku X]

Grew up in YECsville. That's not the reason at all. It has been shown that far more blacks than whites reject YEC as well.

It's simply an artifact of culture very deeply entrenched in religion. I consider myself a Southerner and I love YECsville with all my heart--would live there if there were jobs.

Most people don't even think about it. You just believed in YEC just as you believed in Jesus or the Shroud of Turin. I was the only person I knew who had a deeper interest in the issue (so I had all the YEC books out there).

Yes there are racists.. got many racism stories.. but it has nil to do with religion

</defending YECsville>

[AnalogReigns]

Interesting and counterintuitive argument. Kind of silly though.

Southerners in the Bible belt are creationists....(DING) because they are Christians who take the bible seriously. The most serious racists of modern times, the Nazis, were also ardent evolutionists.

Evolution, after all says species evolve up--and its much easier (and frankly natural) to develop racist theories using evolution (as the Nazis did, and by the way, as did Darwin, and all the 1st generation evolutionists--horendous racists, by anyone's standards) than creation. Even today, its fashionable among certain types of people to say, "So and so is very evolved..." (meaning they're very mature or refined). Most modern evolutionists are not racists (at least openly) it is true, however such attitudes would seem counter to the logic of evolution.

Please explain to me, in evolutionary terms, why some individuals, or especially families or races, wouldn't become through mutation, more evolved than others?

[Heartlander]

YEC = racism?

It seems Goodwin’s Law has evolved. This is unfortunate as it is your first post and continuous theme throughout this thread.

It appears you have a common ‘itch’ with those you ridicule.

[cookcounty]

"I'll bet you a dollar to a donut that if you scratch a creationist, this ..(fear that they might be closely related to blacks).. is what you'll find hidden in the deepest recesses of his or her mind."

The evolutionists believe Europeans and Africans diverged more than 60,000 years ago.

The creationists believe whites and blacks diverged from Noah, 5,500 years ago.

....but creationists are accused of fearing evolution because then whites and blacks would be "too closely related??!!" .....CB, you need to get a new battery for that calculator, LOL!!

[Dataman]

Jesus Christ, of course, was blonde and blue-eyed, which only enhances his adorable nature.

If you believe Jews are blonde and blue-eyed, it is no wonder you believe in evolution.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Jesus Christ, of course, was blonde and blue-eyed, which only enhances his adorable nature.

He is! I saw the movie. And he has a British accent, too.