Posted on 10/23/2009 8:18:13 PM PDT by john in springfield
After spending time on some of the recent discussions here at FR about Young Earth Creationism (YEC) and other points of view (which I will call Old Earth Creationism (OEC) and Naturalistic Evolution), I found myself wondering: how many FReepers (and how many Americans) hold each particular view?
Obviously, there aren't any statistics on FReepers. But there are on Americans as a whole, and on certain groups of Americans.
The best general resource I've found so far on people's viewpoints is located here. I will summarize some of those here.
(Note: This page uses slightly different terms for a couple of these viewpoints, but as far as I can tell, they mean the same thing.)
About 45% accept the Young Earth Creationist viewpoint, about 37% accept the Old Earth Creationist viewpoint, and around 12% to 14% accept the Naturalistic Evolution viewpoint.
This has held fairly steady over the past 25 years or so. The percentage who believe in NE may have increased slightly, but overall, the numbers have held fairly steady.
A CBS News poll gave a bit different percentages: YEC 55%, OEC 27%, NE 13%.
Observations:
There are a lot of people who believe in young earth creationism, and there are also a lot of people who believe in old earth creationism as well.
The vast majority of Americans believe in God.
The majority of Americans believe in evolution.
The numbers change significantly among the college-educated:
YEC: 25%
OEC: 54%
NE: 17%
It is interesting to me that most - a full 54% - college-educated Americans accept the Old-Earth Creationist (or theistic evolutionist) view.
Note also the effect that a college education seems to have: With a few exceptions, people who go to college don't stop believing in God. However, quite a few do seem to shift from YEC to OEC.
This graph also means that an awful lot of people who don't go to college believe in YEC rather than in either OEC or NE.
Note that while this poll is nearly 20 years old, based on what we know from some other polls, overall beliefs do not seem to have changed greatly during this time.
YEC: 5%
OEC: 40%
NE: 55%
Note: The word "scientist" seems to be very vague in this poll, which apparently includes a lot of people with professional degrees in fields completely unrelated to biology, geology, etc.
In any event, a majority of "scientists" don't seem to believe that God was involved in the development of life on earth. It's not a very large majority, though. "Scientists" are divided as to whether God was involved. Most of those who think He was believe that this involvement included the process of evolution.
However, given that only 5% of "scientists" support YEC, the under-1% figure may well be true. I just don't know. Nor do I have access to the original 1987 Newsweek article to see exactly how they got their information.
If there's another poll or two out there on this, it might be interesting to know about.
A 2007 Harris Poll showed the following percentages of Christians who accept the theory of evolution:
Catholics: 43%
Protestants: 30%
"Born-Again Christians": 16%
Finally, a 2005 CBS Poll stated that a full two thirds (67%) of Americans believe that it's possible for one to believe both in God and in evolution.
And no, I don't think it's a reflection of Christian behavior. And I don't justify it. From myself or anyone else. Nor do I wish to give advice other than in the general, which I have already.
And at the end of the day I turn off the machine and tomorrow's another day.
Why the hate and pompousness?
Or how about this little gem from the evo-atheist sympathizer who likes to refer to genuine Christians on FR as “unChristian” (can anyone say DC retread!):
“I think that generally, atheists think more than theists think. But I will certainly grant you that MANY atheists don’t think any more than the non-thinking theists do.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2139264/posts?page=74#74
Who is 'they'?
If you really want to get at truth, you always have to look at both sides.
...I am supposedly "an AIDS alarmist, a Flu alarmist, an evo-atheist sympathizer," and I also "came here to shill for the global warming alarmists as well?"
Really?
And here I thought that listening to both sides of a matter before judging was only wisdom. Hmm.
He who answers before listening — that is his folly and his shame... The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him. (Proverbs 18)
By the way, you still have failed to account for your behavior which shames the name of Christ.
Sorry, I forgot to include the people you pinged for your latest accusation.
Boy, John in Springfield is the gift that keeps on giving himself away. Check out this little gem from the evo-atheist sympathizer that likes to pose as a Christian to attack genuine Christians (again, can anyone say DC retread!):
“No, given the “finely-tuned nature” of the universe, we would seem to really only have two choices: either the universe was purposefully created (which would have to have been done by an immensely powerful intelligent being — “God” by about any definition), or, if it happened by chance, then there must necessarily exist an essentially infinite number of universes in order to make it possible. The proposition that ours is the only universe, and that it is here by chance, is many, many orders of magnitude too improbable to believe.
Therefore, apparently, if there’s no God, then we have to have an essentially infinite number of universes.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2137325/posts?page=170#170
Wow! I missed a bunch. Apparently, GGGs is trying to shut down any posts that he does not author. His boss must have upped the ante before he gets paid this week.
While some may find that opinion, and its possibility of being true alarming, I do not. The world is the way the world is, whether God made it that way or not.
And Man's fate, his ultimate shape and reason for being, is now more in his own hands than ever.
As God wills, then, we will go on to feats of glory, or perish in conflict. But we should not seek to say that it is God who forces this behavior on us.
We will assuredly determine our own fate, and we will deserve it.
If you behave as a genuine Christian would behave, then I won't point out that you are behaving in an unChristian way. Is that so difficult?
“I think that generally, atheists think more than theists think. But I will certainly grant you that MANY atheists don’t think any more than the non-thinking theists do.”
I didn't say that was an ideal state of affairs, but unfortunately, it still appears to me to be generally true.
If you want things to be different, then do your part to change them. Think. Look at both sides of issues instead of choosing the side you want to be true and then digging up evidence to "prove" it.
Incidentally, your painting me as [long string of slurs] for making the statement, "If you really want to get at truth, you always have to look at both sides," only illustrates the point!
By the way, you have still failed to account for your own behavior, which shames the name of Christ.
Are you really incapable of recognizing an argument that implies the existence of God? And did you miss the following analysis, or did you just willfully choose to ignore it?
So if there's no God, then there has to be an infinite number of universes. If there is an infinite number of universes, then pretty much anything that CAN happen will happen. Therefore, if it's possible for a God to exist, he probably does.
By the way, you have still failed to account for your own ongoing name-calling and personal attacks upon both Christians and non-Christians alike - which shames the name of Christ.
He also seems prepared to turn on whatever fire-hose he can to attempt to discredit anybody who calls him to decent behavior, rather than deal with his own unChristian behavior.
So let me see if I understand you. Because somebody else looked at both sides of the issue, I am prohibited from looking at both sides of the issue for myself, and from encouraging others to do the same?
Then there are leftist, evo-atheist sympathizers like yourself,
Ah... still another personal attack.
Do you understand that the Bible commands us to "do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith?"
And do you understand that your choosing to wantonly and repeatedly attack others (such as when you call me, and others, "leftist, evo-atheist sympathizers" simply because our opinion might differ from yours on a matter not even critical to salvation - do you understand that such behavior on your part brings shame upon the name of Christ?
Ahh, but the strawberries that’s... that’s where I had them. They laughed at me and made jokes but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt and with... geometric logic... that a duplicate key to the wardroom icebox DID exist, and I’d have produced that key if they hadn’t of pulled the Caine out of action. I, I, I know now they were only trying to protect some fellow officers...
Yes. He has been getting pretty testy lately. Perhaps his boss is putting more pressure on him. Perhaps he should rein it in before he is banned.
I have claimed Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior for more than twenty-five years.
You demand words from me.
I demand some actual Christian behavior from you.
Are you incapable of even the slightest shred of humility or repentance for your actions and words, your ugly and ongoing treatment of others which bring shame upon the Lord that you profess to claim?
If you feel so strongly, you can always hit the abuse button.
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