A recent Gallup survey has confirmed what Gallup surveys have been confirming for years, that distressingly high percentages of Americans believe that human beings were created in their present form within the last 10,000 years.
A question then, is the fact that so many Americans refuse to accept the overwhelming scientific consensus on this matter dangerous in and of itself? If not, is it indicative of a dangerous attitude that might prevent the United States from taking the actions that might yet avert a climate catastrophe? Or is it just a head shaker that has no greater significance?
How do people who are persuaded by scientific evidence respond to those who do not in a way that might ultimately be persuasive?
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Hmmm, dont think I'd post any of these comments on the "come worship with us!!" page of my parish. We'd be telling "the 42 percenters" they're not welcome.
Let's say you got a band of 42 percenters visiting your parish. I presume your approach would be entirely different?
What if they wanted to be received in to the church? Would we ask them about quarks first?
Of course I could be wrong, but Biblical education in our church doesn't start with, "boy are you dumb! Let me tell you how it really is and why our life affirming and fascinating approach is the real one!!!" (At least not until they've pledged.)
Allowing doctrine to trump empiracal reasoning is the big step that destroys civilizations. That very decision throttled the Islamic enlightenment of the 9-12th century and led to the fall.of their empire.
We can't allow misguided bibliodolators to do the same to the West.
"is it indicative of a dangerous attitude that might prevent the United States from taking the actions that might yet avert a climate catastrophe?"
That's the danger. "God will pull our bacon out of the fire---IF global warming's not a hoax to begin with!---in the same way He said 'let there be light' (He set his bow in the heavens, didn't He? We're SAFE!)".
JC Fisher
Whenever I read surveys like this I wonder how many people think that heavy objects fall significantly faster than light objects, or how many people could name one of Newton's laws of motion, or identify the gasses that make up air, or say what a quark is.
Which is to ask, how many surveys covering ignorance of evolutionary biology, intended to show religious influence, have been adjusted to take into account general scientific ignorance across the board?
How, for that matter, does one account for the fact that journalists, who presumably have some degree of education, and research ability (at least on Google), seemed to think it a "story," and a sign of "progress," that Pope Francis didn't have any religious issue with the notion of biological evolution?
Each and every one of us is stupid about something. Some of us many things.
Sadly, I have found that a great many purported Christians prefer the false comfort of biblical idolatry and the indefeasible idea that the Bible conveys propositional truths and factual history to the exciting, open ended, and life-transforming approach to scripture as a window through which God's light illumines the world. Part of the blame is that the educated clergy, which includes Episcopalians (unlike the uneducated clergy of some other Christian traditions), too often fail to challenge folk interpretations, perpetuating ignorance and creating a false conflict between religion and science. My post this morning in Ethical Musings (http://blog.ethicalmusings.com/2014/11/noah-and-ark.html) addresses some of these issues in the context of an amusement park being constructed on the theme of Noah's ark.