April 11, 2011

CNN article on evolution and religion

Usually I hate articles written by people who say they believe in both evolution and god. But CNN featured one that wasn't half-bad. "Would Jesus believe in evolution?" is by Frank Giberson and it's not the typical dreck such a title promises. He sticks to the science and says Jesus would have to believe in evolution because it's true. I have to give the guy credit: he gave no quarter to his religious readers, saying this is undoubtedly the case: evolution is real and cannot be denied. You don't hear god folk talk like that very often.

(Mind you, he's also trying to pretend that belief in evolution is compatible with belief in god, which is just foolish. That's always the subtext when science & god types write articles. The truth is that evolution leaves no room for a god. Religion and evolution are like matter and anti-matter: they annihilate each other; they cannot co-exist. But at least he understands the other half of the equation -- that evolution is real and that believing otherwise does not make it go away. There's this, you know, evidence everywhere.)

Moving right along, I was struck by an alarming statistic he cited:
A 2010 Gallup poll indicated that 4 in 10 Americans think that “God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so.”
I've seen the statistic before but each time I bump into it is like driving my car into a wall. I don't understand how people can live in the same world I live in and yet manage to avoid reality. It's shocking how little exercise these people's brains get. Forty percent of the people living in the United States don't seem to think at all, as evidenced by this poll result.

Evolution is not elective. Reality isn't a menu where you pick and choose. It's just there; it's reality. Evolution is the reason you're here and able to read this post. I'm aghast that so many people in our country don't even understand what they are. Because that's literally what this means: they think they're some sort of fairytale creatures.

Wake up, people. Instead of living the life that nature gave you, you walked into a dark closet, shut the door behind you and chose to live in a fantasy. And as you stand there in the dark, you furiously ignore the world that is all around you. Remove those blinders and take your brain out for a test drive. Thinking is fun.

3 comments:

Anna Guess Pick said...

Well, Keith, it really doesn't surprise me that 40% of the people in America don't think - but it is a scary thought!

Unknown said...

The scariest part is that it's probably the same 40% who vote.

writenow said...

Hey Bret. Nice to see you here. The country's getting downright scary, if you ask me. And you're right -- it's the dumbest ones who always vote. Sad.