Darwinism is a controversial topic, and many believe creation should be taught in the classroom. But why is that news?
A survey conducted by the British Council in ten countries has revealed that the majority of respondents who were familiar with Darwinism think it should be taught alongside other views on life’s origin. (The survey is part of the council’s year-long “Darwin Now” program.) But in spite of the support for teaching multiple views that the survey revealed, the council’s press release on the survey puzzlingly declares, “Darwin Survey Shows International Consensus on Acceptance of Evolution.”
Surveyers interviewed 11,000 people from Argentina, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Spain, and the U.S. Among those respondents who were familiar with Darwin’s theory (apparently just under two-thirds of all respondents; only 70 percent reported knowing who Darwin was), those from Argentina were most likely to believe (68 percent) that other perspectives on life’s origin should be taught in science classes alongside Darwinian evolution.
Interestingly, in no country surveyed did a majority believe only evolution should be taught. Respondents from India were most likely to have that view (49 percent), followed by those from Spain (42 percent). Also interesting is that Spain was the country with the smallest proportion of respondents who believed other perspectives should be taught alongside Darwinian evolution—but at 38 percent, that fraction is almost as large as the number in Spain advocating evolution-only.
As for the scientific merits of the idea itself, only 41 percent of American respondents who claimed to be familiar with Darwin and his theory agreed that enough scientific evidence exists to support it. In fact, in only one country—China—did a majority of respondents agree that life on earth, including humans, evolved as a result of natural selection, with no supernatural intervention.
Despite the press release’s title, then, the survey is a clear confirmation that many people worldwide are not convinced by the naturalism-infused science used to support Darwinism. Further, a global majority believes Darwinism shouldn’t have exclusive reign in science classes on life’s origin. (For all the results, see the press released linked above.)
Everyone is free to take an online version of the survey. Be warned, however, that many of the questions seem to be worded with little thought or awareness of young-earth creation views. (For example, question three implies that creationists do not believe life has changed at all since creation.)
It's not surprising really that a largely Roman Catholic country such as Spain should have a high level of support for the teaching of evolution only in the schools. While not an official dogma of the RCC, at least the last three popes have spoken positively of darwinian evolution, and it is widely taught in RC schools.
ReplyDeleteA 2007 quote from Benedict XVI will illustrate the point. "There is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such.”
Amazingly, there are also evangelical Christians who embrace "theistic evolution", such as the former head of the human genome project and current NIH director, Francis Collins. Typically, when asked to justify their simultaneous confession of faith in God and in evolution, they will say, "I believe God could have used evolution to bring about life on earth." The problem with that is that it is incompatible with what the bible tells us.
God created each kind of animal on a particular day and made them to reproduce after their kind; not after some other kind. Sadly, it is the implicit view of many Christians that science provides the proper grid through which to interpret the bible. Effectively, whatever is currently the most popular theory in science trumps the scriptures.