Onward Religious Warriors
By CHARLES M. BLOW, NYT
In 2009, the gap between the share of Republicans and Democrats who believed in evolution was just 10 percentage points, 54 percent and 64 percent, respectively.
Last year, that gap widened to a whopping 24 points because as the percentage of Democrats who believed in evolution inched up to 67 percent, the percentage of Republicans believing so plummeted to 43 percent. Now, more Republicans believe that “humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time” than believe in evolution.
This sad news comes via a survey released this week by the Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project.
In fact, this isn’t only sad; it’s embarrassing.
I don’t personally have a problem with religious faith, even in the extreme, as long as it doesn’t supersede science and it’s not used to impose outdated mores on others.
(More here.)
In 2009, the gap between the share of Republicans and Democrats who believed in evolution was just 10 percentage points, 54 percent and 64 percent, respectively.
Last year, that gap widened to a whopping 24 points because as the percentage of Democrats who believed in evolution inched up to 67 percent, the percentage of Republicans believing so plummeted to 43 percent. Now, more Republicans believe that “humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time” than believe in evolution.
This sad news comes via a survey released this week by the Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project.
In fact, this isn’t only sad; it’s embarrassing.
I don’t personally have a problem with religious faith, even in the extreme, as long as it doesn’t supersede science and it’s not used to impose outdated mores on others.
(More here.)
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2 Comments:
"Sound Science" ?
Congress is working on this ... buried deep into the 702 page FARRM bill (the agriculture subsidy bill aka H.R. 2642 Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013) is a provision that encompasses "The Sound Science Act of 2013".
"Sound Science" would require that all agencies — including independent agencies like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission — have guidelines in place dictating how science is to be treated in policy decisions. The legislation would apply to a wide range of actions, including formal rulemakings, guidance, and listing and labeling decisions. It would deem any agency actions that fall outside those guidelines as arbitrary and capricious, opening up more rules to litigation.
The intent is not to ensure that decisions are made based on science, but instead to allow the 1% to got to court to stop the 99%. Case in point, the American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Jack Gerard read the University of Texas methane emissions study and interpreted that it “proves” that “hydraulic fracturing is safe for the environment” - he did this by "cherry picking" the data ... and surely he will employ a scientist to defend his views ... all so that no new regulations are enacted.
More proof why the Republican Party has failed our country.
...and I wish the religion of the left (more government) would take a day or two off.
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