Since 1982, Gallup research has indicated about 45 percent of Americans believe God created human beings "pretty much in their present form" within the last 10,000 years while 38 percent think mankind developed "over millions of years from less advanced" life forms "but God guided this process."
Only 15 percent think God had no part in it -- slightly more than the percentage of the populace that doesn't believe in God in the first place
Has there been a poll/survey like that in the UK? I'd be interested to know just how much smarter the Brits are than the Yanks when it comes to religion.
Another statistic that I'd wish to see is how many people believe that human beings have 'free will' and how many don't. I'm curious as to whether there's a correlation between people who believe in 'free will' and people who believe in God.
mjrpes wrote:Another statistic that I'd wish to see is how many people believe that human beings have 'free will' and how many don't. I'm curious as to whether there's a correlation between people who believe in 'free will' and people who believe in God.
Has there been a poll/survey like that in the UK? I'd be interested to know just how much smarter the Brits are than the Yanks when it comes to religion.
i'd imagine the figures would be very different, not out of national bias or because i think we're any smarter, but because we're pretty happy (like the british) with the notion of god and evolution co-existing (thanks in part to us being happy to ignore the bible whenever it suits us).
that 'guided this process' bit really throws the survey out. if the question the panellists was asked didn't clearly specify how much those few words changed the question, a lot of people could well have ticked the box being happy with the idea of a christian god and evolution. still, since it was a gallup poll they probably made the numbers up anyway.
Dek wrote:they didn't ask the same 1000 participants dumbass..
I don't know who this post is directed at but there was no mention of the number of people participating in the poll...or which poll they used to come to these numbers.
The article says "SINCE 1982, Gallup research has indicated....
Common sense would indictate that this statement was based on SEVERAL Gallup research polls.
mjrpes wrote:Nearly 15% of Americans are atheist? That seems a bit high, no?
I think it's higher.. how many people instinctively refer to themselves as "christian" without ever practicing or giving it much thought?
One thing Europeans (or Canadians living in Europe) fail to realize, everytime, is that America was in part founded by some of the most radical sects of Christianity expelled from Europe. That same kind of reasoning is why stereotypes exist about terrerists being brown people who read the Ko-ran all day, and why men who drive around in big black cars with flags waving in the front will one day own you.
Take France for example. They are using the fear of Islam and terror to expand state security and enforce "right of blood" citizenship practices, which no doubt increase racial tension along religous and ethnic lines. The state, even the modern European state, gains a lot of power by playing on peoples' fears. You're as much in danger of losing your rights in society to secular universalists as you are to religious and ethnic particularists. The Patriot Act isn't the only terror law to take affect post-9/11...
Dave wrote:One thing Europeans (or Canadians living in Europe) fail to realize, everytime, is that America was in part founded by some of the most radical sects of Christianity expelled from Europe. That same kind of reasoning is why stereotypes exist about terrerists being brown people who read the Ko-ran all day, and why men who drive around in big black cars with flags waving in the front will one day own you.
Well, not partly founded by those radicals exactly. But ever since before the founding they have been here working to try to involve god in everything that is this country.
I agree with your post though; a lot of people don't realize much about the Puritans at all, or what kind of influence they've had on the development of our society.
Dave wrote:
One thing Europeans (or Canadians living in Europe) fail to realize, everytime, is that America was in part founded by some of the most radical sects of Christianity expelled from Europe.
One thing Americans living in America fail to realize, everytime, is that people living outside America actually know this.
R00k wrote:
I agree with your post though; a lot of people don't realize much about the Puritans at all, or what kind of influence they've had on the development of our society.
Actually...most people realized it after the Reagan era.
Well it would be just as accurate to say that most Americans don't know about the history of the Puritans and their influences. But a lot of non-Americans don't realize it either.
--proud to be a reasonable pragmatist