At least things are moving in the right direction, although the numbers remain depressing. According to the latest Gallup Poll, four out of ten Americans still believe that God created man in his image about 10,000 years ago:
A small minority of Americans hold the “secular evolution” view that humans evolved with no influence from God—but the number has risen from 9% in 1982 to 16% today. At the same time, the 40% of Americans who hold the “creationist” view that God created humans as is 10,000 years ago is the lowest in Gallup’s history of asking this question, and down from a high point of 47% in 1993 and 1999. There has been little change over the years in the percentage holding the “theistic evolution” view that humans evolved under God’s guidance.
The telephone poll taken last week of 1,119 adults over 18, revealed that a majority of Republicans (52 percent) hold young earth creationist views, while only 34 percent of Democrats and Independents say they do. Additionally, the less educated an individual, the more likely he or she is to believe in creationism; 47% of those with high school degrees or less believe in creationism, while only 22 percent of those with post-graduate degrees do so.
As I was shivering in the cold last night watching the lunar eclipse, I thought of all the people who came before us thousands of years ago trying to make sense of what was playing out in the heavens; many clung to superstition, believing that the lunar event was an omen and that cataclysmic events would follow.
