Well, Halloween is approaching, so it's time for a...
I was reading a somewhat satirical article about the two presidential candidates and there was a line that struck me.
Let's analyze this statement, shall we. First, let's assume that the statement is somewhat accurate (hey - it's on the Internet, it must be true!)
So, all the reports I've been hearing is that the race is 50/50, just like the last election. So 1/2 the population of the USA is a Bush supporter.
The population of the USA is approximately 293,027,571 (from http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html). Let's assume for the moment, that the split is 50/50 for the entire populous, not just the people who voted. (According to http://www.usavotenet.com/images/totalturnout.gif, the number of people who voted in 2000 was 105,404,546).
So, half of the USA equals 146,513,785 (we'll leave out the half person). Now, a "majority" of these people would indicate at least half, or 73,256,892.
Could it be true that over 73 million people actually believe that the world is only 5,000 years old?
Even if, we only take into account the people who voted in the 2000 election, the number would be 26,351,136. Over 26 million.
26 million.
I'm thinking that the article in question was an exaggeration. There's no way there could be that many stupid, self-delusional people out there.
Could there?
I found an article about a poll done in 2001. http://www.unl.edu/rhames/courses/current/creation/evol-poll.htm . The polls questions were:
Which of the following statements comes closest to your views on the origin and
development of human beings:
1) Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life,
but God guided this process,
2) Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life,
but God had no part in this process,
3) God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last
10,000 years or so?
They polled 1016 people and 45% chose option 3. I was shocked when I read that. I had honestly thought that the creationist portion of the population south of us was much, much, much, much smaller. 45% of the USA is a lot of people.
I guess I can understand their point of view. They don't like the idea that God didn't play a part in creating the Human race. It makes it seem that God is disconnected from us, and that is a thought too difficult to bear for a lot of people. To me, it sells God short. What is more impressive?
One metaphor I thought of would be either adopting a child who is one day away from his 18th birthday, or conceiving a child and watching him grow and evolve on his own. The creationists believe in a universe that is already grown up. If I were an omnipotent God, I wouldn't want that. What would be the point?
