Keeping in mind that roughly half of Americans believe the earth is less than 10,000 years old....?

Question

how do you foresee this belief impacting America and the planet in the future?

How will it impact them as a Superpower? What will it mean regarding environmentalism and how will this impact the planet?

Finally, how could this "anti-science" trend be turned around? What has worked in similar cultures in this situation?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070526/us_nm/usa_museum_dc

AS STATED in the link, right above this....A Gallup poll last year showed almost half of Americans believe that humans did not evolve but were created by God in their present form within the last 10,000 years.

Answer 1

Yes, that does and will impact America and the future, and not for the good I'm afraid. Christians tend to vote for Christian candidates, the Christians that run for political office seem to have a particular theocratic bent to them, they are more extremist then the average Christian. This is not good. It'll mean that the US government will increasingly become more aggressive and more likely to start an 3rd world war. Because after all, these dominists actually WANT the apocalypse to happen.

They also tend to not care about the environment as much as they should because they see it all as being temporary, a shadow of things to come. They think the Earth is disposable and put here for their use. (* look at "Fish's" answer for example*)

As for the anti-science thing, that is actually one of the scariest parts. The theocrats want to drag us back into the dark ages. Look at the type of school books Christians use in their schools, if they had their way all children would be using "good Christian texts" to study from. (Take a look at A Beka Books as an example http://www.abeka.com/ ) The thumpers are a big part of the reasons America is not producing enough folks interested in science or math these days.

Answer 2

http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=27682&pg=1 Here's a 2007 report from the Gallop folks about those beliefs mentioned above.

First and second questions have been addressed well. As to your last, humanity has never before faced such an unprecedented convergence of problems the negative synergy of which threatens to be far greater than the sum of the parts. Even if we could solve one, the consequences of leaving the others unsolved will do little to mitigate the effect. They must all be solved simultaneously. Consequently, there isn't much working experience to draw on. However, a beginning is for all of us to understand humanity as One and everything that implies. This concept is not a platitude. It is a fundamental mindset necessary to merely begin to conceive the complex actions necessary. It has to be the hub and underpinning, guiding theme in any network of ideas or solutions. Second, we have to understand that in order to garner the necessary political will to make the austere changes requires spiritual attributes like unity and justice, just for starters. Without these we're are going to experience some very nasty fallout from the combined effects of a warming climate, failing fisheries, reef destruction, deforestation and desertification, dwindling fresh water sources, overpopulation, mass migrations of humanity, poverty, disease, the changing weather patterns that are exacerbated by them and exacerbate them, not to mention the conflicts already at center stage over dwindling resources.

Answer 3

I'd like to know where you get your statistics about the number of people who believe that.

Personally, it really doesn't have as much to do with the present except as a belief. It is also not an "anti-science" mentality as so many people would have you believe. Those who believe this are not against science but they do not necessarily see science as a god and believe it can be wrong. The truth is, science has been wrong before and will be wrong again. Why should a belief that doesn't agree with one point in science make these people against all science? That's an irresponsible conclusion that labels many people unjustly and creates the kind of "anti-Christian" behavior that condemns one without knowing what they believe.

Answer 4

Too bad for the earth.

The sad thing is, it's the same group of people that are responsible for practically ALL the problems.

It's the Bible-beating right-wing "conservatives." Sorry - but it is. The Hummer-driving asswads who believe global warming is a myth but even if it's not, so what, because The Rapture is happening within their lifetimes, but that doesn't stop them from crapping out 30 kids each and brainwashing them into the same brand of irresponsibility and ignorance.

And too bad for those kids when The Rapture DOESN'T come, and they're stuck with the fallout from their parents' stupidity.

For people asking where this stat came from (I couldn't believe it either), it's in this article - and actually the stat is that half of all Americans believe that humans were created by God within the last 10,000 years (which is just as retarded):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070526/us_nm/usa_museum_dc

Answer 5

I would have to see the Gallop poll myself to see how it was worded. I have a VERY hard time imagining that 50% of Americans buy into Young Earth Creationism.

Now----just because someone does not believe in Evolution....does NOT mean that they necessarily believe in YEC. I have to wonder if this is the confusion in the statistical information that is cited.

There is a LARGE number of Christians that dont hold either Creationism to be literal nor Evolution to be scientifically sound.

Answer 6

I really can't believe that half of educated America believes the earth is ten thousand years old because half of the Americans are certainly not strict fundamentalists. Superpowers come and go........example....Rome. Only education, in all the disciplines, can help America, indeed, the world, from descending into another Dark Age. Certainly, the Internet with its free platform of exchanging ideas is a help.

Answer 7

Watch what's going on with GM seeds. It's like Monsanto is trying to take over control of our food supply.

Look at the intelligence analysis that the U.S. government had before they invaded Iraq. The one that warns against threatening Iran. It's like the government wanted to create chaos.

Global warming will radically increase our dependency on technological solutions. That means more money for the corporations set to exploit those needs.

Those same corporations are doing everything they can to prevent the U.S. acting to slow global warming. The dots aren't hard to connect.

Answer 8

Yeah...for many years, till I went extra into my spiritualness and farther into simply what I believed which worried the research of each devout and secular records and historical past, I was once afraid to inform others that I didn't think in production because it was once advised in Genesis within the Bible. After all, I was once Christian and meant to think what the Bible mentioned. It was once truthfully my Pastor (a couple of years in the past) who freed my brain of the inerrancy of the Bible and allowed me to eventually come to phrases with being a Christian and likewise believing in clinical truth and conception. As to the nation...Caesar is Caesar, God is God. I have no longer determined, at the complete, that many (if any) politicians take motion established on their individual devout ideals. This isn't to mention that we've got no longer allowed a vastly biased enthusiast and principal devout institution to grow to be a fundamental foyer in our govt...however then...so much of our legislators simply laughed at them. Still...in which the cash is, traditionally is going the vote. The Ol' Hippie Jesus Freak Grace, Peace and Love in Christ Peg

Answer 9

With mindless people posting the same question, why bother trying to contemplate a future.
Maybe science should start actually working to solve some current day problems instead of making archaic, unsolvable theories. Environmental issues are far more crucial, except to those who pretend that scientifically, this issue doesn't exist. I see many responses here trying to blame negative environmental comments as being Christian....NOT always so, my poor friends.
World hunger is a reality...work to solve it... Everyone needs to do their part...don't try to palm it all off on Christians.

Answer 10

It's frightening isn't it?

And look at respondents like FISH<><.. he doesn't care what the future of America, or the world is, because eternity trumps all. That is truly sad. What about our children and our children's children?

I think America is going down the drain. To hold religious dogma over science, to close off the mind to inquiry and progress.. it's quite depressing. Makes you wonder what happened to cultural enlightenment.