Who is to blame for this deficiency in science education? How can it be corrected?
Or is it simply that certain people choose to believe what ever makes them feel good?
2007-09-06 07:53:36 · 18 answers · asked by ChooseRealityPLEASE 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Every last one.
I've never seen a creationist be able to come up with a DEFINITION of evolution itself that would not be a wrong answer on a 9th grade science quiz.
How can you be against something you don't know the definition of?????!?!?!?!
Some examples, for our friends, of things creationists get wrong about evolution:
It does not *require* randomness (in the way they mean.)
It is not "natural selection"
It's been proven in a lab, and replicated....repeatedly. I was there for one replication.
It does not discuss the BEGINNINGS of life.
If the dockside cats in my area are brown in 2005 and grey in 2007, that's an example.
There is almost no dissent regarding its definition amongst scientists.
Said definition is "change in allelle frequency in a population over time." "Descent with Modification" is a less exact version.
2007-09-06 07:57:37 · answer #1 · answered by LabGrrl 7 · 6⤊ 4⤋
You may be correct - that creationists have a fundamental misunderstanding of evolution, but so do most people.
They read about an island where the bid's beaks have changed their shape in a few short generations, and proclaim, "See! Evolution!" What about speciation?
I think I'm current on the eras from Precambrian to Cenozoic, abiogenesis, fossils, rock strata, the evolutionary tree, embryonic recapitualation, the prebiotic "soup", homology, etc.
Its still just speculation.
No, it doesn't make me "feel good" I just don't like the idea of accepting other peoples' suppositions as fact.
2007-09-06 15:38:46 · answer #2 · answered by Renata 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"...that all creationists have a fundamental misunderstanding of evolution?"
Yes, I've certainly "noticed" that. I think the root of the problem is ignorant fundamentalist preachers who seek only to advance Christian theology, even if it is at the expense of America's future. Such preachers line their own pockets by inflaming their naive congregations with unfounded accusations that science seeks to undermine religious faith. It is far easier for such unsophisticated folks to parrot the unsubstantiated mythology of Genesis, written 5000 years ago by an ignorant herdsman, than it is to buckle down, study hard, and learn the most factual explanation of "creation" humanity has yet been able to discover. It is not helpful that the science education of America's youth is being deliberately undermined by ignorant preachers who care nothing for actual truth and seek only to promote their factitious and totally fictious creation mythology.
Legitimate science education in America is being persistently degraded by those who care nothing for our long-term future and seek only to promote their own particular religious mythology. Corrupt local school boards, spineless politicians, greedy preachers, and a disturbingly apathetic public are working in unison to insure that America becomes a has-been third-world nation, populated by willfully ignorant believers. The bitter truth is, if it weren't for the scientific facts already discovered by atheist scientists in the last two centuries, the current population of believers wouldn't even be able to feed themselves. Wake up, Christians. You cannot feed your families with faith. You cannot heat your homes with belief, and your car does not run on prayer. It's time for a serious reality check!
Edit: Wow! "DuckPhup" Your answer to this question was awesome! Good job!
2007-09-06 08:58:18 · answer #3 · answered by Diogenes 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes. I would guess their parents, and/or their education is the major problem. I was stationed with a guy who was homeschooled, then went through a private high school and the extent of his knowledge about evolution was, and I quote, "something about monkeys that has been proven wrong."
I have no idea how to correct something like that.
Possibly false advertising lawsuits against "Creation Science"? I can't call something "beef" if there's no actual beef in it, not sure why they can call it Creation Science when there's no actual science in it.
2007-09-06 08:00:51 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 2⤋
Hovind rocks!
Well, because creationists believe that evolution conflicts with their religious beliefs, I don't really think it's a matter of educating them properly. They don't understand evolution because they don't want to understand it. In their minds, evolution is a silly theory, so they're going to keep ideas about it in their heads for as long as humanly possible that confirm that notion.
2007-09-06 08:03:01 · answer #5 · answered by Daniel 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
You can blame this person here in Ontario politics.
John Tory.
Leader of the Opposition, Conservatives.
He's making grumbling noises about introducing Creationism into the classroom.
What a first class dolt.
2007-09-06 08:00:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
I wouldn't call it a misunderstanding, more of a denial. I grasped the theory of evolution in the third grade and these people can't even imagine it as adults?
2007-09-06 08:03:09 · answer #7 · answered by mutterhals 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Based on my recent questions EVERYONE has a fundamental misunderstanding of Evolution.
Does Darwin say SOMETHING OR SOMEONE created life or it happened by ACCIDNET
I had some Atheists answer my question saying "There are no RANDOMISTS"
RANDOMISM is it a part of Darwin or not.
Pray, tell us!
Are we SERENDIPITIDLY or DID SOMETHING CREATE US
It seems ATHEISTS don't understand the ORIGINS any more than CREATIONISTS DO
Are we a Lucky Accident or were we MADE intellegently.
If so, you better break the NEWS to some ATHEISTS because they don't seem to understand LIFE came from INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
That we came from SULFUR AND CARBON AND ARGON
That a NATURAL Gilber Chemistry set got smashed and the results were BACTERIUM, PARAMECIUM and VIRUSES
They don't seem to understand we once propegated by CELL DIVISION, HERMAPHRODITIANISM
Atheists don't seem to understand that CHIMPS came from the waters and soil as clusters of CELLS
They seem to think that some "animal speices" magically appeared on the Earth and evolved into man.
That makes them as backwards as Creationists
I can prove it with answers to my questions
My current question is about Scientists making a SINGLE CELLED LIFE FORM FROM SCRATCH
Creatioinism. Intellgent Design.
And all the Atheists are doing is the Fancy Side Step Dance.
They cite Darwin
They say this PROVES EVOLUTION
HOW
HOW does it prove that WITHOUT A BRAIN LIFE GETS CREATED
I'm showing with a BRAIN life gets created
Now when scientists do this, we get to see if that cell EVOLVES INTO SOMETHING OR NOT
That will be a test of EVOLUTION
Does the cell just sit there and continue to be a cell or does it cluster and form more complex creatures.
That is what DARWINISTIC EVOLUTION IS ABOUT
And Science is laying the ground work to either PROVE it once and for all or DISPROVE IT
LIVE WITH IT
If those cells do nothing, then it means DARWIN may not be correct.
If those cells DO evolve, then it means DARWIN might be correct.
Thank God for Science
It's going to establish DARWINISM and EVOLUTION ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!
BRAVO TO THEM
Are you ready for the results!
2007-09-06 08:06:59 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 8⤋
No, I haven't noticed that. I challenge you to defend that statement. Don't forget that there's different variations of creationism just as there's variations of evolution theory.
Perhaps it'd be more useful to provide a few examples of how creationists misunderstand evolution. Do you think you can do that?
2007-09-06 08:06:40 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 4⤋
Nope. Ditto what James B said.
2007-09-06 08:09:14 · answer #10 · answered by Open Heart Searchery 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋