Who told you that evolution says "Humans came from monkies"?

Question

I know this is a bit of a long shot, but I'm trying to trace back this misconception to its starting point or points, or at least understand a little more about the memetic spread among creationists.

Answer 1

Dates back to that famous cartoon satire of Darwin with an ape's body. Combine that with the fact that most people don't know that "monkies" [sic] and apes are wholly different, and blam: instant memetic retardation.

Answer 2

I guess some people missed the fact that science has never said "humans came from monkies [sic]", as that isn't how evolution works. Rather, primates share a common ancestor. I also see some people missed the fact that you already knoew this, and are just trying to point out where the fallacy comes from.

I think a lot of people come to this misinterpretation on their own when they look at the classic picture of primates walking in a line, with a tailed monkey on the far left and a human on the far right, wtih a chimpanzee etc. in between. The picture, when used with all modern primates like this, is rather misleading.

Answer 3

I think it started shortly before the John Scopes Trial in 1925.
And the misconception has been passed around the monotheist circles ever since.

So... to answer the root of your question, it is a lie told by preachers to congregants and is then passed on by congregants to anyone they can foam it at.

EDIT:
Oops! Aurora beat me by a minute. :)

Answer 4

According to this site, the originator was Rev. Sun Myung Moon in 1976, but it may be just a common misconception as many people don't understand the distinction.

Answer 5

Well, first you have to understand that they don't know science. If it looks ape-ish... its "mon-key"

Seriously though... it probably started with Darwin... at the time he didn't know the true ancestry of people... so it very well could have been from "monkeys"

EDIT: I don't think the distinction between tail or not would have been sufficient evidence to rule out monkeys at the time of Darwin.

Answer 6

Monkeys, apes, chimps, leaches, rocks, what ever, the simple fact is this. The fossil record does not show a HUMAN until just a short time ago, geologically speaking. There are not fossils of half man have anything else. There are some deformed fossils, just as there are deformed people today. Anyway you cut it the basic attempt is to deny the creator. But you can not. The record will not let you.

Answer 7

"I heard something about humans having a common ancestor with apes and my simple brain turned that into 'Humans came from monkies.'"

"My pastor says humans DIDN'T come from monkeys."

"We started learning about evolution in science class, but I zoned out because I heard it's just another way to denounce God. So, I don't actually have any real knowledge of evolution. I could believe it says anything because I never learned about it because I'm a narrow-minded Jesus freak."

Answer 8

The funny thing is that this misconception and outright lie, is spread by preachers and biblical teachers, who are meant to always tell the truth.

Answer 9

They never said we came from monkeys, they said that humans and monkeys are closely related since we both share a similar bone structure/organ pattern and because our brains function the same way. Not that we CAME from monkeys.

Answer 10

Does the "Scopes Monkey Trial" ring a bell? One would have thought they would have looked up the facts by now. That was back in 1925.

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