I see that DaveScot has post at Uncommon Descent indicating that 48% of Americans feel that those with strong religious beliefs are discriminated against. I would simply point out the following:
31% of Americans believe in the accuracy of astrology;
48% of Americans believe that UFOs are aliens who have visited earth over the years;
52% of Americans believe that bigfoot exists;
And of course,
53% of Americans believe humans came about exactly as the Bible describes;
I'll just let these hang in the air...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
"53% of Americans believe humans came about exactly as the Bible describes."
So as of now, one in five Americans is a Genesis literalist who does not approve of Bush. Wow.
Your point is a good one - just because most people believe things about the natural world doesn't make it so. But this type of data does have some important implications for the social world. Not that I think Christians are discriminated against in the US, but the narrative of persecution pushed by O'Reilly et al has definitely gained traction. Just check out this bit of ridiculousness.
Just like the "teach the controversey" meme, these folks excel at shifting frames so that majorities believe the absurd.
Anyway - See you in San Juan?
pughd...yes, I agree completely that all of these polls hold implications for the social world. It's really sad that I could easily find data that large numbers of Americans buy into really stupid things very easily. Wish I were going to San Juan, but I'm afraid I'll miss the SAA meetings this year. I will be going to the zooarchaeology conference at Eagle Lake this year (yes, it's a new thing - I'll post some information about it soon). Thanks!
A zooarch-specific meeting? How cool. I'm not good with bones myself, but I'll pass along the info to the wife. She's doing a fauna diss.
I am pretty sure that after they take away all the creation "scientists", abortion protesters, IDists, and strongly religious people that there will be at least some people left.
"I could easily find data that large numbers of Americans buy into really stupid things very easily."
No shit. Not just stupid, but demonstrably false. Like all those who believed (many of whom probably still do) that Iraq had WMD, ties to Al-Qaeda, and a role in the 9-11 attacks:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0422-09.htm
Or the many who believe that 20-30% of the US budget goes to foreign aid (it's actually 0.1 percent, and much of that goes to Israel, in the form of military aid):
http://beatthepress.blogspot.com/2006/04/inertia-budget-reporting-and-starving.html
Post a Comment