Texans: Dinosaurs, Humans Walked the Earth at Same Time
Nearly a third of Texans believe humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth at the same time, and more than half disagree with the theory that humans developed from earlier species of animals, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
The differences in beliefs about evolution and the length of time that living things have existed on earth are reflected in the political and religious preference of our respondents, who were asked four questions about biological history and God:
• 38 percent said human beings developed over millions of years with God guiding the process and another 12 percent said ...
Comments (9)
BurningFeet
How come there wasn't a "Are you just plain stupid?" question in the survey? I ask my fellow Texans that all the time, and nearly a third respond in the affirmative, with another third saying, "Huh?" The rest just say, "Why did we move here?"
psymetric
Religious fundamentalism + willful ignorance = a population susceptible to pandering by the political class.
freeyourmind
No wonder the rest of the world is beating us at science and technology. I knew that ignorance and religious fundamentalism were on the rise, but I didn't realize the magnitude.
marytexas
i can totally grasp the insanity of the numbers. I have a doctorate believe completely in the evolution of man from other species/prototypes. I have a daughter that is an archaeologist going back for graduate degree and she won't commit on her beliefs b/c they may not jive with scientific part. my youngest graduated at UT with 2 degrees at age 20 just a few months ago. she believes in the whole creation of man bible STORY. i did my best i really did. as for being here with dinosaurs. i dare not ask my youngest b/c in past times it created a great deal of anger on her part. It is not lack of intelligence or education from my side. i just want to know how that can it be? i kept them out of church they up and joined on their own i am an atheist. i figure they just got a "god" gene from their father
psymetric
MaryTexas,
I have a feeling that the God instinct or the God gene is less about God and more about looking for an understanding of the world outside of ourselves, and you and your daughters all share that instinct or set of genes. You have chosen a worldview that is based on experience and evidence, and others have not. I suspect they do not suffer the cognitive dissonance that you do when belief and evidence are out of synch. It has been my observation that in some cases a change in religious beliefs is part of an adolescent’s attempt to establish a separate identity. I’ve seen young people from religious backgrounds reject religion and those from irreligious backgrounds become very religious, and we cannot feel responsible for the choices of our adult children.
sbrdr
If you look at the complete results of the survey in the attached pdf 51% of pollees consider themselves "born again" or "evangelical" christians. Maybe a better headline would be "100% of evangelical christians don't believe in evolution".
Ross Ramsey
Actually, it's 51 percent of the people who identify themselves as members of certain of the denominations in the preceding question...
El Aygee
Know we know where the stupidest people on Earth live. People who believe in imaginary sky gods and its magic book of rules need anti psychotic medication
Gritsforbreakfast
Next poll questions: Does the Sun revolve around the Earth? Does thunder mean God is angry?
These results are truly disturbing.