Most Republicans Reject Evolution
Study Shows That a Large Percentage of GOP Faithful Oppose Darwinism
With the 2008 election looming, three Republican candidates said they do not believe in evolution. A recent Gallup poll suggests that most of the GOP faithful agree.
The results of a very telling poll were just released the other day. It reveals that a large majority of Republicans reject Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Oh, and this just in: the world is flat, if a man sails east from Europe he will reach India, and the Native American corn dance brings rain.
Okay, that's a bit much. But the evolution study is real. Conducted in May, the poll found that the majority of Republicans in the United States do not believe the theory of evolution is correct and do not believe that humans evolved over millions of years from less advanced forms of life. A recent gallup poll found that 68% of GOP members think that Charles Darwin was wrong.
That suggests that when three Republican presidential candidates at a May debate stated they did not believe in evolution, they were generally in sync with the bulk of the rank-and-file Republicans whose nomination they are seeking to obtain. Those candidates were Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, and Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado.
It's an interesting, and perhaps ironic, stance from a political party who believes that the biggest threat to America are religious radicals living in the Dark Ages. But the three candidates are not alone, and the belief system rejecting evolution is not limited to Republicans.
Although Independents and Democrats are more likely than Republicans to believe in the theory of evolution, there is a significant minority of non-Republicans who doubt that evolution adequately explains where humans came from.
The data from several recent Gallup studies suggest that Americans' religious behavior is highly correlated with beliefs about evolution. Those who attend church frequently are much less likely to believe in evolution than are those who seldom or never attend. That Republicans tend to be frequent churchgoers helps explain their doubts about evolution.
However, the data also indicate some seeming confusion on the part of Americans on this issue. About a quarter of Americans say they believe both in evolution's explanation that humans evolved over millions of years and in the creationist explanation that humans were created "as is" about 10,000 years ago. Nevertheless, in the early 21st century, it is safe to say that most political conservatives in this nation reject science. When teamed up with their apparent disbelief in global warming and their rejection of the near-miracle benefits that stem cell research could create, one has to wonder which direction this country will move in if another Republican from religious right finds his way to the White House in 2008.
