HARD TO REJECT AN IDEOLOGY THAT PLACES YOUR RACE AT THE PINNACLE:

Who are the British creationists? (Julian Joyce, 9/14/08, BBC Magazine)

The revelation that US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin says creationism should be taught in schools, alongside that of evolutionary theory, has raised few eyebrows in the US. An estimated 47% of Americans reject outright Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, accepting instead the Bible's account of the creation of the universe - as laid out in the first chapter of Genesis.

But in Britain, where a portrait of Darwin appears on the back of the £10 note, his theory of life evolving from primitive to complex structures by means of natural selection appears to be unchallenged orthodoxy.

Not so, say those on both sides of the creationist divide - a point amply proved by the existence of the Genesis Expo museum, to date Britain's only creationist museum. The museum is the work of Britain's oldest creationist group, the Creation Science Movement, which has built Genesis Expo to visibly challenge the theory of evolution . [...]

A 2006 survey for the BBC found that more than a fifth of those polled were convinced by the creationist argument. Less than half - 48% - chose evolution.

Chauvinism and the desire to preserve a homeboy's status explains why Brits are so closely associated with many of the hoaxes dreamt up over the years to try and compensate for the absence of any scientific support for Darwinism. The situation though is more dire for the ideologues than even this story suggests, because if you ask those who claim to "choose evolution" a couple follow up questions it turns out that almost none believe in Darwinism. The advocates of Natural Evolution have had to retreat so far that those who believe that God used evolutionary methods in order to effect Creation are counted as believers in Evolution.

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 16, 2008 7:29 AM