Science Versus Religion: A Manufactured Conflict

One-hundred-and-ninety-nine years ago, on February 12^th, a child was born close to the banks of the River Severn in England. Two decades later, he would embark on a five-year, three-continent maritime voyage that would gather evidence providing a tangible and plausible account of how life unfolded on this planet. Today, almost two centuries later, this unassuming naturalist, still evokes praise, condemnation, and even uncertainty. The question is why?

In August of 2006, Michigan State University researchers evaluated the public acceptance of evolution in a series of surveys conducted in 34 industrialized countries. The results, published in the journal Science, revealed that over the past 20 years, the number of people that believe and accept the concept of evolution has decreased from 45 to 40%. Conversely, the number of people that do not believe in evolution has also dropped from 48 to 39%. Intriguingly, the number of people who were uncertain and neither rejected or accepted evolution, tripled from 7 to 21%. Why such uncertainty?

A Gallup Poll conducted last summer, found that almost a third of Americans (31%) believe that the Bible is the actual word of God and it is to be taken literally. Moreover, forty-seven percent of Americans reported that, although not verbatim, the Bible is still the inspired word of God. The rest of Americans (19%) reported that the Bible is primarily a collection of legends, fables, historical anecdotes, and moral precepts as recorded by man. Factors that were significantly associated with literal belief included, having a religious background, regular church attendance, being protestant, and a possessing only a high school level of education.