Belief in evolution

Late in Charles Darwin's life, Darwin told the Duke of Argyll that he frequently had overwhelming thoughts that the natural world was the result of design.[1] See also: 15 questions for evolutionists

Belief in evolution usually takes any of three forms. If "evolution" is defined as any hereditary change at all in a group of similar living things, then everyone in the world believes in this; you may as well say "I believe in water." All scientists and nearly all religious people accept the concepts of mutation and inheritance (see Genetics).

If "evolution" means the appearance of major new forms of life during pre-Biblical times, then around half of Americans believe in this;[2] a substantial minority of 40% of Americans reject this aspect of evolution since it contradicts their religious belief that God created all forms of life less than 10,000 years ago.

Critics of the theory of evolution state that many of today's proponents of the evolutionary position have diluted the meaning of the term "evolution" to the point where it defined as or the definition includes change over time in the gene pool of a population over time through such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.[3] Dr. Jonathan Sarfati states the following in relation to the diluted definition of the word "evolution":

“  |  ...many evolutionary propagandists are guilty of the deceitful practice of equivocation, that is, switching the meaning of a single word (evolution) part way through an argument. A common tactic, ‘bait-and-switch,’ is simply to produce examples of change over time, call this ‘evolution,’ then imply that the GTE [General Theory of Evolution] is thereby proven or even essential, and creation disproved. The PBS Evolution series and the Scientific American article are full of examples of this fallacy.[4] |  ”

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So when someone is reported to "believe in evolution", you need to be sure what sort of belief is being discussed.

## Contents

* 1 Belief in evolution and intuition
* 2 Belief in evolution and political affiliation
* 3 Social effects of belief in evolution
* 3.1 Belief in evolution and sexual immorality
* 3.2 Evolution, Liberalism, Atheism, and Irrationality
* 4 See also
* 5 References

## Belief in evolution and intuition[edit]

In 2012, the science news website Livescience.com published a news article entitled Belief in Evolution Boils Down to a Gut Feeling which indicated that research suggests that gut feelings trumped facts when it comes to evolutionists believing in evolution.[5] In January of 2012, the Journal of Research in Science Teaching published a study indicating that evolutionary belief is significantly based on gut feelings.[6][7] The January 20, 2012 article entitled Belief in Evolution Boils Down to a Gut Feeling published by the website Live Science wrote of the research: "They found that intuition had a significant impact on what the students accepted, no matter how much they knew and regardless of their religious beliefs."[8]

In response to evolutionary indoctrination and the uncritical acceptance of evolution by many evolutionists, the scientists at the organization Creation Ministries International created a Question evolution! campaign which poses 15 questions for evolutionists. In addition, leading creationist organizations have created lists of poor arguments that evolutionists should not use.[9] See also: Causes of evolutionary belief

## Belief in evolution and political affiliation[edit]

In the United States, CBS News reported in October 2005 that the Americans most likely to believe only in the theory of evolution are liberals.[10]

“  |  CBS News reported:

Americans most likely to believe in only evolution are liberals (36 percent), those who rarely or never attend religious services (25 percent), and those with a college degree or higher (24 percent).

White evangelicals (77 percent), weekly churchgoers (74 percent) and conservatives (64 percent), are mostly likely to say God created humans in their present form.[11]

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## Social effects of belief in evolution[edit]

See: Social effects of the theory of evolution

### Belief in evolution and sexual immorality[edit]

* Belief in evolution and sexual immorality

### Evolution, Liberalism, Atheism, and Irrationality[edit]

See: Evolution, Liberalism, Atheism, and Irrationality

## See also[edit]

* Creation vs. Evolution Videos

## References[edit]

1. ↑ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/teleological-arguments/notes.html
2. ↑ According to the aggregated data, 47% of Americans agree that God created humans pretty much in their present form either exactly as the Bible describes it or within the last 10,000 years. That leaves about half of Americans who agree that humans developed or evolved, either with or without God's help in the process. Gallup Poll
3. ↑
* Glossary Definitions of "Evolution"
* Fallacies used to support evolution:Equivocation
* The Meanings of Evolution
* Jonathan Sarfati,Ph.D., F.M. Refuting Evolution 2, Chapter 1, Argument: Creationism is religion, not science
* Dictionary.com, definition for "evolution"
4. ↑ Jonathan Sarfati,Ph.D., F.M. Refuting Evolution 2, Chapter 1, Argument: Creationism is religion, not science
5. ↑ Belief in Evolution Boils Down to a Gut Feeling by Live Science Staff, January 20, 2012 04:31pm ET
6. ↑ Belief in Evolution Boils Down to a Gut Feeling
7. ↑ Feeling of Certainty: Uncovering a Missing Link Between Knowledge and Acceptance of Evolution
8. ↑ Belief in Evolution Boils Down to a Gut Feeling
9. ↑
* Arguments evolutionists should not use by Creation Ministries International
* 12 Arguments Evolutionists Should Avoid by Answers in Genesis
10. ↑ https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/22/opinion/polls/main965223.shtml
11. ↑ https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/22/opinion/polls/main965223.shtml