Courtesy of Slate:
Few issues have divided the American public as bitterly as Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Since On the Origin of Species was published in 1859, it has driven a wedge between those who accept that humans and this planet’s other inhabitants have evolved over time, and those who believe that our species was created in its current form with no alterations. While the majority of people in Europe and in many other parts of the world accept evolution, the United States lags behind. Today, 4 in 10 adults in America believe that humans have existed in our present form since the beginning of time, and in many religious groups, that number is even higher. This is woeful.
Now, at long last, there seems to be hope: National polls show that creationism is beginning to falter, and Americans are finally starting to move in favor of evolution. After decades of legal battles, resistance to science education, and a deeply rooted cultural divide, evolution may be poised to win out once and for all.
The people responsible for this shift are the young. According to a recent Pew Research Center report, 73 percent of American adults younger than 30 expressed some sort of belief in evolution, a jump from 61 percent in 2009, the first year in which the question was asked. The number who believed in purely secular evolution (that is, not directed by any divine power) jumped from 40 percent to a majority of 51 percent. In other words, if you ask a younger American how humans arose, you’re likely to get an answer that has nothing to do with God.
First off I would like to correct the author of this piece that people do not have a "belief" in Evolution, but rather they come to accept the facts of Evolution.
Belief is only required for things without a factual basis.
However it is great news that our young people are throwing off the fears and superstitions of their parents and grandparents and embracing the reality of the world as it is, rather than as ancient mythologies would represent it.
Just one more reason to be hopeful for our future, and those who will someday assume the mantle of power.
In America young people are helping Evolution finally overcome Creationism as the accepted explanation for life on this planet.
5:08 AM
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