Religion is a very powerful influence on people's lives. It helps dictate your beliefs, thoughts, and morals. It also helps create traditions, friendships, and even enemies within a community. As such, when I found religion is a key factor to why many Americans choose not to believe in evolution, I was not at all surprised, according to this article only about 39% of Americans believe in evolution. I was more curious to why religion and evolution are not compatible? Well the obvious fact is that the theory of evolution clearly contradicts the book of Genesis. In the catholic religion, it is said that God created humans and the earth was built a little over 10,000 years. While evolution argues humans descended from primates and the world is billions of years old.
While there is a clear contradiction between the two, an article in the New York Times brought up another interesting aspect to why religion and science often butt heads. Within this article, Paul Brown, a Republican from Georgia's 10th congressional district, shared that "Evolution is lies to try and keep me and all the folks who were taught that from understanding they need a savior". The work savior intrigues me a savior is seen as someone who can rescue you, such as God. And once you believe in evolution, some would argue, you will no longer have a savior.
However, the Pope John Paul II wrote that, "there is no conflict between evolution and the doctrine of the faith". If the Pope, a highly religious figure, sees no issue with the theory of evolution, than why do you think others continue to not accept it? Is it solely because they think they will lose their savior? Or is it more because they are ignorant to what evolution is? Either way, what are other reasons to why so many Americans choose not to accept the theory of evolution?
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