According to an August 2006 survey by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, 63 percent of Americans believe that humans and other animals have either always existed in their present form or have evolved over time under the guidance of a supreme being. Only 26 percent say that life evolved solely through processes such as natural selection.
This view is not shared by the nation's scientists, most of whom contend that evolution is a well-established scientific theory that convincingly explains the origins and development of life on earth. Moreover, they say, a scientific theory is not a hunch or a guess but is instead an established explanation for a natural phenomenon, like gravity, that has repeatedly been tested through observation and experimentation. Indeed, most scientists argue that, for all practical purposes, evolution through natural selection is a fact.There are times when I feel that all intellectual accomplishment and everything I value is under attack by religious troglodytes. These days I feel that a lot.
Let me be clear, it is perfectly possible to believe in God and Darwinian evolution. The point is that the theory of evolution is not about the "why" things happened, it's about the "how". If you feel God tilted the decisions at each stage of selection, fine. But the point is that the theory doesn't require that a God did so. It is perfectly workable without invoking anything outside. So a "theistic evolution" is distinct from, say, intelligent design which says that evolution could not have happened without a God, which is not the same thing at all. (added in update)
Meanwhile we celebrate Darwin's accomplishments, which along with Abbot Gregor Mendel's codifying of genetics, provides the foundation for our understanding of how we are who we are.
For more fascinating info on how modern genetics and the science of DNA supports Darwin's studies, read this National Geographic story on Darwin's legacy. Also, visit the UK's Darwin bicentenary site .
