One third of adult Americans say that “humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.” This opinion is mostly tied to religious beliefs and is much more widely held by Republicans than Democrats, according to the Pew Research poll.
They say you shouldn’t attack religious beliefs, but here goes. First of all, there’s no such thing as religious beliefs, when you think about it. We all use the term and know what we mean. But what makes something religious?
If I say there’s a raccoon that comes to my porch regularly and speaks wisdom about how life should be lived, you’ll be skeptical. If six other people join in and swear it’s true, you’ll think they’re delusional or scammers. So far, you’re free to argue logically about the likelihood of them being truthful.
But, wait! Now they form a religion and amass millions of followers. They’re called Racoonists of the Light. Organizations form to protect the Racoonists against defamatory statements. You must not speak against Racoonists insensitively, because their beliefs are officially religious.
So, I ask you: What changed? The intellectual raccoon thingy didn’t change. You still think it’s absurd. The only change is that now you can’t say so. Well, I can say so, as you’re beginning to discover if you’ve been following my news comments here.
And, in this case, I’m saying that people have no ethical right to teach children in churches that “living things in their present form have existed since the beginning of time.” If that’s what the church you’re driving toward does, turn around now. Go home. Save the children! — MC
Mike Caro says: