Nicholas Kristof has a perceptive column on the gap in understanding about a contemporary American phenomenon — the rise in evangelical Christianity. I’m particularly depressed by the continuing hold of creationism.
“President Bush has said that he doesn’t believe in evolution (he thinks the jury is still out). President Ronald Reagan felt the same way, and such views are typically American. A new Gallup poll shows that 48 percent of Americans believe in creationism, and only 28 percent in evolution (most of the rest aren’t sure or lean toward creationism). According to recent Gallup Tuesday briefings, Americans are more than twice as likely to believe in the devil (68 percent) as in evolution.”