Claim: Evolution is a lie. It’s just a secular religion.
Fact: Evolution is simply what several separate and unrelated lines of evidence converge upon. The fossil record, DNA similarities, geographic patterns, embryonic similarities, homologous structures, vestigial structures, phylogenetic similarities, various methods of dating (carbon, tree ring, radiometric, coral,etc) and other factors all independently point to evolution. Anti-evolution arguments are a collection of logical fallacies, most often straw man arguments that don’t take the actual available evidence into account.
Since Origin of Species was published, the theory of evolution has been the source of much controversy, especially in religious circles. To this day, a cottage industry that purports to “debunk” evolution exists in the form of books, lectures, videos, and even creation museums. Often referred to as “creationism” or “creation science,” this industry doesn’t provide actual science but rather feeds its readers, listeners and viewers, a straw man version of evolution.
Creationism and non-acceptance of Evolution
While often laughed off as the realm of hucksters and religious zealots, this industry contains many persuasive writers/debaters and a large portion of the United States continues to deny evolution. Creationist arguments are often clever and in line with folk reasoning (which rarely aligns with complicated science). In many cases, understanding the fallacy behind a creationist claim requires a fairly thorough understanding of a subject. This is why evolution successfully preys on the less scientifically literate (there exists an entire cottage industry of creationist/apologist books, videos and websites that purports to keep its readers/viewers educated on science). In fact, evolution far less accepted in the United States than in other advanced western countries. While this is not a specifically politically-based phenomenon it is far stronger among Republicans, where non-acceptance appears to be growing. While this might seem harmless and “silly at best” to many, it does have some serious ramifications. According to Evolution Outreach:
