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John Rentoul
John Rentoul is chief political commentator for The Independent on Sunday, and visiting fellow at Queen Mary, University of London, where he teaches contemporary history. Previously he was chief leader writer for The Independent. He has written a biography of Tony Blair, whom he admired more at the end of his time in office than he did at the beginning.
You can contact John in the comments area or email him at j.rentoul@independent.co.uk
You can contact John in the comments area or email him at j.rentoul@independent.co.uk
Never mind this morning's Populus poll for The Times, which shows a boost for the Liberal Democrats as well as a continuing large lead for the Conservatives, as did ICM in The Sunday Telegraph. (I suspect that's Labour supporters peeling off into the protest option in the absence of any powerful attraction to the Conservatives.)
More dismaying is a poll carried out by ComRes, which does polling for The Independent and The Independent on Sunday, for Theos, a theology think tank.
It found that 51 per cent of British adults do not accept evolution. They think that Intelligent Design theory is true. Intelligent Design is sometimes presented as a kind of compromise that makes understanding evolution compatible with belief in God. It is no such thing: evolution is quite compatible with non-fundamentalist religious belief.
It is not easy to explain Intelligent Design theory in an opinion poll question (or at all), but ComRes's question is explicit on one point, that "evolution alone is not enough to explain the complex structures of some living things". This is untrue, but 51 per cent of people agree with it.
Oh well. We Britons like to mock the Americans for being a credulous people, prone to Biblical literalism, belief in extra-terrestrial visitors and conspiracy theories. A difference only of degree.
Young Earth Creationism is the idea that God created the world sometime in the last 10,000 years. In your opinion is Young Earth Creationism:
True 32%
Untrue 60%
Theistic evolution is the idea that evolution is the means that God used for the creation of all living things on earth. In your opinion is Theistic evolution:
True 44%
Untrue 46%
Atheistic evolution is the idea that evolution makes belief in God unnecessary and absurd. In your opinion is Atheistic evolution:
True 34%
Untrue 57%
Intelligent Design is the idea that evolution alone is not enough to explain the complex structures of some living things, so the intervention of a designer is needed at key stages. In your opinion is Intelligent Design:
True 51%
Untrue 40%
ComRes for Theos, 2,060 GB adults, fieldwork October 2008, published 1 February 2009.
More dismaying is a poll carried out by ComRes, which does polling for The Independent and The Independent on Sunday, for Theos, a theology think tank.
It found that 51 per cent of British adults do not accept evolution. They think that Intelligent Design theory is true. Intelligent Design is sometimes presented as a kind of compromise that makes understanding evolution compatible with belief in God. It is no such thing: evolution is quite compatible with non-fundamentalist religious belief.
It is not easy to explain Intelligent Design theory in an opinion poll question (or at all), but ComRes's question is explicit on one point, that "evolution alone is not enough to explain the complex structures of some living things". This is untrue, but 51 per cent of people agree with it.
Oh well. We Britons like to mock the Americans for being a credulous people, prone to Biblical literalism, belief in extra-terrestrial visitors and conspiracy theories. A difference only of degree.
Young Earth Creationism is the idea that God created the world sometime in the last 10,000 years. In your opinion is Young Earth Creationism:
True 32%
Untrue 60%
Theistic evolution is the idea that evolution is the means that God used for the creation of all living things on earth. In your opinion is Theistic evolution:
True 44%
Untrue 46%
Atheistic evolution is the idea that evolution makes belief in God unnecessary and absurd. In your opinion is Atheistic evolution:
True 34%
Untrue 57%
Intelligent Design is the idea that evolution alone is not enough to explain the complex structures of some living things, so the intervention of a designer is needed at key stages. In your opinion is Intelligent Design:
True 51%
Untrue 40%
ComRes for Theos, 2,060 GB adults, fieldwork October 2008, published 1 February 2009.
Comments
Also, if the questions were asked in this order then Intelligent Design will naturally get a higher "True" grade. It's a common technique used by survey companies to put the question they want a "yes" to at the end.
The numbers don't add up : How can someone believe in Intelligent Design but not beleive in Theistic Evolution? That's illogical.
Unless there is a missing question - the Deism question. They also ignored Pandeism.
Ultimately this puts the UK in the lower leagues when it comes to rational reasoning, ability to philosophise and analyse in a logical way.