Christians
are A House Divided when it comes to evolution and creation. And
the gap may be deepening if not widening.
The gap I
am referring to is the acceptance of a literal or near literal interpretation
of the Genesis creation story and a rejection of the scientific understanding
of the origins of life; that is, life evolved.
The gap is
evident in various surveys. Two years ago, M. Elizabeth Barnes and her
colleagues (2021) surveyed college biology students to understand their perceived
conflict between religious views and evolution.
The Literature
Although
brief as is common in research publications, their literature review is useful
to bring us up to date regarding the ongoing conflict between acceptance and
rejection of evolution by American students in biology classes. Data from 2020
indicate 30% of students in introductory biology classes disagree that all life
shares a common ancestor. The authors suggest identity-protective cognition, a
type of motivated reasoning, accounts for the rejection of evolution.
Not
surprisingly, religion is a factor. Those who score high on religiosity are
less accepting of evolution. However, the authors present a nuance. That is, it
is not religion per se but rather the perception that a conflict exists between
their religious identity and evolution.
The Research Process
The
research team prepared an online survey using items from previous studies to
measure religiosity, a list of religious affiliations, personal
characteristics, a scale to measure evolutionary attitudes and literacy and
other measures. They also added a new scale, which they created to measure the
perceived conflict between religion and evolution. “This measure includes
students’ perceived conflict between evolution and their 1) belief in God, 2)
personal religious beliefs, 3) religious teachings, and 4) religious
communities’ beliefs.” The new scale items are in their publication.
The survey
participants included students in 26 biology courses taken in 11 US states.
Findings
The researchers statistically controlled for variables of religiosity,
religious affiliation, and understanding of evolution.
“…perceived conflict between evolution and a
student’s 1) belief in God and 2) personal religious beliefs were the strongest
predictors of evolution acceptance.”
“…perceived conflict with evolution among
students’ religious communities or within their religious teachings were not
significant predictors of students’ evolution acceptance after accounting for
perceived conflict with evolution and students’ belief in God or personal
religious beliefs.”
"Muslim students and non-Catholic Christians had
the highest perceived conflict with their belief in God and evolution"
Comments
1. There are other interesting statements in the article,
which are aside from the study itself. The authors note that biology professors
are reluctant to challenge students’ religious beliefs and that research
indicates religiosity and religious affiliation are not likely to change for
students getting an undergraduate degree in biology. We may wonder if the reluctance
has to do with the perceived conflict by professors that students perceive a
conflict between their religion and evolution. So, on the one hand, we have
information about the students’ perceptions but on the other hand, it might be
helpful to understand the perceptions of students’ conflicts held by
professors.
2. The reason for the difference between Catholic and non-Catholic
Christians was not addressed; however, the Catholic Church is on record as not
seeing a conflict between Christianity and evolution. This fact and the study
findings may help professors be more or less at ease depending on the faith of
their students.
3. The authors suggest that the findings may be useful to
help professors address perceived conflict. They refer to previous research
finding perceived conflict was reduced by 50%:
Ø *provide students with examples of religious
scientists who accept evolution
Ø *teach the limitations of science
Ø *provide students with information on the variety
of viewpoints on the relationship of religion to evolution
4. Beyond the findings of this study, the fact that the
study was done, and the context provided in the literature review, offer a
perspective on American culture. Not only is evolution still rejected by
conservative Christians, but the advice and guidance of scientists have met
with suspicion, scepticism, and even cynicism. Ironically, many have followed
the advice of nonscientists when it comes to evolution or medical treatment.
Perhaps the most salient example is the problem of accepting
scientists’ guidance on managing the pandemic have been publicly challenged at
the highest levels in the United States. The challenges targeted guidance on
safety and general behavioural protection (e.g., masking, safe distancing) from
the Covid-19 virus, evidence-based treatments for those seriously infected, and
vaccinations to reduce the impact of the virus for most people.
PROFESSORS - EXAM COPIES FROM THE PUBLISHER
Study Reference
Barnes, M. E., Supriya, K., Zheng, Y., Roberts, J.A., &
Brownell, S.E. (2021). A New Measure of Students’ Perceived Conflict between
Evolution and Religion (PCoRE) Is a Stronger Predictor of Evolution Acceptance
than Understanding or Religiosity. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 20, 3. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-02-0024
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