Pope Francis may believe in evolution, but 42 percent of Americans do not
The Washington Post
Pope Francis amassed international popularity through stunning and progressive statements that put him at odds with the conservative wing of the Catholic Church. On Tuesday, he similarly put himself at odds with a significant portion of Americans by saying he believed in evolution, not creationism — an idea 42 percent of Americans espouse.
“When we read about creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,” Francis said. “He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfillment.” He added: “Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.” (What kind of "beings"? Amoeba, worms. single cell somethings? That is not what the Bible says. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness ....So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Genesis 1:26-27. "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7. Obviously the Pope does not believe the Bible record. RB)
Compare that statement with one in this June Gallup poll: It found 42 percent of Americans believe God created humans “in their present form 10,000 years ago,” disputing scientific consensus that humanity slowly evolved from primates over millions of years.
Despite the deluge of headlines the pope’s comments produced, little was new about his comments. The Catholic Church has been much less conservative on evolution than many Americans, who contend God created Adam from dust and Eve from Adam’s rib. (And, yes, that is exactly what the Bible records. See "dust" in the above verse and Adam's rib in Genesis 2:22 "And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man." (Clearly, if the Pope or anyone else, who does not believe these verses, does not believe the Bible is God's word and are therefore, according to the Bible, not Christians. The Holy Bible is the only authority of God, Christ, creation, prophecy, heaven, hell and eternity we have. If you do not have the Bible you are no different than Muslims, Buddhists or anyone of a thousand other religious beliefs. RB)
Gallup started asking the question in 1982, when 44 percent adhered to creationism — a rate that rose to 47 percent in 1994 before falling to 42 percent today. “There is little indication of a sustained downward trend in the proportion of the U.S. population who hold a creationist view of human origins,” Gallup said in a release. “At the same time, the percentage of Americans who adhere to a strict secularist viewpoint — that humans evolved over time, with God having no part in this process — has doubled since 1999.” Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who believe humans evolved over time, but with God’s help, fell from 38 percent in 1982 to 31 percent today.
A final word .... The final authority: RB"Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." 2 Tim.2:9.
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