Should we use Creationism as a wedge issue?

It is an issue that really resignates with the hard right fundamentalists but not with normal Americans who accept Scientific evidence instead of faith. Could it be a wedge between the hard right and the moderates? I think we should expose them as the nut cases they are.

Your average church-goer does not understand evolutionary theory. If you ask them flat-out, "Do you believe in evolution?" they will say no. I'm not talking about fundamentalist nutjobs from the trailer parks, but very mainstream Protestants, like Lutherans and Episcopalians.

The REASON for that is that the RW has done such a good job of making "evolution" equate to "You're a monkey with less hair -- that's what the liberal godless socialist communists believe! We believe we're children of GAWD!"

Those people -- the people who go to church on Sunday, work hard all week, leave their neighbors alone, worry about their kids and are 3-5 paychecks away from the street (i.e., a little security, but not much) -- those are people we can't afford to antagonize.

There are also a lot of people who will take it personally if you mock "creationism" because they equate it to "atheism." Theistic evolution (People who believe in evolution as an example of God's glorious creativity) is a real thing, but using "creationism" as a wedge issue denies that. It makes it sound like you're an atheist or a nutjob -- nothing in-between.

The studies I've read put atheists at less than 7% of the population. Over 65% of Americans attend church at least once a month. Making fun of religion gets us nowhere fast. I just about cried on Good Friday when, all day long, every Air America host used the opportunity to mock faith. That makes us no friends.

You ask if it could be a wedge between the hard right and the moderates? No. Make the moderates think that you're mocking them for believing in God, or for not believing that they're nothing but hairless monkeys, and you get us nowhere. You and I know that evolution is much more complicated than that, but they don't.

Remember, the average American hasn't read a nonfiction book since they graduated high school. DU is a cut above average Americans.

Why are we looking for "wedge issues" anyway? Why not bring everyone together? :shrug:

The average american is not a scientist. We can try this as a wedge issue, and we can fall flat on our faces.

I don't buy that for a moment. I think there are plenty of Christians that believe Evolution is just one of God's ways of Creating. I would venture that more than 80% of our nation believes in evolution as fact and creationism as a good story.

When you mock "creationism," you mock their faith, which makes it sound like you have to be an atheist to believe in evolution. That is MY POINT.

NO, don't make this a wedge issue. Make people think you're mocking them for believing in God, and we'll run off even more moderate Christians than we already have as a party.

We need EVERY VOTE.

Waste of time. It's already a wedge issue between mod repubs and the loony right.

No species has ever been seen evolving from another species and so it is at best speculation based on extensions of stuff that don't apply. There's a reason why it is a THEORY. There is no real proof. There is significantly more proof that Bush masterminded and carried out 9/11 and there is far more chance of convincing undecideds of that than of convincing people who don't believe in evolution that it is a valid theory.

Personally I think it's far more likely that we are descended from Golgafrinshans than monkeys. On second thought, Bush may be a cockroach.

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Do not exploit faith for political purposes. That is the mark of the right. Rather, encourage them to examine how truly those they would vote for follow the principles of their faith.

I'm stunned by some of the things I've been hearing in churches. "God does not like a democracy", by a "big-wig" religious leader as a guest speaker. Several "big-wigs" on CTN have said that God chose George Bush and we must stick behind him no matter what he does. My sister who is a devout Christian is a Bushie, I'm stunned because a compassionate conservative is an oxymoron. Bushie's worship money and not god however someone might perceive god.
A day in the universe is eons long and not 24 hours. Maybe both points are valid after a fasion.
There are a half of a dozen string theories, all conflicting each other. Some answers we probally will never have. But we never have a lack of opinons.