Abstract
Polling data reveal a decades-long residual rejection of evolution in the United States, based on perceived religious conflict. Similarly, a strong creationist movement has been documented internationally, including in the Muslim world. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, Mormon), a generally conservative denomination, have historically harbored strong anti-evolution sentiments. We report here a significant shift toward acceptance, compared to attitudes 30 years earlier, by students at Brigham Young University, which is owned and operated by the LDS church. This change appears to have multiple explanations. Students currently entering the university have been exposed to a much-improved introduction to evolution during high school. More importantly, there has been a significant decrease in negative messaging from Church authorities and in its religious education system. There is also evidence that current students have been positively influenced toward evolution by their parents, a large percentage of whom were BYU students, who earlier were given a strong science education deemed compatible with the maintenance of religious belief. A pre-post comparison demonstrates that a majority of current students become knowledgeable and accepting following a course experience focused on evolutionary principles delivered in a faith-friendly atmosphere. Elements of that classroom pedagogy, intended to promote reconciliation, are presented. Our experience may serve as a case-study for prompting changes in acceptance of evolution in other conservative religious groups.
Highlights
IntroductionThe second trend suggests an impulse in the opposite direction, the so-called “War on Science” [3,4]
The research reported here comes against a background of two relevant national trends in the United States
The second trend suggests an impulse in the opposite direction, the so-called “War on Science” [3,4]. Examples of this phenomenon–a rejection of compelling evidence generated by empirical science—include the popularity of efforts to introduce “Intelligent Design” (ID, a theology-inspired anti-evolution notion) into the biology classroom of the public schools [5,6], parents who refuse to vaccinate their children as a hedge against autism [7,8], and the refusal of significant numbers of Americans to accept the reality of climate change [9] in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary [10]
Summary
The second trend suggests an impulse in the opposite direction, the so-called “War on Science” [3,4] Examples of this phenomenon–a rejection of compelling evidence generated by empirical science—include the popularity of efforts to introduce “Intelligent Design” (ID, a theology-inspired anti-evolution notion) into the biology classroom of the public schools [5,6], parents who refuse to vaccinate their children as a hedge against autism [7,8], and the refusal of significant numbers of Americans to accept the reality of climate change [9] in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary [10]. Persons espousing these or other similar views would be expected to reject the evidence that supports an evolutionary explanation for living organisms, this being another example of the alleged unreliability of scientific inquiry in the face of deeply held religious, personal, or political beliefs
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