Darwin Dissed in His Own Homeland

One would think Brits would cherish their guru Darwin, but he didn’t come out all that well in a poll, reports BBC News.  More than half the population doesn’t believe in the theory of evolution, results showed, and 39% said either creation or intelligent design best explains their view on the origin and development of life (about 12% didn’t know).
    Lord Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society was stunned.  “It is surprising that many should still be sceptical of Darwinian evolution,” he said.  “Darwin proposed his theory nearly 150 years ago, and it is now supported by an immense weight of evidence.”
    The editor of the BBC Horizon program that initiated the poll called this the first introduction to the British public’s views on this issue.  He also was surprised; “Most people would have expected the public to go for evolution theory, but it seems there are lots of people who appear to believe in an alternative theory for life’s origins,” he commented.  People over 55 were more likely to reject Darwinism.

For a country steeped in Darwinian dogma for over a century, with only a small minority attending church where religion is nearly moribund, this is quite a surprising statistic.  If Darwin gave the world the best idea anyone ever had, and is the figurehead of modern biology, why is his claim not so obvious to all the people?    Lord Martin Rees was glad there is no movement to oppose evolution like in the US, but then why can’t Darwin’s disciples win more converts when they have complete control of the science curricula and a near monopoly on the definition of science and truth?  Can’t the people see the weight of evidence?  Maybe they see through it.