I think people who don't accept the theory of evolution were either poorly taught and indoctrinated or are stubborn and close minded. Or both. Do you think I am intolerant or close minded myself because of that?
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ANSWERS: 57
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I'm a Christian who does believe in the 'Intelligent Design' theory, but also believe there is something to evolution. It seems that the truth lies in that happy medium zone. And, no, I don't think that you're intolerant or close minded at all. May I ask, have you ever spoken to a Clergy or the like about Creation? If you expect a Christian to take in Darwin's teachings, shouldn't you be expected to do the like opposite? One theory has an Almighty creating the Universe simply by speaking the words. The other has life started because lightning struck a swamp in what would be France of today, which somehow created an ameba, and it started from there. Neither really says what happened before. The real truth is, we'll never really know exactly how this all started. And, really, one theory is as ridiculous as the other at face value. Though, my Christian faith and values hurts nobody else, so I'll stick with that.
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Those people would probably point out that you used the word "theory" and that would be enough for them to claim their theory needs equal billing. If you are unwilling to allow their theory to also be presented as an equal theory, then would you think that open minded?
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ReiSan Creationism is far from being a theory scientifically. It has no objective evidence at all.
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Everybody is free to have opinions about anything. Being educated is a privilege that some few persons have and we have to be tolerant since we are not sure who has the truth eventually.
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I'm with you on this one, but I think it has to do more with a learned fear of going against their religious beliefs (Their "faith" if you will). I often wonder how can anyone with even half a brain can even consider the inane concept of "Creation" a remote possibility. But hey! There you go, plenty of so-called intelligent people subscribe to it; go figure!
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http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=100+reasons+why+evolution+is+stupid&hl=en&sitesearch=#
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You have to accept that despite the huge amount of evidence to support the theory of evolution(which i 100% beleive in) some people dont beleive it and thats there right,remember that a lot of religious people have the same oppion about you and that true sciantists are allways willing to be proved wrong.
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it is possible to believe in evolution and not be an atheist. Being open minded is accepting something is possible even if its not what you primarily agree with
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yes because you are effectively saying: I am right.
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i accept it as a very important theory and i also know that it has a divine direction
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Some people (mainly religious people) blank out any sort of fact or information that might suggest (or even prove) thier creation theory to be wrong. It's all down to being scared of dying, so they have to make up this fairy tail to comfort themselves. Everyone has a choice of what to believe, I respect that.
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Yes, you are intolerant. There are, in fact many scientists of repute who do not accept evolution...are they poorly taught or closed minded? I think not. Nor do I think that I am poorly taught or closed minded. I have studied antropology and am very well qualified in many areas of tertiary study, as is my husband and lots of others I know. It is possible that those who do not agree with you have seen flaws in the theory of evolution that you have not. Have you considered that it could be you who are stubborn or closed minded? Have you ever thought that you have just blindly swallowed what has been taught to you at school and served up to you in the media? It IS possible. Isn't it? Or are you too stubborn to admit even the possibility? ;-)
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Yes... It makes YOU close-minded and stubborn. Why can't evolution and creationism exist together? Where in the bible does it say Adam and Eve were not apes? Where does it say God's "form" (in which he cast Adam and Eve) is not the intelligence, and not the bodily form? Where does it specify the length of the day? (Why can't God's day be millions of years... After all, Earth did not exist until then) When the Bible mentions ages, and they are talking in 900+ year spans, where does it say that it's the revolution of the earth around the sun, and not the revolution of the moon around the earth (count full moons)? There's no reason to argue with creationists... BOTH theories may be correct.
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pretty much, yes. :-)
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I think it's important to remember that much of "Biblical History" is based off of true events. Take the Deluge (Noah's Flood). Why is it in every single culture there is a story of great waters devouring people? From the Sumerians to the Aborigines, they all have the same thing in common. 7000 years ago we did not have the technology to understand these things, but today there is a popular hypothesis that is very possible. The flood was not caused by some supernatural force, instead it was caused by a commit hitting the ocean. The impact created massive title waves. Is it a fairytale? I believe in science and reason and I don't find myself "close minded" but I also believe that there is something big going on. You may be a little intolerant for thinking Creationists are "poorly taught", remember that Darwin (the father of evolution) was himself a religious man. Who knows! Maybe there's nothing after death...but it's nice to think there is, right?
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There is still the missing link........ no, I don't think you are intolerant or close minded at all. You are entitled to your opinion after meticulous research. I believe in creation, but I am not intolerant to those who believe in a 'something from nothing' theory. I just don't understand it.
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The homosexual thing and evolution I am totally on the fence with. Most fundamentalists Christians will tell you that I am wrong to be, but that is not what makes me a Christian. My faith in Christ makes me a Christian. I just know that my life has completely changed for the better since I turned my life over to Him.
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There is a simple answer to all of this. If there was nothing existing in the beginning time. Then how do you get somethin out of nothing? You cannot its scientificly impossible. It doesnt matter if it was one single tiny atom. If nothing exists then nothing can come to exist without something existing or being there. Also if you knew your science well you would know that evolution does not prove God doesnt exist by any means it only proves that science cannot prove exactly what happened. Also here is a good scientific theory for you all. THe chances or odds of the earth or world coming to exist from "the big bang theory" are the same as sticking a firecracker into a large tomato and lighting the fuse then when that tomato blows up and splatters all over you find a small but real perfect cherry tomato that was created from the explosion ;) this is a scientific truth.
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I think that these blind believers are the close minded ones. Eventually everyone stops believing in Santa Claus, but the reason people continue believing in the gospel is because people fear death, or even more so they fear eternal punishment, or loosing so many years invested in their faith. There is truth in the theory of evolution, but it does not explain it all. Have you considered the possibility of extraterrestrials?
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You are entitled to your opinion... Everyone is and you have your right to stand proud and declare it to the world! You are therefore only any of those above mentioned things if in your beliefs, you attempt to make someone else adopt to your opinion or stance by either force or insult or by degrading them for not agreeing with you or for having an opinion that is different from yours.
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I accept the theory of evolution, and yes I think you are a "wee" bit close-minded. I think evolution is both a theory and a fact. The fact that changes have been observed over time in populations of organisms over time. In another sense, I think evolution is a theory, in the sense of how those changes came about. The main competitors we hear about are creationism and intelligent design, which I take to be two different things, but certainly those aren't the only possibilities. Someone as an answer to your question mentioned extra-terrestrials, which is another alternative. I think until the holes are filled in on the issue, we need to be open-minded and look for alternatives. If nothing else, any "other" theory that comes up and gets shot down still serves a purpose, which is to keep science moving forward, if for no other reason than to shoot those other theories down, which in my mind has value in and of itself. I think alternative theories help to create the tension we need to move forward, and should be embraced, whether they are completely wrong in the end or not.
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any time you want to try to tell someone that their beliefs are wrong, you are walking a thin line. and to not except that they might be right (even if there is even the slightest of chances) makes you close minded, by definition. Personally, I believe in the theory of evolution, but it is still just a theory, and has not been proven a FACT. and until the theory becomes a law, there is always the possiblity that it might be proven to be wrong (I doubt it) but I at least allow people to have their beliefs. but people who refuse to acknowledge the scientific evidence supporting evolution are being close minded AND somewhat stubborn.
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You are intolerant and closed minded, and you accept in incorrect theory.
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I started to read the theory of evolution. Realized that I needed a heavy background in science.
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I'm just as intolerant and closed-minded as you are because I think they're all poorly taught, indoctrinated, stubborn and closed minded
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Your key word there is "theory". In the 80's, that word "theory" was prominent when evolution was being taught in schools. It wasn't "fact", it was an idea, a belief of how something came to be. An IDEA - that could be plausible- yet unproven. But in the last 15 years, the word "theory" has been replaced by "fact". People believe it IS "fact". So what has changed? Evidence? Or a distrust/hatred of those of faith? A theory is a theory. A theory is not a fact. Until proven.
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No. Some are a little close minded. To use as an argument that it is just a theroy so can't be true is a little bit of a misstatement. Darwin called it a theory many sientists today do call it fact. There is ample evidence that we evolve and change as a response to our environment. Other theroies with less evidence are actually more widely accepted becuase they don't require people to reconsider there faith to believe them.
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Not everyone has to accept your view, just like not everyone has to accept mine. However, I do not believe in evolution, but instead believe in the Bible. I do not know whether you are close minded or not; that depends on whether or not you have heard other people and their views out or not.
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Yes, everyone has their own right to think whats right or wrong, although to you it seems wrong.
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alot of new scientific evidence has come out since darwin invented his theory. you need to investigate both sides of an issue before making a conclusion.
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No. Well... you might be but I can't tell. Basically, anyone who disagrees with evolution based on the crap that is served up by the ID and creationist crowd is closed minded, a fool, or a liar. . It's possible to object to evolution on scientific grounds, in which case one would be closed minded not to honestly review that objection. But I have yet to see such a valid objection. +5
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I've seen many intolerant and close-minded atheists and Christians, especially in forums like this. Many Christians are trying to prove that there is a God and many evolutionists are trying to prove that there isn't. Neither will get very far with that argument. As a Christian, I simply will not take the burden of proof of God's existence, upon myself because it isn't mine to carry. Nor will I try to prove macro evolution wrong because I don't believe it. That's why I no longer get into the evolution/creation battles that rage on 24/7 in question and answer forums. Little or nothing is ever resolved.
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You're entitled to your opinion. Hopefully you afford others the same courtesy.
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I think you are being close minded. Everone is entilted to their own belief and you need to learn to accept it and not be so ridiculing to their belief because that is their entitled opinion. I'm not sayin what belief to believe just don't be to hastey.
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Yes I do absolutely. Because as you move forward in your belief system, you're not going to be entirely satisfied, you'll be..incomplete. And you'll be working toward a goal that you'll never accomplish on your own strength. You'll fall short constantly of its' definition. Why put yourself through this? Why believe man or men who tell you this is the way it is when it isn't?
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I think you are successfully brainwashed. The theory of Evolution is absolutely one of the weakest and most thoroughly incomplete theories in all of modern science. It has become dogma, which is not true science. While it is absolutely true that species adapt to their environment over time, the fossil record is thoroughly inadequate to indicate speciation. Learn to think for yourself. Lose your superiority complex, study the fossil record for yourself, and start to realize that maybe, just maybe, other viewpoints might have something to add.
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Nope. You are right on. +5
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No tend to agree with you. People who reject evolutionary theory tend to be rather unevolved themselves.
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I believed in evolution up until 3 years ago, I'm 22. But people can't grasp how I can disagree with it. I am open minded and enjoy looking at each angle of concepts. I think you are closed minded about calling people uneducated for not believing in it though, since evolution is a theory and not a law. When/if it becomes "The Law of Evolution," you can call people uneducated for not believing in it.
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Since Evolution is no longer a theory but a fact then it is more like ignorance to not accept it. How every little part of it works still has its theoretical side, like Natural Selection which is still a theory albeit one with a vast amount of positive evidence in its favour. It is always intolerant andor close minded to attempt to put people in a box without trying to understand their viewpoint. It is very hard with religion though not to be accused of intolerance just because you question it. That's the way religions work; Ask no questions and we'll give you all the answers. So I have to say that if it were any other subject then yes you may be accused of being close minded or intolerant. But with religion the gloves are off and what needs to be said has to be said, regardless of the reaction.
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...there is alot science doesnt tell you, or want you to know. They pick and choose what they want to tell you, and they boot out anybody who wants it to be known, or tries. The date of "time" keeps going back further and further...so there is more room to "add things"...the names and titles of things are jibberish..."to make it sound smart"...and everything started as a theory...that even darwin himself didnt believe at his time of death. It really doesnt matter to me what anybody in the world thinks...whether they believe it or not....but myself. And I know what I believe...and it seems very simple, and im not gonna tell anybody "YOU NEED TO TURN TO JESUS"...cuz they have already heard it before. Its your choice...weather you want a God, or not. When a person who is athiest or believes in evolution dies...they get what they want "eternal seperation from God"...and if they believe in God and follow him, they get "a life with and for God"...so its a win win situation for us all....so believe whatever you want...the facts are all there.
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Of course such an outlook is closed minded. The very basis of scientific method is to examine evidence without prejudice or preconcieved notions, but if you discard a theory by use of an argument from authority or ad hominem, a personal attack on the intelligence or education of a person with a countering argument, you have in fact not examined all the evidence. It is a method of deception, to prevent people from examining the evidence by saying the one presenting it is not worthy of an opinion. I don't think, though, that this is really what you feel, but you have authored this question with the intent of starting discussion on the topic, or to show how such an attitude is counterproductive, regardless of on which side of the debate it arises.
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I believe what God made. I don't think that makes me poorly taught, stubborn, or close minded to todays weird speculations. It just makes me strong and well devoted to my faith I really can't, even after reading coutless article upon article on evolution, see any viable explanation as to how they came up with the whole evolution theory. I can understand adaptation, dogs are a great example as are other animals, and even people of other races, but not in evolution. Never have and never will. And yeah, maybe you are close minded. Eveyone has their opinions and it's childish that people have to badger them to accept their own beliefs. (I haven't seen you do this, but I have seen other, so I'm not accussing you) Respect them as they respect you.
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Not necessarily intolerant, but possibly closed minded - because many highly educated people, including scientists, have scientific reasons for not accepting the theory.
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Hopefully misinformed. Hopefully not willfully ignorant, but that's a possibility.
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People need to stop worrying about what might offend or what other people believe and ask themselves the right question. What is true and what is not true? Theories and ideas that are testable and offer ways to explain natural phenomena are useful for science and humanity. Ideas that are not testable and simply offer a sense of comfort for the individual and work against the progress of technology are not valuable, end of story.
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It's kinda weird to say that evolution is what made the world because alot of people believe god made the world. Everybody has there own "opion"
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Try this, Try not giving a rats ass how anyone else chooses to beileve
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Maybe they have lived before the works of Darwin were published. Or their own teachers were poorly taught, indoctrinated or bad informed. Or they don't accept science altogether. Anyway, there could be some other reasons. Before I accused those people of anything, I would try to understand their background and have a look at their arguments. As for the usual "creationists" or "intelligent design followers", I already know their arguments.
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I love this question! I think of myself as a very 'tolerant' person and love discovering the way individuals think and believe different things, and all the reasons for those differences......BUT the attitude of people who wont accept evolution (as you have so nicely put it - without labelling anyone) absolutely makes my blood boil! It's not what they believe, it's the "well you're going to hell 'cos I'm right, so there" attitude. If God is guiding me, he is guiding me to ask questions and to learn about our Earth and our history, not to close my mind. However, I also think we should pity them, as they are only acting out of fear. Thanks, great question! :)
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It is quite possible. Just how deeply have you investigated said theory? Have you read scientific papers pertaining to the theory of evolution or just what it said in your high school textbook? Have you investigated the credentials of the people who wrote those papers? Have you investigated to see whether there are any holes in that theory? Those are things that real scientists do. Real scientists are supposed to be constantly questioning and investigating one another's work and credentials. Most of the people I talk to about science only know what they learned from their high school textbooks and the junk science they read in the news. And taking that without question isn't science, its making science into a religion. In short, they are taking it on faith.
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YES==ABSOLUTELY.
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It is not close-minded to judge ignorance, the creationists are still the ones who are stubborn and close-minded.
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We are either reasonable, or evasive. There is enough evidence to indicate to a reasonable person that there is a progressive developement of living things. You are not close minded. Therefore, the only other option is that some folks are poorly taught, or close minded. I think it is pretty simple. People who do not understand evolution never took Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates in college. Once you take that course, there is no debate.
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Yes. We are all entitled to our own opinion and if you dont like that, thats on you. What if the other person thinks YOU are indoctrinated or stubborn? What makes YOU so right and not others? Its called ignorant.
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No. Evolution is a scientific theory based on sound reasoning, empirical evidence, and direct observation and the world around us--all backed by independent observation and confirmation by numerous researchers. There's nothing closed-minded about believing in evolution and rejecting "intelligent design." In fact, many religious people here on AB have even said that evolution, in itself, doesn't contradict their beliefs (the initial cause of life is actually what's in dispute).
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people are made by god. period. those who think so are not stubborn and close minded as you may say. maybe, yes you are being a little close minded yourself because you choose not to explore the possibility that god did make you just like it is said in the bible. so who made you then, if you don't believe god made you??! i personally dont believe that we evolved from monkeys! seriously, what an insult to the entire human race and God!!
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I won't say you are intolerant or close minded, and I won't say the people who don't believe in evolution are either. I think if we worried less about convincing others that our opinion of things were correct, and more time just listening without making assumption, opinions and developing an intolerance for what we do not personally believe, we might just get along better. It's never going to happen, but it does sound like the world would be a happier place that way. +4
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