According to this survey, approximately 20% of Americans must’ve been absent from school on the day they taught that the Earth orbits around the Sun. Or maybe these are the unfortunate souls who were home-schooled by well-meaning but completely deluded fundamentalist parents. And you know what’s sad? These statistics don’t even have the power to shock me anymore. When the grand opening of a creationist “museum” gets oodles of press coverage and three major-party presidential candidates proudly declare their belief in magic, it’s folly to pretend that a good portion of Americans don’t share these medieval worldviews. I blame the Europeans. If you guys hadn’t been so eager to deport your religious fanatics a few hundred years ago, the majority of decent and informed Americans wouldn’t have to contend with their irksome and embarrassing descendants today. Thanks a bunch.
