New Gallup Poll On Creationism…An Opportunity For Non-Theists

Last updated on: December 20, 2010 at 12:40 pm by Jeffrey L. Falick

New Gallup Poll On Creationism…An Opportunity For Non-Theists 2010-12-20T12:40:00-05:00 Jeffrey L. Falick

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A new Gallup poll is out about Americans’ views on evolution.

I could spin this story negatively by my genuine horror that 40% of all Americans believe in young earth creationism. Instead I’m looking at it as good news. Those who accept evolution without any monkeying around by a deity have climbed from 9% in 1982 to 16% today. The middle ground, what some have called “theistic evolution,” with God somehow guiding the process, has remained steady at around 38%.

So while the plurality of Americans are still deluded and the percentage of the merely misguided has remained stable, the reality-based have gained 5%.

So what can we do with this information? Based on my assumption, I’m going to make a leap and say that the 16% who believe evolution is a completely natural process are almost all non-theists. That’s over 49 million people. That’s a lot.

This is why non-theists must continue to organize and spread the word. I know we have our differences, but they are minor compared to the challenges posed by the other side. We cannot afford to let the most radical theists determine public policy. We are going to have to “proselytize” our fellow non-theists and any hidden “fellow travelers” to be more honest about their world views.

We must encourage these folks to “come out” of the non-theistic closet. Ads going up on buses and billboards, such as those by local Coalition of Reason branches, are a great start. They basically state what all non-theistic people naturally agree upon. We can be good without God. The implications of that statement for the future of this planet are vast.

Our next step must be to exploit the advertising and the increase in public discussion by changing the way that we market our common identity to the public. I certainly have no problem with calling myself an atheist, but the word’s gotten a bum rap and has ridiculous connotations for the average person. For this reason, some people have been groping for a better word. Richard Dawson advocates calling us “Brights,” but that just sounds silly.

Years ago LGBQT people decided to market themselves under the blanket “brand” of gays. We need a brand name, too. We can continue to use more precise terminology internally, but to the wider world we need to present a united front. The most appropriate and clearly understood umbrella word that describes us is “non-theist.”

Believe me, we are a lot less divided from each other than the religious…even the most traditional…are. And, hysterically, they are split about the most ludicrous things. These range from whether a cracker is REALLY Jesus to whether it’s acceptable for a woman to lead the praises to him to whether or not eating a cheeseburger is an affront to Yahweh.

Our different emphases as individual non-theistic movements should not detract from presenting a united front. What we agree upon is vast. Our disagreements are mostly a matter of aesthetics. Taste is a not a universal truth. I love going to non-theistic Shabbat services, but for others the thought of anything that “tastes” like religion is nauseating. Such differences merely reflect our diversity as human beings. Not whether we accept that a fictional supernatural ruler, described in ancient Israelite mythology, should have a say in our present day reality.

So let’s keep these ad campaigns up! I am very much looking forward to seeing them in South Florida. I encourage you to work for the same visibility wherever you live. Perhaps soon, at least 49 million people will be, to borrow another phrase from the gay rights movement, “out and proud” as non-theists.

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