I read something today that really put me in a lousy mood. It was the result of a poll that found that 58% of those who identify themselves politically as Republican refuse to accept the results of open scientific inquiry that state the age of Earth and the Universe, and the existence of observable evolution, among other things.

This is especially disturbing because these people likely don’t reject with equal fervor the convenience of their computer or smart-phone, or life-saving medical care which are present in their lives not through faith, but through science.

Why should the rest of us care? It’s simple. Some of these scientifically illiterate are in high offices. One need not look far to find a member of the Republican party, who also identifies himself or herself as a Christian, saying things that are simply outrageous distortions of established facts and then finding constituents, who, lacking critical thinking skills and having been taught to unconditionally accept any higher authority adopt them as truth. If you think that assertion may be hyperbole, check out the Texas GOP Platform  which specifically rejects the teaching of critical thinking skills because they are, in their opinion, anti-authoritarian.

I won’t list examples here, but this link will provide foundation.

It looks from my chair that there is a big disconnect here between the ideas, put forth by Republicans, of American Exceptionalism and a desire to be the technological leaders of the world, with what they say about science that challenges their religious ideologies. I have observed many of these political and religious leaders treat their Bible not as the infallible Word of God, but as some sort of spiritual buffet line. They scoop up that which they find palatable and self-justifying and leave behind the harder stuff. They’ll quote Leviticus when justifying anti-gay bigotry, but forget the other Leviticus verses that prohibits tattoos or eating shellfish. They’ll quote the Apostle Paul on marriage, but ignore him on how God says to treat women. (which is to prohibit them from teaching men, among other things).

So should it come as a surprise they apply the same methodology to science? We now live in a bizarre society where fundamentalists like Rep. Broun of Georgia, who dismayingly sits on the House Committee for Science, Space and Technology call scientists liars.  I wonder…..were his wife or child to face a difficult illness, would he still feel that way? Would he refuse to accept the best science has to offer and turn to his Bible, since he stated it was the “manufacturer’s handbook”? I’d bet not.  As I am fond of saying, science won the argument the first time a lightning rod was installed on a church.

The rest of it is evidence of an extinction burst. More on that later.