Acceptance of evolution among American Mormons

Low public acceptance of evolution among Americans in general, and conservative Protestants specifically, has recently received increased attention among scholars of both religion and the public understanding of science. At the same time, members of another major religious tradition, the Church of J...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Baker, Joseph O. 1983- (Author)
Contributors: Rogers, Dalton (Other) ; Moser, Timothy (Other)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Carfax Publ. [2018]
In: Journal of contemporary religion
Year: 2018, Volume: 33, Issue: 1, Pages: 123-134
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B USA / Mormon Church / Theory of evolution
IxTheo Classification:CF Christianity and Science
KBQ North America
KDH Christian sects
Further subjects:B Mormons
B Science and religion
B Evolution
B Religion And Politics
B public views of science
B Educational attainment
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:Low public acceptance of evolution among Americans in general, and conservative Protestants specifically, has recently received increased attention among scholars of both religion and the public understanding of science. At the same time, members of another major religious tradition, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), reject evolution at rates similar to evangelical Christians, yet there remains a dearth of studies examining the lack of acceptance of evolution among Mormons. Using a nationally representative survey of Americans that contains an adequate number of LDS respondents for advanced statistical analyses, this study examines patterns of evolution acceptance or rejection among Mormons. Findings reveal a moderating relationship between political identity and education, such that educational attainment has a positive relationship with evolution acceptance among political moderates and liberals, but a negative association among political conservatives. These findings highlight the central role played by the politicization of evolution in low rates of evolution acceptance among American Mormons and emphasize the need to—where possible—examine relations between ‘science and religion' within and across specific religious traditions.
ISSN:1469-9419
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of contemporary religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13537903.2018.1408295