Comments on: Republicans more skeptical of astrology than Democrats

By: Clark

Clark — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:08:41 +0000

Christopher, I wish fundamentalists accepted ID proper since then they’d at least accept most of evolutionary theory. However really what they favor is young earth creationism and then they’ll throw out the ID tag because they think it has some quasi-scientific respectability without understanding how much of evolution Behe and company accept. Not that it makes ID any less crazy. It’s just a formalization of the old god of the gaps arguments. But at least they accept the actual history of the world unlike most fundamentalists who appear to think men around the time of Noah were riding dinosaurs like horses. I think the great con of the creationist movement was to try and introduce god of the gaps as ID and then go and use the term amongst fundamentalists as if it were analogous to creationism.

By: Bob Swartz

Bob Swartz — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 17:53:17 +0000

Soon David Brooks will have a book on the insights that epigenetics brings to human behavior, something like “we can be selfish and nice at the same time owing to methylation of the genome.”

By: Christopher@BorderWars

Christopher@BorderWars — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 01:58:53 +0000

There’s growing discussion on the New Age spirituality among leftists filling the gaps that leaving other organized religions have left.

Here’s an article by Ebert of all people talking about it.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/12/new_agers_and_creationists_sho.html

Evolution seems to be a favorite battering ram of the left to bash the Republican-leaning fundies who believe in “Intelligent Design” but the wholesale acceptance of new age mysticism and “spirituality” is just as bogus IMO.

I went to Catholic Schools for a time and we learned evolution. There wasn’t even a debate.

Richard Dawkins has an interesting documentary on the subject:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgcYxyaW5yE

But I guess we should remember that the good guys LOST the Scopes Monkey Trial.

By: ackbark

ackbark — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 19:18:58 +0000

There are leftists who have so enculturated the idea of skepticism as rationality they have a skepticism of skepticism itself, which lends itself to playings around with ‘spirituality’ and what not.

By: Matt Foss

Matt Foss — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 18:30:35 +0000

Are independents more gullible, or are more independents gullible? We’re talking about a heterogeneous group whose only common trait is that they don’t support either major party. I wager that the average intelligence in that category is watered down by people who lack a political affiliation out of ignorance rather than out of skepticism toward both parties.

By: ziel

ziel — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:51:51 +0000

Thanks – I see what you’re saying about Sothern Baptists. For DENOM >= 40 (Presbyterians/Episcopalians) the difference is much smaller – but still there to some extent.

By: ST

ST — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:42:04 +0000

At least they’re not trying to make astrology public policy.

Anyway, I’m not so sure boiling it down to right-leaning southern baptists vs. left-leaning southern baptists even really refutes Cornflower’s greater point. I’d wager the religious right is probably more inclined to reflexively reject new-ageyness than the religious left.

By: Roberto

Roberto — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:34:46 +0000

Thank you Mr Khan, you are simply hilarious

By: Razib Khan

Razib Khan — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:20:48 +0000

Without further explanation from you, this statement is questionable, at least.

is english your second language? you sound like an asshole if it is your first language.

By: Roberto

Roberto — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:05:08 +0000

…” So I simply limited the sample to those with at least bachelor’s degrees to control for intelligence:” Without further explanation from you, this statement is questionable, at least.

By: Razib Khan

Razib Khan — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:55:40 +0000

#4, it does. “denom.” there’s a huge difference between dem and rep southern baptists. a 40 point difference. the issue is among religious dems vs. religious repubs. especially in ‘conservative’ churches.

By: ziel

ziel — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:43:11 +0000

I suspect that if you took controlled for denomination (e.g., Southern Baptist Republicans vs. S. B. Democrats vs S. B. Independents, the same for Episcopalians, the same for atheists, etc.) much if not most of the differences by party would fade away.

GSS doesn’t have those kinds of specific religious breakdowns (I don’t think), but if you limit it to only those who “Knows God Exists” or believe that the Bible is “the Word of God” you get very similar results – i.e., Republicans much more skeptical of Astrology than Democrats.

By: Zucchi

Zucchi — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 13:52:47 +0000

I tend to agree with Cornflower. A lot of conservative Christian people will discount astrology not because they’re scientifically-minded skeptics, but because they feel it conflicts with the different brand of BS that they believe in.

By: Cornflower

Cornflower — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 10:39:34 +0000

I suspect that the differences by party might be explained by religious affiliation, in that there is also a greater portion of what I might call “religiously conservative” Christianity (bible-believing, etc.) among the Republican population that among the Democratic. This form of Christianity explicitly frowns upon astrology in its teachings. Mainstream denominations of Christianity, along with those who believe agnostic-ally, are much more open to allowing its members to believe other ‘spiritual’ things, so astrology, while frowned upon, is not mentioned as being frowned upon often at all.

Does the General Social Survey give this breakdown?