LITR 4231 Early American Literature Research Posts 2014 (research post assignment) Research Post 1

Brandi Polvado

March 25, 2014

Beliefs of Americans Today on Creation and Free Will

     With so much diversity in America today the topic of religion can take you down several different paths filled with diverse beliefs. Some believe God and agree with the creation story; however, others lean towards the belief of evolution. Anytime you take a course where religion or religious beliefs is the topic of discussion it is always interesting to see the diversity within the classroom. Most literature courses will undoubtedly cover some aspect of The Bible just as we are in this American Literature course. Being a Christian, I personally believe in The Bible and agree with the creation story. I also believe that God gives each person free will and the option to make their own decisions in life, and we are each responsible for our own actions. I have always loved the book of “Genesis” in The Bible and find it astounding that a perfect God would even allow us free will as seen with Adam and Eve in the book of “Genesis.” Discussions in this course of creation  and evolution during this era of Western civilization sparks the question of what more Americans today believe to be true, the creation story or evolution? Also, do many Americans believe that God gives free will, if they even believe in God at all?

While conducting some research online I found some very interesting statistics in the common beliefs of Americans today. According to one article in The Huffington Post, “only 21% of Americans believe that human beings evolved without the involvement of God, and 25% of those surveyed said, "Human beings evolved but God guided this process. 37% of respondents answered that "God created human beings in their present form," in response to the question "Which of the following comes closest to your views on the origin of human beings?" This article also states that the belief in evolution has increased since 2004, but I still found these statistics to be low. It seems that these days the topics of prayer in schools or whether or not to include “Under God” in “The Pledge of Allegiance” are constantly the kind of religious topics being debated. Perhaps the majority of Americans believe in God, and agree with the creation story, but do not become open about their beliefs. Maybe it is those Americans who believe in evolution that are more vocal, therefore giving many of us the impression that many Americans no longer believe in God.

I personally believe God gives us each free will, and one of my favorite quotes is a quote by C.S. Lewis that says, “Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.” I found this quote to mean that without free will we are basically all the same. Free will allows us the opportunity to experience life as we wish, and to love who we wish, and to believe as we wish. Growing up in church I have heard countless times from my pastor that, “God did not make us robots, and we all have the power to choose.” If God did not allow us free will then I suppose everyone would have to believe in him, and we would all be pretty much the same. Upon doing some web research I found that the majority of Americans also believe in free will and the repercussions of their personal decisions. An article posted on the New York Times website entitled, “Do You Have Free Will? Yes, It’s the Only Choice,” highlights various experiments done and the outcomes of these experiments. Most people do believe in free will, and also believe that they should choose wisely when it comes to moral decisions.

     After asking myself whether Americans today mostly believe in the creation story or in evolution, and conducting research online, I found the answer to my question to be surprising. I found that most Americans do still believe in the creation story much like during the era of Western civilization we are studying during this Early American Literature course. I feel fortunate to have knowledge of The Bible and stories such as the creation story found in “Genesis” because it is extremely helpful in this course. I was also a little surprised to find that so many people agree with free will, because many people agree that our country is in “decline.” Asking myself these questions, and conducting this research, has given me a hope in people that I did not have before.

Work Cited:

1.  Lewis, C.S. The Case for Christianity. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1999. Print.

2.  Hafiz, Yasmine. “Evolution and God: Only 21% of Americans Believe Humans Evolved Without Divine Guidance.” Huffington Post, 23 July 2013. Web. 25 March 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/23/evolution-god_n_3640658.html>.

3.  Tierney, John. “Do You Have Free Will? Yes, It’s the Only Choice.” New York Times, 21 March 2011. Web. 25 March 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/science/22tier.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

4.  Central Baptist Church Pastor – Timmy Dunn (personal reference)