God, Science and the Bible: Survey: Majority of medical doctors reject strict Darwinism
In a surprising result, a majority of 1,482 physicians polled by HCD Research and the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies rejected strict Darwinism.
In a surprising result, a majority of 1,482 physicians polled by HCD Research and the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies rejected strict Darwinism.
Strict Darwinism in the survey was given the following definition: "Humans evolved naturally with no supernatural involvement—no divinity played any role." Only 38 percent of the physicians polled accepted that belief. Other types of evolutionary explanations that can take into consideration a Creator received more support by a margin of 42 percent to 38 percent.
The same poll revealed 65 percent of doctors, or almost two thirds of those surveyed, believed intelligent design should be allowed or required to be taught in schools alongside the teaching of evolution. In fact, although the intelligent design explanation is quite recent, a third of the doctors polled favored it over evolution.
"Of course most doctors are skeptical of Darwinism," said Dr. Robert Cihak, M.D., former president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and a medical columnist for JewishWorldReview.com. "An eye surgeon knows the astonishing intricacies of human vision intimately, so the vague, just-so stories about eye evolution don't fool him. And the eye is just one of the countless organs and interdependent systems in the body that defy Darwinian explanation" (Discovery Institute, "Nearly Two-Thirds of Doctors Skeptical of Darwin's Theory of Evolution," May 31).
In another survey of 1,100 physicians taken by the same research firm and institute in December 2004, it was found that 74 percent of doctors believed miracles occurred in the past and 73 percent believe that miracles occur today. Further, almost half (46 percent) indicated belief that prayer is very important in their own lives and two-thirds encourage their patients to pray.
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: July - August 2005
Course Content
Tom Robinson
Tom is an elder in the United Church of God who works from his home near St. Louis, Missouri as managing editor and senior writer for Beyond Today magazine, church study guides and the UCG Bible Commentary. He is a visiting instructor at Ambassador Bible College. And he serves as chairman of the church's Prophecy Advisory Committee and a member of the Fundamental Beliefs Amendment Committee.
Tom began attending God's Church at the age of 16 in 1985 and was baptized a year later. He attended Ambassador College in both Texas and California and served for a year as a history teacher at the college's overseas project in Sri Lanka. He graduated from the Texas campus in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in theology along with minors in English and mass communications. Since 1994, he has been employed as an editor and writer for church publications and has served in local congregations through regular preaching of sermons.
Tom was ordained to the ministry in 2012 and attends the Columbia-Fulton, Missouri congregation with his wife Donna and their two teen children.
Mario Seiglie
Mr. Seiglie was born in Havana, Cuba, and came to the United States when he was a child. He found out about the Church when he was 17 from a Church member in high school. He went to Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, and in Pasadena, California, graduating with degrees in theology and Spanish. He serves as the pastor of the Garden Grove, CA UCG congregation and serves in the Spanish speaking areas of South America. He also writes for the Beyond Today magazine and currently serves on the UCG Council of Elders. He and his wife, Caty, have four grown daughters, and grandchildren.
Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
