That's true, Nick. It's just that the majority of the people have been taught evolution since pre-school, and at that age, kids believe anything you tell them. Afterwards, when they're older, you can keep them believing in it (even vigorously defending it) easily.
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Irony meter just hit 40.
*Some* kids will believe anything you tell them, maybe, but not all. Me, I was four years old when I was first introduced to the idea of the Christian god at primary school. I thought it was nonsense then, and I still think it's nonsense now. I suspect I was born without a credulity gene or something.
I think we were introduced to evolution pretty early but at that age I read so much on biology outside of school, i was familiar with quite a few concepts years before being formally introduced to them. But we were vaguely looking at evolution by grade four at least. In high school we actually studied mechanisms of evolution, genetics, and in year 12 we even visited a CSIRO lab and genetically engineered different strains of E. coli.
Now seeing the mechanisms at work firsthand is how they really get you.
Sunday school begins years before Biology lessons do
YOU might keep on believing what you learned in pre-school, dearie. Most intelligent people revise their knowledge on a regular basis, and definitely stop believing in the fairy-tales, myths and legends that made sense while in pre-school.
@Crosis
All part of the slippery slope argument or the habit of always exaggerating the other sides case beyond sense. In a way, they're admitting teaching evolution isn't bad as they have to pretend it's being forced on five year olds to make it appear indoctrinating or, oddly enough, comparing it to religious indoctrination.
How many times have we seen this projection stunt here now? "Science wants to get them young to plant ideas in their impressionable minds, make sure you get your kids into Sunday school ASAP"
It was in second highschool year for me as part of biology 1. I was raised in a fundamentalist cult with prejudices against science and although I passed the course, I had not accepted evolution yet (it was a minor aspect of that introductory course anyway, that focused more on anatomy, carbon chemistry and reproduction, it also included basic human sexual education). Outside of engineering, it's only years later that I studied the natural sciences again. I then realized how the evidence for evolution is overwhelming and that it's very practical to understand biology. It also became obvious that it's the best explanation for life diversification we have.
But I'm neither surprised to see inaccurate statements and fear mongering by creationists, nor unaware at the lengths some go to reject aspects of reality that they find inconvenient, in favor of modern religious and pseudoscientific interpretations of ancient myths. Some also want to force that into their kids and indeed indoctrinate them early, sometimes even prevent them access to proper general education, like homeschooling with misleading textbooks. This also serves for religious segregation.
“That's true, Nick. It's just that the majority of the people have been taught evolution since pre-school, and at that age, kids believe anything you tell them."
“Afterwards, when they're older, you can keep them believing in it (even vigorously defending it) easily”
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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