I just ran across a weblog article that complains about the media confusing creationists and intelligent design advocates, so I thought I’d present a handy-dandy chart to clear up any confusion:
| Creationism | ID | Evolutionary biology | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Cretinists | IDiots | Evilutionists | Adherents in US | 124,200,000[2][3] | 53,200,000[2][3] | 88,700,000[2][3] |
| Adherents Outside US | Negligible[4] | Too few to measure[4] | Anyone with a high school education |
| Researchers | 0 | 1 | 7000[1] |
| Research Papers Published in 2004 | 0 | 1 | 15405[5] |
| Research Budget | 0 | $100 max, I’m guessing | $36 million[4] |
| PR Budget | $100 million[4] | $25 million[4] | $170, including video rental fees for the PBS series, “Evolution” |
| Thesis Laid Out In | Genesis 1 (please don’t ask about Genesis 2) | Buggered if I can find it | Cleverly concealed in libraries, universities, and on the web |
| Supporting Evidence | Repeated assertion | Argument from ignorance | Tons, literally[7] |
| Lawsuits Won | 0 | 0 | 7 (soon 8)[6] |
| Endorsed by Pope | No | No | Yes |
| Has Operating System Named After Major Figure | No | No | Yes |
| Offers Insight Into Secrets of the Universe? | No | No | Yes |
| Claims Existence of God? | Yes | Yes | No |
| Denies Existence of God? | No | No | No |
| Easy to Make Fun Of? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Can Laugh At Themselves? | No, you’ll go to Hell for that | No, far too serious for that | Yes, and it’s even funnier when you get the in-jokes |
References
[1] http://www.skeptictank.org/biolgy1.htm says there are 3500 scientists in the Society for the Study of Evolution. I mutiplied by 2 on the off chance it would yield a better number.
[2] http://pewforum.org/docs/index.php?DocID=115
[3] CIA World Factbook
[4] My ass, personal communication, 2005.
[5] PubMed. Search for “evolution” between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2004.
[6] http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-debates.html
[7] http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/
