From: Timothy Bates (tbates@karri.bhs.mq.edu.au)
Date: Sat Feb 27 1999 - 01:24:39 MST
hi, i just came across this. Makes NZ look like a nice country to compare to
the USA when looking for the god gene(s). They appear to have a lower
frequency in NZ (a freedom loving country, BTW).
WELLINGTON -- Ten per cent of people surveyed by Massey University believe
the Bible is the actual word of God, to be taken literally word for word.
Just over 60 per cent believed in God, although more than half of those
people had some doubt about his or her existence.
However, more New Zealanders believed in Darwin's evolution theory than
people in the United States, said survey leader Philip Gendall, from the
university's marketing department.
Massey represents the International Social Survey Programme in New Zealand,
and last year carried out a postal survey on religion. The team interviewed
1800 people over 20, with a 65 per cent valid response rate.
Just over 30 per cent of people surveyed believed in the Darwinian position
that humans developed over millions of years and that God had no part in it.
"This contrasts with the United States; when asked the same question in 1997
only 10 per cent of Americans believed in evolution," Prof. Gendall said.
About 40 per cent thought the Bible was an ancient book of fables, legends,
and moral teachings recorded by man. -- NZPA
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