Today is Charles Darwin's 200th birthday...

...and Yahoo! reports that 63% of Americans say they believe that humans and other animals have either always existed in their present form or have evolved over time under the guidance of a supreme being while only 26% say that life evolved solely through processes such as natural selection. Another poll found that 64% of Americans support teaching creationism alongside evolution in the classroom. Depressed? Don't be; consider the Roman Empire.

After Constantine's mother converted to Christianity (just one of many cults circulating in ancient Rome at the time), the emperor followed suit soon after at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. He still maintained his title of Pontifex Maximus, however, which emperors bore as heads of the pagan priesthood. The rest of the Empire also converted in short order, as most people were eager to adopt Roman customs in much the same way that people today admire American culture. But old habits die hard, and most of the new Christians continued to worship the pagan gods as well. It's also never a bad idea to hedge your bet.

So what's all this have to do with modern-day America and Charles Darwin? Just think of the Charlie Rose Show. Or at least the one in which E. O. Wilson and James Watson appeared. It's the best CR I've ever seen and you can watch it on You Tube. I highly recommend it. The two biologists not only agreed that Darwin was the most important figure in the history of science, but they also marveled at how much of it he got right. The high point of the show for me was when Watson (who along with Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA) said that Darwin and his theory of evolution implied "no designer." Never mind whether or not we evolved from apes; this to me is the bigger stumbling block for fundamental Christians. No designer means no God and that means that man's existence is accidental. This would naturally be a deal-breaker for Evangelical types. But you have to at least give them credit for consistency. Because Catholics and mainline Protestants, who have been exposed to science in school, are not as consistent. Like the ancient Romans, they carry on a double life, accepting evolution as the most reasonable explanation for the origin of man while at the same time clinging to their religion (my apologies to Barack Obama). They rationalize this contradiction by maintaining that God guided evolution. Neat, huh?

But just as Christianity eventually supplanted the pagan religions of the ancient world, so will reason eventually triumph over belief. After all, that's been the trajectory of history ever since the first man discovered how to use a stick as a tool. But it's an evolutionary process and takes a long time. I think Darwin would appreciate that.

Tomorrow I'll take up that other birthday boy, Abraham Lincoln.