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The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost imply that there's a conspiracy here to avoid the fact that evolution is actually flawed. All of those books, unfortunately, are based upon conclusions that no reasonable biologist would now accept.
Francis Collins
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote critiques evangelical literature that disputes evolution, suggesting that such views are not supported by credible biology.

Francis Collins highlights the tension between certain evangelical beliefs and the scientific understanding of evolution. He emphasizes that many books produced by evangelicals misrepresent evolution as a flawed theory while ignoring the substantial evidence that supports it. By asserting that these criticisms are based on outdated conclusions, Collins advocates for a more informed and rational discussion that aligns with contemporary biological science.

Themes

EvolutionScienceFaithBiologyReligion

In practice

Example use cases

In a debate about science education, one could cite this quote to argue against teaching creationism over evolution.

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I took biology in high school and didn't like it at all. It was focused on memorization. ... I didn't appreciate that biology also had principles and logic ... [rather than dealing with a] messy thing called life. It just wasn't organized, and I wanted to stick with the nice pristine sciences of chemistry and physics, where everything made sense. I wish I had learned sooner that biology could be fun as well.
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