Miss USA 'Believes' in Evolution | The Institute for Creation Research
Miss USA 'Believes' in Evolution

An interesting question on evolution cropped up during the web interviews for the contestants of the recent Miss USA pageant. The event aired on network television June 19, 2011, but the interviews appeared on the pageant's YouTube channel several days earlier.

Pageant organizers asked the contestants, "Should evolution be taught in schools?" Of the 51 woman, 24 answered "yes," two said "no," 24 said both evolution and creation or "all perspectives" should be taught, and one chose not to answer.

The winner, Miss California Alyssa Campanella, was one of two contestants who said specifically that they "believe" in evolution.

"I was taught evolution in my high school growing up. And I do believe in it. I mean, I'm a huge science geek, so I like to believe in, like, the Big Bang theory and, you know, the evolution of humans, you know, throughout, you know, time," she said.1

In a guest post on the Discover blog of political journalist and author Chris Mooney, molecular biologist Jamie L. Vernon wrote, "Campanella's answer demonstrated that she possesses a respectable appreciation and understanding of science."2

Additionally, she favored the legalization of medical marijuana and said that she would agree to a "tasteful" nude photo shoot as long as it presented her body in a way in which she would be respected.2

Whether one agrees or disagrees with Ms. Campanella's responses and her winning of the pageant, something interesting to note are the 26 responses that were either not in favor of teaching evolution or in favor of teaching it along with other scientific theories.

Oftentimes the respondents, including Ms. Campanella, spoke of evolution as a belief system. More often than not, the women supported presenting students with as much information as possible so that they could decide for themselves what would be best to "believe."

Just as many respondents who favored evolution had favored academic freedom, and many contestants acknowledged the faith required to accept evolution. As Dr. Vernon commented, the new Miss USA does indeed possess "a respectable appreciation and understanding of science," as demonstrated by her implicit acknowledgment that support for evolution is a matter of belief.

References

  1. Hughes, S. A. Miss USA 2011 contestants weigh in on evolution (Video). The Washington Post BlogPost. Posted on washingtonpost.com June 21, 2011, accessed June 23, 2011.
  2. Vernon, J. L. Miss USA 2011, "A Huge Science Geek." The Intersection, Discover Magazine. Posted on blogs.discovermagazine.com June 20, 2011, accessed June 23, 2011.

*Ms. Dao is Assistant Editor at the Institute for Creation Research.

Article posted on June 29, 2011.

The Latest
DAYS OF PRAISE DEVOTIONALS
Summer 2023
...

CREATION PODCAST
I Have NO Credentials! | The Creation Podcast: Episode 50
Do you need a science degree to be a champion of creation? How do we communicate the truths of Scripture to our friends and family? The good news...

NEWS
Shark Jaws
Sharks are back in the news, and it’s in regard to their most formidable and fearsome structure—their jaws. Zoologists recently studied...

CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
Established Day 4 | Creation.Live Podcast: Episode 13
Humans have long been fascinated by the night sky. As Psalm 19:1 reminds us, "The heavens declare the glory of God"—His creative signature...

NEWS
Physical Evidence Trumps Evolution Theory
One of the hallmarks of good science is to formulate a cogent theory based on the physical evidence. For example, if the physical evidence (e.g. a fossilized...

NEWS
Solar System Symmetries
Most all school children can recite the planets in our solar system using memory devices such as: “My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Names”...

NEWS
Does Iron Toast Union Rescue Long Ages?
The puzzle persists after all these years. On the one hand, biochemists perform decay rate studies that show biochemicals cannot last a million years...

CREATION PODCAST
The Industrious Efficiency of Bees | The Creation Podcast: Episode...
Bees? BEES! When it comes to these incredible insects, we often think of hives and honey—and stingers. But these little creatures are incredibly...

NEWS
Blinking Fish Transitioned to Land?
The mudskipper (Boleophthalmus caeruleomaculatus) of the order Perciformes, is a fascinating fish whose evolutionary origins are quite unknown. They...

NEWS
Man: Created to Walk Upright
One of the many serious problems with “human evolution” is how, when, why, and where our alleged apelike ancestors decided to rise and walk...