Any scientist who says that is not a scientist at all.
Oh, but they do say that, and their acolytes are even more noisome than authentic scientists about the matter; I give you the example of the malicious cartoon character primitive, the "Kelvin Mace" primitive, and the instance the nocturnally foul one who, while not accepting evolution 100%, thinks all other theories are garbage.
These guys are SO convinced that evolution is absolutely right, the only correct thing, and anyone who disagrees is stupid.
Again, I guess it depends upon which crowd one runs around with, to determine the most ideologically-rigid and narrow-minded. I imagine in some parts of the country, it's those who believe God spontaneously created man; in other parts of the country, it's those who believe aliens from outer space brought us here; and in yet other parts of the country, it's those who boisterously preach the gospel of evolution.
Nebraska has always been a hotbed of evolutionary sentiment, and that's the environment in which I grew up. I'm not sure why this is, but evolution was taught in elementary and high schools in Nebraska as long ago as the 1880s (of course, Nebraska pretty much didn't exist prior to the 1880s).
The "creationists" and the alienists have always been outmanned, outgunned, in Nebraska, and it doesn't help that governmental funding of the evolution religion (in the schools and colleges) gives evolution much credibility and respectability, as compared with these other religions.
I might be off by a grade or so, but I believe it was in the 3rd grade that I first learned of evolution. It made sense to me, so I figured, ho-hum, on to the next chapter......
And it wasn't until I was a
junior in high school that I learned this wasn't quite the case, it being only a theory and not established fact.
I supposed if one had taken a poll of my own generation, probably it would show that 90% of Nebraskans believed in evolution; if one were to take a poll of Nebraskans today, probably it would show only 50%, maybe even less, believe in evolution.
Now, this decrease in the proportion of Nebraskans believing in evolution can't be due to "pernicious" "religious influence," because in my lifetime on into the current generation, the influence of religion has temporarily declined--and oh, so precipitously--not increased.
And so it has to be something else, why fewer people believe in evolution.
I think it has to do with two things: (a) the utter pomposity, the utter self-righteousness, the utter arrogance, of those who allege to be "rational" "logical" "clear-thinking" people, who try to jam evolution down others' throats.
And (b) an evolving sense of doubt about what is "certain" in an always-changing world where Reality is not only Infinite, but slippery, hard to grasp.
It's all good, this doubt.