Empirical Tests of Knowledge and Belief Conflict for the Religious Public

In this chapter knowledge conflict theories are put to an empirical test. The survey analysis shows that there is no religious group in the U.S. that is in systemic knowledge conflict with science. This includes conservative Protestantism, which was the group most likely to be in such a conflict. However, most Christian groups are to varying degrees in propositional belief conflict with science over human origins. For example, they believe the conservative Protestant version of human origins, not the scientific. Yet, critically, this one propositional conflict with science does not lead to other knowledge conflicts with science. The chapter concludes by speculating about why these groups are in propositional but not systemic knowledge conflict with science.