Miss USA 2011 One Of Only 2 Contestants Who Believe In Evolution (VIDEO)

Out of all the contestants in last night's Miss USA pageant, only two affirmed they thought evolution should be taught in schools.

The winner, 21-year-old Alyssa Campanella was one of the two. The rest either confused the question with evolution of species (versus the intelligent design debate), or stated that they thought both should be taught in school, according to Scientific American.

Campanella and Alida D’Angona from Massachusetts were the only two contestants to state that they fully believed in evolution, according to Think Progress.

Apparently, all of the Miss USA contestants were aware of the question before they were asked it in the preliminary rounds. In recent years the contest has attempted to avoid delicate subjects such as this, according to Think Progress.

While 96 percent of the contestants essentially avoided the question or indicating that people should look at both the religious and the scientific perspective, there were also those who firmly opposed evolution. Perhaps most prominently was Miss Alabama, Madeline Mitchell's opinion that evolution should flat-out not be taught in schools. You can see her full interview on the question below.

WATCH (Campanella Explains Her View On Evolution):

WATCH (Miss Alabama, Madeline Mitchell, Denounces Evolution:

Comments

[Henry Harris]

11:52 AM on 07/03/2011

It's easy to dismiss the importance of this question. Our civilization is built upon the work of scientists and engineers who depend on their understanding of how the universe really works and evolution is certainly a part of this understanding. Unfortunately, there is a darker side of this issue. It is well known that children who are indoctrinated at a young age have the choice of what they believe taken way—literally mind rape. Religion understands this principle all too well; its use is urged in the Bible. I believe people should be free to believe whatever they want, but to take away this choice from an innocent child is unfathomable.

[Timothy W Young]

05:06 AM on 07/03/2011

The contestants should have least an IQ of 100 or, so to be even chosen to represent their home state. Not some beautiful babbling airhead that spends 20 minutes explaining what Maps are! Have them "point" to where America is on this map! Or, have them name a County that starts with the letter "U"? To take it up a notch. Ask them what is the "Fourth" Planet from our sun? Or, what is a "Jovian Planet"? To really get their minds racing. Ask 'em.. "Who Discovered The Earth Was a Sphere?" I could just hear it now! "A Jovian Planet is a Planet that is full of Joy!", "A Sphere is a long stick with an arrow tip that you throw at somebody or, a Big Bear so, he won't get your food !", "The forth planet is only the second after the first." "So, that being said. The Forth Planet is The Moon!", "And, a County that starts with "U" is Ukraine.", "U.S.A. doesn't count because it starts with an "A", America!"

[Bor Zoi]

09:57 PM on 07/02/2011

I wish Miss Tennessee won.
By her answers, I thought she was white wine drunk.

Besides, a Miss USA winner who believes in evolution AND is a history buff?
How are we to oppress women when Miss California has a mind?

[Andrew Heffalump Smith]

12:45 PM on 06/27/2011

As a professor of Anthropology I ask myself why so many people of seemingly informed political opinions, want this subject taught so badly in school. We don't teach psychology in all high schools either, but where is the debate about that. The fact is, some people, mostly liberals and democrats, want this taught in schools without the faintest idea of what evolution is. The denyers are out there, but the pushers seem worse to me. Just because something is agreed upon as fact doesn't mean we teach it in school, why not leave it for university, where it can be understood better. Left leaning publishers like this are so radical on this point.

[BunchofDaisies]

04:00 AM on 06/28/2011

"want this subject taught so badly in school"
they want it taught in science class in school because its science and they want to keep creationism out of the science class because its not science.
"We don't teach psychology in all high school either, but where is the debate about that"
there is no Japanese, Russian, Philosophy, Dance Appreciation, and many more classes either but that has nothing to do with the debate because it's about keeping the scientific evolution out of science class and inserting the non-science creationism in a science class.
"The fact is, some people, mostly liberals and democrats, want this taught in schools without the faintest idea of what evolution is"
That is a big generalization there, I am not sure how you concluded that "fact", I personally think its more of a scientifically literate versus illiterate issue rather than a liberal versus conservative issue.
"The deniers are out there, but pushers seem worse to me"
You're entitled to your opinion but I respectively disagree the "deniers" engage is dishonest means to reach their goal, they don't have the faintest idea of what a scientific theory is.
"Just because something is agreed upon as fact doesn't mean we teach it in school, why not leave it for university, where it could be understood better"
Why teach Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, Trigonometry, Statistics and more math and science classes in high school? Give those kids a challenge and inspire them in science and math fields.

[venusxblue]

02:23 AM on 06/30/2011

For a professor, your grammar is pretty atrocious. I'd say I feel mighty sorry for your students.

[ArchangelX]

02:36 PM on 07/03/2011

Seriously, just because he's a professor you expect him to proof-read and double-check his grammar on an internet message board? C'mon, that's such a bs post. Hell, Antropology isn't exactly related to English...you must have been really bored.

[Mag7]

10:28 AM on 06/24/2011

Gotta love Miss Alabama...."Evolution is part of our history..."

[Ergon]

09:01 AM on 06/24/2011

I'm sure the headline writer may have missed the irony of a requirement that one MUST believe in a theory, no matter how well "Science" talks it up, and makes a lot of inferences to Prove Something. Cue the sneering, but I'm not particularly religious, yet still think the Rationalists need to evolve :) in terms of good manners, no offense.

[PatrickforO]

02:40 AM on 06/24/2011

Only 2? Appalling!

[timm553]

11:15 PM on 06/23/2011

I'm thinking that more of them would believe in it if they would spend the time and effort that it takes to understand it.

[thunk]

05:26 PM on 06/23/2011

Amazing that a toy company set the standard of beauty in America for decades to come; down to the plastic boobies.

[Adam Good]

05:21 PM on 06/23/2011

The answers seem even more absurd when you replace "evolution" with "gravity"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGqx-IXckK4

[TurnToTheLeft]

04:56 PM on 06/23/2011

Yes! Miss California. A geek who loves science. Breath of fresh Air among hair-sprayed airheads.

[Diana Black Bandelow]

04:51 PM on 06/23/2011

Her bravery is the most attractive thing about her. Go girl!!! :)

[the woodman]

03:54 PM on 07/07/2011

and the boobs... don't forget those boobs...

[Melinda Morgan]

04:18 PM on 06/23/2011

She's off the mark. If the scientific evidence has more than one possible interpretation, kids need to learn ALL the interpretations, not just one. And that's what creation science is. It involves the Bible,but it is also based on what the evidence REALLY supports. It's good that people are realizing that more and more and not buying into lies.

[Diana Black Bandelow]

04:53 PM on 06/23/2011

You mean the lies that the Bible spews? Would you rather Creationism taught than Evolution and Big Bang? Isn't that awfully close to the Muslim-run countries in the Middle East? Be careful...

[josefz]

04:56 PM on 06/23/2011

Creation science is an oxymoron.

[jm26dream]

01:11 PM on 06/23/2011

http://www.near-death.com/experiences/atheists01.html

[TomMartin]

11:27 PM on 06/23/2011

Interesting web site. It even has explanations of why there are such differences among near death experiences, as being in part getting what you expect and in part the need to teach different things to different people. Still, that does not necessarily mean that all the NDE's are real and none are hallucinations. For one thing there seems to be a contradiction between having experiences of past lives, and meeting dead relatives and friends, unless this can be resolved by having a very long time between reincarnations. Also the web site assumes that Jesus is in heaven and is very important there, so then he would have to have been much better than how he is portrayed in the New Testament. But still, the admittedly unscientific percentages make it unlikely I would see Jesus in heaven, as none of the agnostic NDE experiencers surveyed saw Jesus, unlike atheists, among whom 50% did see him. So I guess had I died when I was still an atheist, I might have seen Jesus. Two of the web pages though have different percentages of atheists who see hell, 50% or 25%. Maybe a typo, to be generous to the author.

[jm26dream]

02:51 PM on 06/24/2011

But you aren't supposed to debate intelligently, you atheists are supposed to say "bah" and wave your hand at us stupid fools who believe in a fairy tale while we religious people are supposed to cling to faith and prayer...we cannot have intelligent debate on this topic

[Carstonio]

10:03 AM on 06/23/2011

Here's another theory - perhaps most of the contestants who said that "both" evolution and creationism should be taught were deliberately giving diplomatic answers to avoid offending the judges. Some may have even believed that "both" deserve equal time. I use that word in quotes because it wrongly presumes that a literal reading of Genesis is the only other possibility. This despite the fact that most Christians accept evolution and don't read the Eden story as literal history, and despite the fact that numerous other religions have their own creation stories.

[Diana Black Bandelow]

04:53 PM on 06/23/2011

creation "myth"...I agree.