Letters to the Editor
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It doesn't matter
One of the most beautiful things about science is that it doesn't need belief to work. People can concoct whatever myths they need to explain the world in human terms, but regardless of whatever fantasies they construct, science keeps humming along underneath. All religions fade and die over time. Some, like Christianity and Islam, are perverted from their true origins long before they fade, and so die two deaths. And just as surely others will rise to take their place. But science is eternal.
It may sound depressing that only 40% of Americans understand enough science to grasp the truth. But consider that at the time of the Enlightenment, less than 1% of Europe's population could comprehend the logic, mathematics and science that made the Age of Reason possible. There will always be a segment of the population who is too ignorant, incurious, or incapable to see the truth in science. They are the ones who need operatic mythology to make sense of the world, and it is unlikely we will every truly be rid of them.
It's lucky for them that they live in a world where science is indifferent to belief. That way they can continue to enjoy the benefits of medical and technological innovation that is derived from an understanding of evolution and cosmology and other non-biblical sources of data. And just like an anti-choice father who discovers his daughter is inconveniently pregnant, they are more than ready to renounce their precious belief if it means science will fix something for them, only to resume their delusion once stability is restored.