Featured playlist:  Clips for College: Societal and Cultural Impact of Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Jenna Makowski, Alexander Street Press

According to a Gallup poll in 2008, only 14% of Americans claim to believe in Darwin's theories. Among the majority who don't are the Assemby of God, a denomination 2 million strong. One of the most compelling arguments against evolution for evangenlical Christians is that evolutionary theory is used by pro-life advocates to justify abortion.

One of the main reasons Darwin's theory of evolution clashed so strongly with conventional Western thought is because it undermines a core tenant of Christianity: that man is created in God's image. If we evolve from animals, that tenant is debunked.

Darwin's theory of evolution was the groundwork for the eugenics movement that swept Europe in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Swedes, Norwegians and Danes used the theory as the basis for colonizing and exploiting indigenous groups and gypsy communities in Northern Scandanavia and Greenland.

Another instance of the abusive manipulation of Darwin's theory of evolution for political gain occurred in Denmark in the 1920s. In an attempt to create a strong native "race" of Danes who wouldn't drain the newly created welfare state, sterilization procedures were implemented for the mentally and physically ill, homosexuals, and anyone who appeared "different". Preceding the genetic and ethnic "cleansing" practiced by the Nazis during WWII, institutionalized sterilization continued in Denmark until 1967. This part of history forms the foundation of the contemporary ant-Darwin movement in Denmark.

Whereas in much of Europe and Turkey anti-Darwinism is a grassroots movement led by a minority of the population, more than 80% of Americans don't ascribe to evolutionary theory. Creationism is advocated by politicians and educators alike.

Sweden is home to one of the largest anti-Darwin groups in Europe, which holds regular meetings. Their main arguement is that evolution gives people an excuse to kill people, and they link it to modern-day massacres such as school shootings in Finland.

Though anti-Darwinism is a minority movement, its followers are growing. In the EU, warnings have been issued about certain websites from fundamentalist Christian right groups denouncing scientific proof of evolution. The biggest problem is that a rift between science and religion continues to grow, breeding extremism on both sides of the spectrum.