Wood claims that religious people reject evolution because, basically, natural selection is viscerally unsettling.

FORBES: Why Some Christians Reject Evolution

The reasons for why different people reject evolution, particularly within the context of different religious traditions, are complicated.

FORBES: Why Some Christians Reject Evolution

But Prof Reiss argues that there is an educational value in comparing creationist ideas with scientific theories like Darwin's theory of evolution because they demonstrate how science, unlike religious beliefs, can be tested.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Education | Teachers 'fear evolution lessons'

In a number of states, the struggle between religious and secular approaches to education has focused on the teaching of evolution - with disputes over whether Darwin's theory of evolution or the biblical creation story should be taught.

BBC: Ten commandments 'advert' ban remains

His revolutionary theory of evolution had its critics, notably the church, which feared the book undermined religious belief.

CNN: Sunday,