Ape Religion?

Do you have an opinion on the debates about evolution, creationism, or intelligent design? This whole thing was quite a stumbling block for me when I was growing up in a fundamentalist Baptist church. In fact, I continued to wrestle with this until a few years into college. I'm happy to say that now I don't see a conflict between science and my faith, but that realization didn't happen overnight.

Wherever you stand on this issue, you might be interested in this fascinating article, "Religion of the Apes", from Sightings, one of my favorite Internet publications. The author begins by noting a recent conference at the Lincoln Park Zoo here in Chicago and goes on to make some intriguing observations about ape behavior. His comments suggest a pretty close link between ape culture and human culture.

As I write this, I'm reminded of an exhibit I saw this past spring at the San Diego Museum of Man on human evolution. If you are ever in San Diego, you should check it out!