Evolution, not a stupid question!?

They're.... almost... there.

They've excepted that animals evolved, so they've listened and thought about that rational. It makes since to them, and they may even like the idea and find some beauty in it.

But animal evolution doesn't threaten beliefs as strongly as human evolution. There isn't much in the creation stories that says where animals come from. It take a much more difficult mental paradigm shift to get over an entire life-time of beliefs that focus on humanity being created in gods image. Or, gods creation.

SO much is dependent on the idea that god made man. And in essence, is part of man.

I think there is also a sub-conscience element of fear that says, "well if we came from an Ape-like creature god is.... gone. I am wrong...

At least, that's how I personally felt as a young child when hearing about evolution for the first time. Fear. Of course after years of thought on the issue, there is so much more beauty in the idea of evolution and freedom of critical thought. Now, personally, I think the idea of creation stories are boring and bland. The reality of truth and logic is much more profound and astounding.

Short answer: it takes bravery.

Not sure why they might deny it. Humans as basic creatures, and observing nature, belong here. We eat, sleep, and poop. Aside from that, we also reproduce. Observe any animal in nature and you will find it. The only thing that sets us apart, and the hardest part to explain as evolutionary, is the human consciousness -- the ability to understand know that we understand and don't understand, the ability to understand that we will die. So how to explain the evolution .. is a bit harder.

Though.. the simplest way to put it: If we did start out as apes or some similar cousin, we probably started out in trees to avoid the other predators and therefore, we used both arms and legs.. along with our thumbs, and then we touched the ground, and stopped using our arms to hold ourselves up, and after that, we began to adapt to our environment even more. Not quite sure what jump started the trigger to make our brains begin to develop notches that would be able to solve equations, figure out problems, and handle so much -- all simultaneously. While the computer is one of the greatest inventions of man -- and is fast, it still must pretty much run one process at a time -- it does this fast so it looks like it can do multiple things, but it's pretty much a command in a line of processes. The human brain is one of the greatest creations in the known universe, able to process things simultaneously and still learn.

The two reasons I can think of are religion and arrogance (sometimes a combination of both). Most religions teach that humans were put here by a higher power (God, aliens, etc), and therefore, could not have evolved from apes. For others, it is a sense of self-importance. They believe that humans are the most important, and most intelligent life form in the universe, so there is no way that their ancestors could have been a lower life form.

It seems that some people are so self-absorbed and anthropocentric that the concept of themselves as simply another animal species is distasteful, especially if they perceive humanity as a "special creation" of God.

I would classify it as willful ignorance

mental dishonesty, cognitive dissonance.

? wow