Contestants in the current Miss USA contest were asked a few questions during pre-recorded interviews, including “Should evolution be taught in schools?” A Christian Post article provides examples of some answers:
Despite concerns of compromising beliefs for the sake of appealing to the public, contestants have so far been open about their values in the pre-recorded questions.
While many contestants expressed an openness to include evolution in public schools, one contestant – Miss Kentucky Kia Ben-et Hampton – said that evolution should not be taught, alluding to the differing opinions expressed in the scientific and religious communities.
Miss Mississippi Keeley Patterson discredited evolution in her answer. “I think evolution should be taught as what it is; it’s a theory, so I don’t think it should be taught as fact.”
A few other contestants including Miss Nebraska Haley Jo Herold, Miss Alaska Jessica Chuckran and Miss New Hampshire LacyJane Folger answered affirmatively, but expressed their desire to see the other side – such as creationism – given equal time in the classroom.
Chuckran said in her answer, “I think it’s necessary that evolution is taught in schools … However, personally, I do not believe in evolution. I believe that each one of us were (sic) created for a purpose by God and that just gives my life so much more direction and meaning.”
I looked up Miss Florida’s response. Lissette Garcia had this to say:
Evolution should be taught in schools. It’s something that, you know, people do believe in, in its existence, and we really don’t know where the first level, the first person, came from.
