I think that what bolsters unbelief are a number of things which people outside belief systems see as - how shall I put this - at least difficult, but grading to intolerable, about those systems. Nothing at all to do with a belief in evolution.

As an example, when King John, known to be an atheist, had a dispute with the Pope over the appointment of the archbish of Canterbury, th ePope put England under interdict. This did not bother John at all. Oddly, it did not bother the population much, either, despite being denied the sacraments, holy matrimony, proper funerals, absolution of sins and so on. (For someone not a good man, it's quite interesting that the common people came out to support him when the barons brought the French prince over to replace him.) We don't know, though, why John was an atheist. But it wasn't because of evolution.

A lot of people never have a direct experience which they can describe as being communication with God. That makes belief difficult. Personal contact is really the only way there can be belief.

A lot of people have direct experiences of people claiming to be in communication with god whose behaviour is not consistent with a god anyone would want to worship. A lot of people are taught about a god whose behaviour is not consistent with someone anyone would want to have as a friend. They don't want to be told that when they are in heaven they will not be troubled about those of their family who rejected god and are in hell for ever. They want to be troubled about that. They don't much like the idea of a god who sets up what Rabbi Blue called a concentration camp, or allows it to be set up, and they find a lot of the arguments in favour of it slithery and unconvincing, if not downright nasty.

There is a church by the South Circular (have I ever mentioned this) which has a regular large notice preaching to those stuck in the bottleneck traffic jam. Once, a long time back, it was split in two halves. One said "God Loves You". The other added "And if you don't love Him, you will go to Hell." This is not how to win friends and influence people. They've been much better since. Though the current one, using the Olympics logo, states "God has YOU on his calendar", which I'm sure they think is welcoming, but somehow has a touch of threat about it.

It isn't evolution that drives people from belief. It's belief itself. Especially when it expects people to disconnect their brains. (The Dean of King's College in London has a notice about this - Jesus did not come to get you to stop thinking - but I can't remember it accurately). Jesus said that we should love God with all our heart and our soul, and our mind, and our strength. Suggesting that not using our mind is a necessary part of belief goes against that. (And while I was seeing if the Dean's notice could be found on the net, I found a few sites that suggested people should do just that. Turn off your mind to be open to the Spirit.)

People should be showing that God is Love in their lives, not presenting him like some sort of mafia boss who gets the sulks if dissed. That's what drives people away. Not science.

Penny