"...between fundies & those with freer will usually defined by those with broader education & those that don't ."
You are quite right. Much of it derives from an anti-intellectualism rooted in biblical nonsense. It is a form of "WISHCRAFT"!
ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM
Americans are suspicious of and resent intellectuals, even while benefiting from their output. This negativity goes back to the Puritans. They had a piety that deemed us all "worthless sinners" and rejected anyone being puffed up with their own merit (Romans 12:3, Ephesians 2:8-9). The notion that we are justified by faith alone creates a spiritual egalitarianism that undervalues any personal distinction like braininess, which in terms of salvation is irrelevant (I Cor. 1:20, II Cor. 11:3).
Intellectuals have been disparaged as "eggheads," "nerds" and "pointy-headed." The real hate comes from the fact that intellectuals often reject and, even worse, contradict people's precious traditional attitudes and theological views. It's no wonder that in America, many people traditionally "don't cotton to none of that fancy book-learnin'." A large percentage of the population in early America was illiterate, and if not for the desire to read the Bible, they would have been happy to remain that way.
Americans are not at all embarrassed to flatly deny scientific fact when it contradicts their personal preferences. This is especially so when it comes to a conflict between science and religion. In such case, the science must be wrong, so that religion - which need not prove anything - can remain "true." It's a form of "wishcraft."
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