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Evolution vs. Creationism in Schools
46
Transcript
- “the assumption of no supernatural input into the universe is unscientific. At best, it is unfounded, impossible of proof, and religious to the extreme.”
- 85% of American people want creationism to be taught in public schools (exclusively or along with evolution)
- The rights of the majority have been taken by teaching evolution
- The fact that a lot of people believe it must make it more legitimate
- The Constitution prohibits the censoring of scientific ideas. In Epperson v. Arkansas, it was decided that curriculum was up to the states, aside from the prohibition of teaching a scientific theory where it would violate the First Amendment
- Just because those who believe in evolution are in the minority does not mean that their opinions can be stomped out by creationism.
- The First Amendment protects minorites from oppression by the majority; and these protections are made for those who need them- not by those who are already ahead in sheer numbers
- Many creationists claim that evolution is just as religious as creationism- that they are both simply belief systems.
- There is no scientific evidence that proves evolution can be true- since it "cannot be observed or verified through scientifc research and experimentation"
- Science deals with observable data, and religion deals with faith in the unobservable
- Both should be presented in the classroom where both are desired by the public
- Creationism presupposes the existence of a divine creator or higher power, which is not scientifically testable, whereas evolution deals with natural physical properties which are scientifically testable.
- Evolution must satisfy the demands of the scientific method
- There is no way to concretely prove intelligent design because it is not capable of demostrating proof; an emotion-based argument does not count as fact.
- “By incorporating both views of the unobserved past into the curriculum, teachers can employ a proven teaching method. Students allowed to study the pros and cons of conflicting models are much more likely to grasp the material, develop love for science, and learn critical decision making skills. Brainwashing does none of this.”
- It opens children up to new ideas and encourages them to have thoughts other than what they learn from a strictly academic education
- It teaches them to develop decision-making skills based on their own beliefs.
- It is not even fair to teach creationism and evolution side-by-side because creationism is not subject to scientific inquiry
- Almost all American creationists are Christians, and it would be unfair to teach only Christian creationism and not the creationsim of other religions.
- Creationism in public schools would lead down a jagged path of conflicting beliefs and ideas; when do we stop teaching the creation myths of many different religions? How many must we include to keep things fair? It would cut too far into class time devoted to important core subjects.
- Whether or not something is taught in schools should not be based on how many people hold something to be true in their hearts.
- teachings should be based on evidence and facts. Just because evolution is "only a theory", it does not discredit all the supporting evidence it has.
- We are not saying that a belief in a God has nothing to offer, but some of what it teaches, stongly condridicts how we know the world works
- If someone wishes for their child to learn creationism as part of their curriculum, they can be placed in a private school.