Should evolution be taught in school? Can return to prayer in school?

Question

Sorry two questions

OOPS, I meant Can we return prayer into schools?

Answer 1

Most fifth, sixth & seventh graders I've met (assuming they haven't been too screwed up by Christian guilt and dogma) will, when presented with the theories of evolution and creationism side-by-side, choose evolution BECAUSE IT MAKES SENSE!

You can't grow up in a culture that owes most of its success to basic, solid methods of science (chemistry, biology, physics) and simply ignore the validity of evolutionary theory. It may not be a perfect theory, but it has enough reasonable evidence to support it, and reasonable evidence is enough to warrent the teaching of ANY THEORY in our schools, from natural selection and evolution to particle physics and germ theory.

The difference between people (even young people) today and a hundred years ago is that today, a lot more people are educated in basic science, and they do not fear speaking out against entrenched religious dogma.

Do you really think that there weren't huge percentages of people throughout history sitting through catechism thinking to themselves, "yeah, right, some invisible almighty being breathed life into a handful of dust and made humanity."

The only difference is that now, people aren't afraid to call bulshit, bulshit.

Answer 2

The theory of evolution is a scientific concept and is therefore taught in science classes. When I went through high school, we were taught about evolution, the big bang, and even other theories of how the universe began. They were all presented as "theories" which is what they are since no one obviously knows the answer. So to stop teaching these scientific concepts would leave a pretty big whole in our educational system.

Prayer in school is a whole separate thing. I'm not against having a "moment of silence" for people to do what they choose with in the mornings, but to flat out call it prayer endorses that the time is set aside for certain religions and beliefs in favor of others. If you're going to allow for this kind of thing, it needs to take into account any and all beliefs. So a moment of silence would let the student pray or meditate or do what they like for a moment. But also, nothing's to stop a student from doing this throughout the day whenever they like.

Answer 3

Yes evolution should be taught in school, but given the enormous amount of science out there, there is no reason that it has to be such a focus for everyone. All things considered, it doesn't have a great deal of impact on daily life, not as much as the properties of elements and chemical reactions or the physics behind cellular phones. If we were turning out scientists who knew everything except evolution, then I would worry more about how we aren't teaching evolution, but we are failing to teach enough science as it is. The focus on evolution, even though I personally find the topic very intriguing, seems somewhat biased.

I'm not a big fan of prayer in school, but it's because I was an atheist in a very christian community and there were several students who couldn't "let it go" and felt they needed to persecute. Prayer in itself seems innocuous and by all descriptions uplifting.

Answer 4

Since "evolution" has not been proven to be scientifically sound, and is rather under much scrutiny, even having much evidence against it, then no it shouldn't be. Yeah I know that was a run-on. But you can teach kids enough to get by without feeding them that hogwash about man and dinos never living together, which would of course explain the fact that footprints of man and dinosours were found fossilized adjacently. Think about it for a moment, people say praying is a huge mythological thing that's so crazy it shouldn't be allowed in school. But think about evolution. " 100 billion trillion years ago, I have no idea in hell what happened, so I'm just going make some nonsense up and put it in the textbooks" The Bible was written thousands of years ago, but this evolution thing was conjured fairly recently, and has been added to and changed so many times, it doesn't help their cause any. In any case these scientists are certainly very creative, some of the stuff they come up with when they're bored can be amusing.

P.S. Since it takes so much faith to believe evolution, by definition it is also a religion. Question the things you hear from me and everybody else before you believe them. The fact that evolution was taught in schools since 1963 or so doesn't make it correct any more then the fact that the Bible was taught in schools since ages ago makes it correct.

Answer 5

Evolution is science. If you're going to teach science, you have to teach evolution. If you're not going to teach science, you're not going to have doctors.

Sure, let's have prayer in school. Only it has to be Muslim prayer, 5 times daily. No other prayer is allowed. Like that? What if it were Hindu prayer, complete with statues of Vishnu?

The constitution protects you from having to participate in someone else's religion. You can pray on your own in school, on the bus, in the mall, or wherever you want. But public prayer is a form of worship, and the constitution prevents the state's support of any religion over another or over non-religion.

Answer 6

Yes, evolution should STAY in schools. I also agree with the poster who said that more empasis needs to be placed on scientific thought and methods. Our childrens are being brainwashed by too many religious cults.

As for prayer, everyone is free to pray or not pray as far as I'm concerned. But, it is wrong for the school to have a 'standing prayer' where the kids that want to participate get a moment of silence is wrong.

Why should my child be silent to honor your god?

Answer 7

No. Prayer shouldn't be taught in school because of the seperation of Church and State. It is completely unconsitutional. Evolution should be taught, but not as the only idea. Evolution is not a religious, it is a theroy, and most schools teach it to kids in high school or Junior High when they can distinguish it from what they believe.

Answer 8

Yes, evolution should be taught in schools. Students should be allowed to pray however they want, but prayer should not ever be forced upon them. Not everyone in a public school is a Christian, and those who are not have the right to their beliefs, same as you. How would you feel if your kid's school made him pray to Almighty Baal every day?

Answer 9

Evolution is a theory and should not be taught as fact any more than Creationism should be taught in school (especially by an unbeliever ...Creation should be taught by believers).
As for prayer, I believe students should be able to pray if they want to but not forced on someone.
(I am a Christian man)

Answer 10

Evolution should be taught in school. Prayer does not belong in school. I remember the days before it was outlawed and I had a teacher to punish me for talking by writing bible verses 100 times. I don't remember the verse, but I remember copying it from tne bible she kept in the room.