Teaching Creationism?

Question

This was mentioned by a friend and it just totally got me going so I'm gonna table it here:

If Creationism / Intelligent Design is going to teach in our schools (as decided in some U.S. cities) that the idea that the Earth was created in 6 days ~6000 years ago is just as valid as evolution (as it was told in the bible); then they should teach the other creation myths along side as being JSUT as valid! Like the Greek or Hindu creation myths. After all, not everyone is Christian right?

What do you think about this equality-based proposal?

Kyle R: yeah, that's why i refre to them as "myths" and not "theories" :-)

dave_butterfly: if you want to go by numbers, that's less than 15% of the world's population. there are more who DONT believe creationism than DO. at any rate; popular doesn't mean right. Fact is not produced by a democratic process.

catchingfreak51: please be sure to thank your god for me, for making you a rational person.

STEPHEN J: now THERE'S the words I like to hear. "objective reasoning"

Van Kadus: i do not pretend to think this will actually happen.

Earl D: please re-read my question. i am not insterested in the basis of intelligent design. i am interested in the reasons why or why not other creation beliefs are or are not just as valid as the one told in the bible.

Eds: yes, many scientsists do believe there is a God; but 99% of them accept eolution as a FACT, not a theory.

novangelis: "just religion in a lab coat" I hope you don't mind, but I'll be using that quote in debates with friends/colleagues from now on :-)

Carol R: that's why creationists now refer to it as "intelligent design"; it's an effort get arround the beurocracy. take out the "G"-word and suddenly it's a science! :-O lol

shel_bug66: first off, I'm not "belley-aching". im just asking a question. Secondly, what you are saying is that since christians have the power and influance to get creationism into public schools, that it's the right thing to do?? I believe i've already sated that populer does not mean right.
I'm gonna paraphrase from Penn & Teller: you see, we belong to this club (the United States of America) and to be in this club you gotta abide by the blub handbook (the Constitution). and the handbook says that any government-funded institurion must be free of policies that force religious influance. since Creationism is directly from a religion, it can not, by law, be tought in a public (federaly-funded) school. That is why christmass vacation is now winter vacation, that is why easter break is now spring break. people who arent christian wanted to have equality with those who are. is that so wrong?
but since this is going on anyway, i've posed this question.

Answer 1

Creationism died long ago in the courts and, regardles of the actions of a few brain dead school boards, ID will be following. They were never science, just religion in a lab coat. If you want to talk of ALL creation myths, leave it as comparitive religion.

Answer 2

If they can explain the scientific evidence using their creation models, then it can be considered valid. However, a number of creationists would be happy if teachers were only allowed to teach the problems with evolution. But every time they suggest this, that teachers give students the reasons evolution is believed and the reasons it isn't believed by some very qualified scientists, evolutionists get in an uproar about religion in the classroom. In reality, all it is is objective reasoning. The teacher should be able to objectively analyze both the evidence in support of, and against, evolution.

However, forcing a teacher to teach creation or Intelligent Design wouldn't be good, bc they probably wouldn't teach accurate views of those groups. They might twist what creationists and Intelligent Design advocates actually say. Teachers should be given the freedom to teach it if they want, but not be forced to.

Answer 3

Passionate people tend to stand up for what they believe in and that is what happened here. Too many years they have been teaching the falacy of evolution as fact in school. I learned about it 30 years ago. Thank you very much to the people who make the ACLJ what it is and help people who are passionate about their beliefs make a difference. I see alot of crying in this fashion "if they teach creationism they need to teach blah blah blah" If you believe in the blah then stand up for it and make it happen. That is what we the believers did. Actually I can't really say that for myself because all do is armchair quarterback and root them on. More power to them and praise God for making it happen. I hope it happens here in my town too and soon. I got a little fired up one day before halloween when I walked into my kids classroom and saw paper cutouts of jack o lanterns decorated by the kids hanging from the ceiling. I wanted to ask the teacher if there would be cutouts of Jesus hanging there at Christmas but I knew I better just keep my mouth shut or bare the consequences. Why do they still call it halloween? Why do they call Christmas vacation winter break? Why do they call Easter vacation spring break? What has happened to our country? You can believe in what you want, that is your right. I have never said they shouldn't teach evolution in school but I have said that if they are teaching that form of religion they should be teaching about God also. Everybody (non-believers) whines about how Christians try to stuff our beliefs down their throats. The only reason it appears that way is because Christians always face controversy and persecution and we stand out when we voice our opinions. Every day we live in a society that breathes other religious systems and no one says a word about it but when Christians say something everyone gets their panties in a bunch and feels threatened. I don't even know where I am going with this, I am just wound up and I get upset when I see people crying about something like this. You have just as much right to voice your opinions about your beliefs as we do. The only difference is do you have what it takes to make it happen? If you feel so deeply about this issue quit belly aching and do what you feel is necessary to make a difference.

Answer 4

Great idea...but not for the reason of 'fair play'.

The IDer's only want their version taught. They are also much, MUCH more vocal than any of the other religious groups (hell, I don't think that other groups really have lobbyists). Once these other myths were introduced into the schools (and they must be introduced in SCIENCE classes...just like ID), the ID proponents would almost assuredly have to drop some of their vague wordings and reveal, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that they are pushing a theistic agenda in public schools. The gov't would then be obligated to go back to teaching science, and not myth.

Answer 5

Honestly, I am a Christian, but I dont think it should go as far as the 6 days of creation.
They should just say that Evolution is a theory, and that there are other possiblities.
I wouldn't want my child to learn from an evolutionist what creation was. Thats' what church is for
I can't imagine how biast it would be towards evolution. They would make creation sound so stupid no one in the class would believe it. They would make it a joke.

Answer 6

You've got an excellent point, but you'd never get the support for it. Lawmakers are either Republican (Majority Christian) and Democrat (A mix). The only theories that they'll push for in schools are evolution and the Christian creation story.

Answer 7

I AM FOR IT!!!

i am an atheist and i think if my kids are going to learn some creation bull then they should learn them ALL.


i think my kids would like to hear that the world is the Goddess Gia just as much as the myth that it was created in 6 days ;)

Answer 8

No

Creationism is that an ultra intellegent something or someone created things.

Let's take some modern examples. Mott's Applesauce. Each jar tastes exactly like the last jar.

The big, jucey tomato. You can't GROW IT in your own garden. Not one that will fit on a full size Hamburger bun. It don't exist, except in an INTELLEGENTLY DESIGNED COMMERCIAL VINYARD and it's PATENTED.

How does Mott's make their apple sauce so consistantly for MILLIONS of people? They GRAFT apple trees to produce a CONSISTANT APPLE, because NAture is RANDOM and sometimes makes sour apple that taste horrible.

Intellegent Design makes GOOD apples. Then you add flavorings to them. Chemicals INTELLEGENTLY DESIGNED by scientists to make sure the apple pulp in EACH JAR tastes the same as the last jar.

Intellegent Design is a REALITY.

You can't find 501 JEans growing on trees.

Now, if NATURE can RANDOMLY and ACCIDENTALLY make something as complex as a MAN, why can't it grow a house for man to live it. I mean, it's just wood. Why can't a tree grow that way!

Why can't nature make a transistor radio. It's not that complext. Not nearly as complex as a man.

Why can't NATURE make a seedless watermellon.

Now if the UNIVERSE IS SO RANDOMLY GREAT AND WONDERFUL, why do we have to INTELLEGENTLY DESIGN seedless watermellons.

Maybe the RANDOM universe isn't all that great and wonderful. Maybe it needs a little INTELLEGENT PUSH to get things done.

Answer 9

I agree.

I don't know if I will ever tackle this when I become a teacher. I believe in evolution, but along side the teacher can explain "various theories of the beginning of earth as taught by other cultures."

Answer 10

Evolution theory is a science and science is taught in school. Creationism is a belief in religion and religion is taught in church.