How would you handle the Evolution vs Creation in the classroom argument?

Question

Do you think it is right to have both being taught in Science classrooms, even if Creationism has no physical evidence? How about teaching both, so kids can see both sides and make up their own minds? What abou the arguement that there is no proof that there is no hard evidence that people came from one-celled organisms, or the opposite by saying that you can see microscopic organisms evolve all the time, so why couldn't we have evolved?
As you can probably tell, I'm just throwing out random ideas.

Thanks for so many answers. I read them all and almost all had good points.

Inteleyes, please re-read your statements before posting. You are not helping your (our) case by sounding uneducated.

Answer 1

I don't see anything wrong with presenting disparate theories as THEORIES.

The various theories of origin, whether "big bang", intelligent design, creationist, or any of several other variations, all are part of ongoing scientific debate. I don't know that you can ever prove any of those theories beyond a doubt, so I see validity in allowing people to see the various positions held.

Answer 2

I never did need or want the public schools to teach my children my religion. I think they should acknowledge that science really does not know how life originated because scientists do not know that. I can't see microscopic organisms evolve into more complex organisms; nobody has ever seen that. You can watch all you want, but you will never see a bacteria evolve into anything but another bacteria.

Creation has no evidence? You people are just ignoring what can be easily seen. There is considerable evidence for creation, and many scientists with Ph.D's acknowledge that.
Did you know that 22 conditions have to be just right simultaneously for life to exist? This is things like the size of the earth, the distance from the sun, the make-up of the atmosphere, etc. Many scientists know that.

Answer 3

So the creation theory goes like this?

After God creates worms, snakes, spiders, centipedes, scorpions, etc. he then creates woman. Do you think this might make the girls feel inferior? God puts Adam to sleep and takes one of his ribs and creates this woman. How is it then that men and women have the same number of ribs?

And where do the dinosaurs fit in - before Adam or during his lifetime? Were they in the Garden of Eden or outside?

God separates light from darkness, and day from night, on the first day. Yet he didn't make the light producing objects (the sun and the stars) until the fourth day

God spends one-sixth of his entire creative effort (the second day) working on a solid firmament. This strange structure, which God calls heaven, is intended to separate the higher waters from the lower waters.

Plants are made on the third day before there was a sun to drive their photosynthetic processes

In an apparent endorsement of astrology, God places the sun, moon, and stars in the firmament so that they can be used "for signs". This, of course, is exactly what astrologers do: read "the signs" in the Zodiac in an effort to predict what will happen on Earth.

"He made the stars also." God spends a day making light (before making the stars) and separating light from darkness; then, at the end of a hard day's work, and almost as an afterthought, he makes the trillions of stars.

"And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth." Didn't God know they were planets and solar systems? Most "stars" don't produce their own light, they only reflect it.

God makes the animals and parades them before Adam to see if any would strike his fancy. But none seem to have what it takes to please him. (Although he was tempted to go for the sheep.) After making the animals, God has Adam name them all. The naming of several million species must have kept Adam busy for a while. Did Adam name the planets and solar systems as well? And what about the dinosaurs, did Adam know they were lurking about?

And you're going to teach all this to school children? Get real, people. Even a first-grader knows you can't separate light from dark if there IS no light.

Answer 4

Kids can be taught creationism in church or at home. It has absolutely NO place in an educational setting. It is religious dogma, nothing more. There is NO science supporting it. It favors one religion over another. Creationists keep trying to say there's no proof for evolution, but that's a load of lies to further their cause. There is so much evidence for evolution that tens of thousands of scientists all over the world accept the theory of evolution as fact. Do you think these religious fundamentalists know more than tens of thousands of scientists, who make a living studying this? We are the only country in the world that still has a group of people demanding that we cling to the outdated belief of "creationism." What is pathetic and sad is that we still even entertain the ridiculous notion that "creationism" has a place in our science classrooms, because we are so afraid of "offending" someone's delicate religious sensibilities. We are doing our children a GRAVE disservice by keeping them undereducated in comparison to children all over the world. We are doing them a disservice by confusing them with the idea that creationism has any validity as some sort of scientific theory at ALL. It is RELIGION. Period. It does NOT belong in a classroom. If their parents wish to keep them ignorant, let them dumb them up at home.
Try reading a good book called "EVOLUTION and the Myth of CREATIONISM - A Basic Guide to the Facts in the Evolution Debate" by Tim Berra.

Answer 5

There are not "two sides", and there is no choice to be made, other than the choice to accept the facts or remain ignorant. God created the universe and everything in it. Ever since that time everything in the universe has gradually changed, including living organisms, whose cumulative change has resulted in the formation of new species. WHY do these simple facts cause so many problems for people??

No, the fact of creation cannot be included in a science curriculum for the simple reason that it isn't science! It's an act of God, a supernatural event, and nothing supernatural falls within the purview of science, which by definition is the study of the natural universe in natural terms. That doesn't seem too complex either.

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Answer 6

creationism has no purpose being taught in school unless it is a private religious school. creation has no educational merit and will break the separation of church and state. if students want to learn about creationism, they can ask a priest or research it on their own time. i don't want my tax dollars going to a school that teaches stuff from the bible as factual occurrences. the bible is OK in a literature classroom but it has no business being in a science classroom.

there's no point in teaching creationism anyways because its not really teaching, its more telling the students that god created everything. students will start asking questions and in order to answer them, the teacher will have to read from the bible which is where the problem really is.

evolution, on the other hand teaches kids about natural selection, genetics, DNA and many other scientific subjects that require research to better understand it. evolution can be related to practically everything in biology without using religious beliefs to do so, while creationism requires religious beliefs to be taught in order to understand its relation to everything which should be taught in a religious school, not a public school's science classroom.

Answer 7

If I were I science teacher I'd take the opportunity to study logic with the class. I'd bring out all the arguments against evolution and show how they were logically invalid.

If I had to teach creationism alongside Evolution, I'd teach the Hindu, Muslim, ancient Greek, ancient Egyptian, ancient Chinese, and Norse Creation Myths. I might not have time for the Judeo-christian version...oops.

Answer 8

Only evolution should be taught in the classroom. Creation would be mixing religion w/ state, A common practice for countries that have no religious freedom. You have to be able to let those who do not believe in creation that not discriminating non denominational thought take place. They will believe Creation if they so choose.

Answer 9

Teach Evolution.

The only time Creationism would be brought into the class is to demonstrate bad science.

This is exactly how it was taught to me. My Catholic High School Science teacher showed the class a video pruporting to show evidence for Noah's Ark as an example of biased Science.

It was certainly an interesting exercise.

Answer 10

You are wrong in saying that there is no physical evidence for Creation. There's loads of evidence. You should try reading "The Evolution Cruncher" by Vance Ferrell. It contains about 5,000 scientific facts and quotes that destroy evolution theory and support the belief that the Earth is young, life is intelligently designed, there was a worldwide Flood, dinosaurs did not live millions of years ago, and the layering of the Earth's crust is due to hydrologic sorting, not "millions of years" of dirt being laid down.
In fact, I plan to teach a class in Creation Science at a local community college. I have enough data to teach a couple quarters' worth.
I absolutely believe that creation should be taught as long as evolution is being taught. Since no one currently living was present for either, they are both religious in nature, so if you don't teach creation, you shouldn't teach evolution, either.
Also, we never "see" microscopic organisms (or any other organisms) "evolve". Variation within a kind is NOT evolution. Evolution is the belief that the dog and the cat had a common ancestor, something for which there is absolutely NO proof. You are free to believe that they did all you want, but don't call it a fact, and dont shove it down the kids' throats at taxpayers' expense.

Answer 11

This is where I'm from: I'm a Christian. I believe in a God-centered evolution theory. However, everything thus far is JUST a theory.

My minor in college was in theological myths. Now, I believe that because Evolution, Intelligent Design, AND Creation are all just theories, it's IMPORTANT to look at them as such. BUT the Biblical Creation story is NOT the only religion out there! It's amazing to look at how these other religions ALSO look at creation.

I say take MAJOR religions and their creation stories AS WELL AS teach evolution. Don't present just evolution as more than a theory, and the same goes with creation. Offer ALL the stories, all theories as just that...a theory.