Creation vs. evolution in public schools?

Question

I'm writing a paper and have to do a survey. If you would answer these questions for me, I would really appreciate it. Only serious answers please, unless they are really funny answers that will amuse me ;)

1.Should Creation be taught in public schools? Why or why not?
2. Should evolution be taught in public schools? Why or why not?
3. Do you think that both should be taught or neither? Do they deserve equal credence and treatment in public schools.
4. Is there anything other than the two mentioned theories that should be taught? What and Why?

If you have any other interesting insights to the debate please share them, they are greatly appreciated.

*keep in mind that separation of church and state was created to protect the church from government control. Not the other way around.

Answer 1

1) No. Because it is junk science and dogma, doesn't produce anything of value and is based on fairy tales

2) Yes. Because it is main stream science is used in many fields such as medicine biology geology and contributes greatly to all man kind.

3) Creationism has no educational value except as an example of self delusion in psychology.

4) Perhaps if your going to teach Creationism along side Evolution you should also teach the Theory of Intelligent Falling along side the Theory of Gravity!!

Answer 2

1.Should Creation be taught in public schools? Why or why not?

It should not be taught in a science class because it is a religious belief with no substantial evidence to back it up. Teaching Judeo-Christian creation myths would be on par with teaching that Zeus is the source of thunder.

Teaching about creationism as a religious belief in Religious Studies is a different matter however.

2. Should evolution be taught in public schools? Why or why not?

In high school science, yes. It is a valid scientific study and is significantly relevant to biology.

3. Do you think that both should be taught or neither? Do they deserve equal credence and treatment in public schools.

As I said in the above two, creation is not science, it belongs in church or Religious Studies. Evolution is relevant to other sciences in schools, specifically biology and should be taught without the confusion that would be added by mentioning that "creationism is a possibility" - this is not science no matter what Chick Tracts would have you believe.

4. Is there anything other than the two mentioned theories that should be taught? What and Why?

As creation is not valid science and evolution lacks a beginning, it may be relevant to mention different theories on the beginnings of life. Evolution may have been proven but there is no specifically provable beginning of life theory. The general concensus seems to focus mainly on abiogenesis though as the starting point.

Answer 3

1.Should Creation be taught in public schools? Why or why not?

As long as it too is taught as a theory. None can be sure what exactly happened. I do not wish for evolution to be called a fact, so in return they should not teach Creation as fact, it gets a lack of respect.

Most will claim that creation isn't science, yet all the evidence that we have points toward creation. I believe in creation, but that does not mean that i am right, it does not mean i am wrong either. Personally, for me all the evidence levels out to a creator...


2. Should evolution be taught in public schools? Why or why not?

Answer) I am a creationist, an as for evolution being taught in public schools, that is okay with me. Teach it until they're blue in the face. The only problem I have is that most textbooks say that it is a fact. When in reality it is only a hypothosis. It is generally accepted but that does not mean it is true. Most of the world thought that objects of smaller mass fell slower than that of heavier mass. It is simply not true, the force of gravity is the same, take for example when Scott was on the moon, the feather hit the ground the same time as the hammer. The only reason that things hit the ground sooner, or later is the air resistance.

They can teach evolution, but i do not like it being called a fact, also there are many lies in the textbooks that are still being presented as fact .... ex) Embryos, and Miller Experiment


3. Do you think that both should be taught or neither? Do they deserve equal credence and treatment in public schools.

If i had my way, it would be neither. The parents should be repsonible, because in reality both are religions, but since they do teach them, and it doesn't look as if it is going to change then, i would say both, but they should both be taught as theories


4. I am not really sure

Answer 4

1. Creation shouldn't be taught in public schools. Do you understand how many creation myths there are in all the different religions of the world? You can't teach the christian version of creation and not also take into account the other religions of the world. Also, there's absolutely no evidence that proves any of these creation myths. You can't teach kids things based on, "I believe".

2. Evolution is the scientifically accepted reason for the diversity and complexity of life on this planet. Evolution doesn't support any one particular religious group of people. It belongs in biology classes.

3. As soon as there is any tangible and unbiased evidence that supports any of the various creation myths, none of them should be taught in public school. You can't give the beliefs of one religion group equal treatment with a scientifically accepted and supported theory.

4. If you want creation myths taught in school, support a world religions class. A class on religion can take the time to go through all the different beliefs on how the earth came to be and where man originated from. However, there is way too much other information that kids need to learn in biology ... you can't take time away from that stuff just to satisfy a few people's narrow minded take on the world.

**Edit -- I didn't steal that idea from you, bettie! Great minds think alike!

Answer 5

1.Should Creation be taught in public schools? Why or why not? Only to the extent of any other mythology, as that is all it is.

2. Should evolution be taught in public schools? Why or why not? Absolutely. We have proof of evolution occuring and that it still occurs.

3. Do you think that both should be taught or neither? Do they deserve equal credence and treatment in public schools. My replies above answer this question. One is mythology, one is known to occur.

4. Is there anything other than the two mentioned theories that should be taught? What and Why? Not unless we discover that evolution is incorrect. The truth, to the best of our knowledge, is what should be taught...thus far, evolution is the best thing we've got.

Answer 6

1. No, it should not be taught as science in public school. It should be discussed (if at all) in a history or comparative religion class, along with the Creation myth of other cultures and eras.

2. Yes, Evolution should be taught in biology class.

3. No, they do not have equal scientific credence.

4. Can't think of anything.

I think that evolution should be taught as an ongoing, developing theory that undergoes changes as new evidence appears.

Answer 7

1.) Not as science. Different creation myths can be taught in literature or social studies courses. Creationism and ID are not good science.
2.) Yes, it is the leading scientific theory about the progression of life at this point in time and our children would be devastatingly far behind the rest of the world if they weren't taught it.
3.) Again, creationism and ID don't belong in the science classroom in public schools.
4.) If there comes a time when there is another credible scientific theory besides evolution, it should be taught. Only science in the science classroom.

Public schools have no business teaching religion.

Answer 8

1. Creation should be taught ... in mythology class. Why? Because it is a perfect example of how people will make things up when they don't really understand how the world works.

2. Evolution should be taught ... in science class. Why? Because it is the foundation of modern biology, medicine, and several other sciences and has led to the curing of many diseases.

3. Both should be taught, just not in the same class. Evolution is backed by evidence. Creation is not. They don't deserve equal credence.

4. Basic math and logic should be taught. Why? Because people who understand logic will understand that belief in creation is completely contradictory to science.

Answer 9

1. No. Religion should be kept out of science.
2. Yes. Evolution is part of Science and is a valid area of study.
3. Yes, and should be considered equal if Comparative Religion, not just indoctrination, is taught separately from Science.
4. Religion & Science are 2 separate subjects & shouldn't be confused. All religious theories should be taught in Comparative Religion, just as all scientific theories & facts are taught in Science.

Religion & science should never be confused. One is faith/beliefs & the other deals in scientific fact.

Answer 10

1. No, I do not believe Creationism should be taught in public schools. It can not be labelled as anything (History, Science, etc). And religious beliefs have no place in an institute that is supposed to be helping our children deal with the world we live in. We have enough arguing over who's religion is absolutely right - this would drive people to kill. Imagine the Pagans claiming it is our Gods that created and then the Christians saying... no, it's our God. Yeah, really good role models we would be for our children. We can't even be civil in here.

2. Yes. Evolution is part of science and can be demonstrated in different forms of life on earth.

3. No. I do not believe both should be taught. I do not believe they are on equal ground... one is science, the other is assumed beliefs based on faith. Faith is not something you teach to other people, you can't give it to them, you can't even explain it to them. You either have it or you don't.

4. I can't think of anything off of the top of my head. If they wish to put in a Comparative Religion class as an elective, I wouldn't have a problem with it. But things like Creationism have no place in classes that are based on facts found in our world. Facts that can be shown to other people. History, Math, Science, Grammar.