Should creationism be added to the science curriculum of our public schools?

Question

http://www.helium.com/tm/114781/public-schools-should-teach

Answer 1

That question makes as much sense as asking 'should algebra be added to our history curriculum.'

Creationism is not only not a science, it is anti-science.

Personally, I would like to see schools teach the truth, but as Americans drift further and further in their self-centered fantasies, truth becomes far less important then worrying about hurting peoples feelings, and not wanting a child to ever have to grow up.

Sad.

If there is no major shift, I fully expect to see the end of my culture as we know it within 30-50 years.

Why? Because things like creationism WILL be added to our curriculums.

Answer 2

In the USA separation of Church and state is a very important concept - there are too many religions to give everyone equal time. Just within the Christian community, Catholics and Protestant groups do not agree on all Biblical interpretations. So whose view of creationism/religious thought would reign supreme in the public school classroom?

The appropriate place for children to learn religion is in the home, within places of worship, in the non-public school sphere based on parental approval being given ahead of time.

Within a social studies class which surveys all religions of a specific time period to punctuate historical events or explains current events, OK. Societal structures which include religious constructs motivate specific events which impact everyone.

The matter hinges on a "truth in advertising" principle that the topic "creationism" must be woven into a clearly marked qualitative class on world cultures, history and the impact of world religions, or religious studies but not as a quantitative science course.

As a Catholic, I cannot envision any other way of offering up such a curriculum. Evolution is a theory with large gaps. Creationism can easily embrace evolutionary theory but children must learn how such things overlap within the family environment if parents so choose.

Those who want such overlapping in a classroom should seek out private religious schools and pay their own money for such a curriculum - or just rely on Sunday school classes to provide the overlapping explanation.

Answer 3

No, it's not science. Instead the scientific theory of Intellegent Design should be taught alongside Evolution. Once both scietific theories are examined, with due process and evidence (there is none for evolution's "Natural selection" myth) the students should then form their own conclusions based on the data. Once people realize that Darwinian Evolution is a wonderful theory, but the exact opposite of what actually happens based on very simple math skills, real knowledge can then happen.

And special-chemical-X. I'm interested as to how you can have an experiment with fruit flies that proves without a shadow of a doubt that pure random change with no outside interference can produce a pattern of results that runs contrary to the statistical norm of a mean and instead focus on mulitple independent focied averages (how can you get more than one average anyways?) without either interfering or violating the laws of probability distrubution. And then repeat it and get the same exact same "random" results every time you do the experiment.

Answer 4

Maybe not necessarily taught, but I do think it would be benificial to explain to students that while widely accepted, the traditional scientific explanations of origins of the universe and our species are in question and not accepted by all scietists. Science is everchanging, disproving and proving its own theories. As such, I don't like the way scientific universal origins and evolution is taught in our public school system as uncontestable and finite.

Many posts here seem to indicate that creationism is a religion. Creationism isn't a religion as it doesn't prescribe to a specific set of beliefs or doctrine. Creationism is basically "blind" to all beliefs. Creationism is simply a diverse theory that interprets all the evidence given by science in a different manner. Mainly, creationism states that the current theory of evolution isn't sufficient to explain what we see in nature. It is ridiculed and labeled as non science because the vast minority of scientists agree with it. Creationism explains that by looking at the evidence the we must have been created by supreme being, but doesn't in any way push any type of religious doctrine. I don't consider myself a creationist, but thought I would clear that up about creationism as I see it.

Answer 5

Sure with one caveat -

You have to provide one experiment that can be performed within the classroom setting that shows creationism in action.

If not, then no.

You see because I CAN make a simple experiment with fruit flies showing natural selection at work.
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kmbean:

It's very simple. The theory of natural selection posits that genes are passed on by the most fit with the genes of the least fit being weeded out.
Within fruit flies there is a recessive gene which causes vestigial wings. Since flight is a necessity for existance for the fruit fly we can test using this.

Food within the chamber will be placed within a small dish hanging from the ceiling where the vestigial flies can't crawl to it - much like fruit trees in real life.

We then just let nature take its course and count the birth number of vestigial and non-vestigial flies over a couple generations. The vestigial fly numbers will always be much less than 1/4. The fraction of vestigial to non-vestigial will continue to drop in each succeeding generation. Infact with enough time, the vestigial gene may be weeded out entirely.(though this occurrance should be rare)

In order for the fractional amount to stay relativelly constant the vestigial members would have to be breeding as well. Therefore if the fraction drops, natural selection has been proven to work.

I'm not afraid of the big words and phrases you used. They just betrayed your lack of knowledge in the subject. You probably just heard them on the radio somewhere and repeated them here.

Now for you, indulge me - what experiment have you crafted that can show the creationism theory in action?

Answer 6

Creationism is a religious belief and agenda, not science. It is anti-science. Unless you want to teach MY religious beliefs to all children (see link below), I am content for our schools to be silent on yours. RAmen!

But this isn't even a matter of equality, even if it were possible: science is not religious beliefs, it is a method of study, utterly NOT reconcilable with religion which is and must be a matter of faith. They are different functions of the mind. Yes, they CAN both be practiced by one individual; but then, so can many modes of mental creativity.

If science is utterly offense to your religious beliefs - stop using electricity, stop using pumped and filtered water, stop eating food you have not hunted and gathered yourself. You may die of dental decay before you are 30 - but at least you will have avoided the spiritual peril of using the mind you were destined to have.

And that is a great article you offer the link to; thank you, I hope everyone who posts an Answer here actually reads it :)

Answer 7

so which you're asserting united statesa. can excel interior the worldwide medical section by making use of coaching from a e book written interior the bronze age that announces the Earth is flat and the solar revolves around it? Or that Earth is 6,000 years old. Yeah, desirable. we would be conversing chinese language interior a decade. Do your self a prefer and study Christian Reconstructionism.

Answer 8

Really that doesn't matter to me.
I am a creation believer, I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
We take the time to teach our children at home and at the Kingdom Hall the truth about a lot of things.
Creation, Sex before mar-rage, Loyalty to God.
We re enforce it daily, with daily bible readings and discussions when the kids come home from school.
I live in Massachusetts, in one town they are forcing Kids to read books about homosexual parenting.
NO WITNESS of JEHOVAH will be there to protest, because our kids all ready know right from wrong.
SO teach your children at home to protect them from the world of SATAN, and you won't worry about a course here or there . THEY will all ready know the TRUTH

Answer 9

No...science class is for science.

And which creation story are we going to teach? There's not enough days in a school year to cover that.

*BTW nice article. I'd be interested in seeing how many people actually read through.

Answer 10

Creationism isn't science so no it shouldn't be added to the science curriculum. It could be added to mythology or religious studies though.