Creation and Evolution
Thesis: Through both scientific reasoning and consideration of personal belief, conclusions concerning the issue of creation and evolution can be reached that do not conflict with personal beliefs or scientific theory.
Introduction
The issue of origins has been long debated over the past century. Groups exist who believe anything from strictly the Bible creation account to abiogenesis to anything in between. Proving and/or adapting theories on the origin of the Earth and the universe, has been an ongoing process since the beginning of the twentieth century. The debate concerning what children should be taught in school has been ongoing for nearly as long. Christian scientists have both Christian beliefs and knowledge as scientists. Christian scientists have long been working to achieve personal beliefs on the origin of the Earth and life that does not conflict with either perspective. Through both scientific reasoning and consideration of personal belief, conclusions concerning the issues of creation and evolution can be reached that do not conflict with personal beliefs or scientific theory.
History
The controversy over biological evolution began in 1859 when Charles Darwin published his monumental book "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection". Throughout most of the nineteenth century religious people rebelled against Darwin's theory. There were, however, some theologians and even some priests who saw no threat in Darwin's work (PBS, 1998, paragraph 2). The more recent history of this debate came to the forefront in the early 1900's with legislations prohibiting the teaching of evolution in schools. According to Phillip E. Johnson, this began as America emerged from World W...
... middle of paper ...
...ional Center for Science Education (NCSE). (1996). Creation Continuum [Online]. Available: http://www.natcenscied.org/continuum.html [2000, Oct 29].
National Center for Science Education (NCSE). (1996). Seven Significant Court Cases [Online]. Available: http://www.natcenscied.org/courtdec.html [2000, Oct 29].
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). (1996). The Creation Controversy & the Science Classroom. Arlington, VA : NSTA Press.
National Teachers Enhancement Network (NTEN). (No date). The Teaching of Evolution [Online]. Available: http://www.nsta.org/handbook/evolve.asp [2000, Nov 3].
Public Broadcasting Station (PBS). (1998). Faith and Reason-Evolution [Online]. Available: http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/stdweb/info.html [2000, Oct 29].
Wright, Richard T. (1989). Biology Through the Eyes of Faith. San Francisco: Harper Collins Publishers.
The 1960s brought about what some have argued is the first slasher film Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Hitchcock was able to cast major Hollywood stars to actor in his thriller. He cast a young, handsome Anthony Perkins in the lead and a major star in Janet Leigh, whom Hitchcock kills in the beginning of the movie. In that day it was unheard of now it’s done in movies such as Wes Cravens 1996 movie Scream killing off a major star such as Drew Barrymore. According to FilmmakerIQ.com Psycho “shocked audiences into believing horror could be more than B-Film Fare (14)”.
The 1920’s were a time of change. New ideas were becoming more readily experimented with and even accepted by large portions of the population. Some of these included jazz music and the fight against the alcoholic prohibition. The radical idea I will focus on in this paper, however, is Evolution. It is a theory that had been around for over half a century before the 20’s but had only more recently caught on in the US. It contradicted the Christian theory of Divine Creation as described in the Bible. This caused many religious fundamentalists to fight against it. They took their battle to the law books, and they were challenged by pro-evolution modernists in the Scopes "Monkey Trial" of 1925.
For this paper I chose to explore Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho because it has remained the only horror movie I’ve seen to date. I went into a couple others but immediately left; let’s just say horror is not my favorite genre of film. People may or may not always call Psycho a horror film, it may be more of a thriller to people nowadays, but I still believe the correct genre analysis is horror because it should always refer to the genre at the time the film was created and released. I chose Psycho because I spent multiple weeks in high school studying Hitchcock, and Psycho specifically, so I feel comfortable writing on it. I also thoroughly enjoy the film, its backstory, and the character development. Plus, it’s been roughly adapted into one of my favorite shows: Bates Motel, which I will also briefly explore.
In Alfred Hitchcock’s famous “slasher” movie, Psycho, the audience is introduced to Norman Bates. Like many ot...
Although legalizing concealed handguns create an easy access to firearms by criminals and emotionally disturbed people, it is less likely that these individuals will use their weapons if they feel their target is armed as well. Allowing citizens to carry would always cause the question of ‘who is carrying?’ to arise in the criminals’ minds. According to economist and political commentator John Lott, had the states that did not have concealed handgun laws in 1992 actually allowed concealed carry, the murders would be reduced by “1,839; rapes by 3,727; aggravated assaults by 10,990; robberies by 61,064; burglaries by 112,665; larcenies by 93,274; and auto thefts by 41,512,” (Lott 58). Simply by allowing individuals the right to carry concealed weapons cuts major crime rates dramatically. When criminals are aware that their potential victims could also be armed, they are less likely to act on their violence for fear of the assault turning against them. Whereas, if concealed carry was illegal, criminals would know that their target would most likely not be carrying, thus making these individuals more likely to act on violent
Perhaps no other film changed so drastically Hollywood's perception of the horror film as did PSYCHO. More surprising is the fact that this still unnerving horror classic was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, a filmmaker who never relied upon shock values until this film. Here Hitchcock indulged in nudity, bloodbaths, necrophilia, transvestism, schizophrenia, and a host of other taboos and got away with it, simply because he was Hitchcock.
Keith Henson a writer in evolutionary psychology once said that “Evolution acts slowly. Our psychological characteristics today are those that promoted reproductive success in the ancestral environment.” Evolution was first introduced by a naturalist by the name of Charles Darwin. Darwin had written an autobiography, at the age of 50, On the Origin of Species (1859) explaining how species evolve through time by natural selection; this theory became known as Darwinism. “Verlyn Klinkenborg, who writes editorials and vignettes on science and nature for the “New York Times”” (Muller 706) questions Darwin’s theory in one of his essays he wrote called Darwin at 200: The Ongoing Force of His Unconventional Idea. Both articles talk about the theory of Darwinism, but the authors’ use different writing techniques and were written in different time periods. Darwin himself writes to inform us on what the theory is, where as Klinkenborg goes on to explain why Darwinism is just a theory. Today, evolution is still a very controversial topic among many. It comes up in several topics that are discussed everyday such as in politics, religion and education.
“Art is emotion. The use of film, I say, putting it together, and making it have an affect on an audience is the main function of film,’ said Alfred Hitchcock, in the CBC interview. (Hitchcock, A Talk with Hitchcock.) The movies have been a big part of culture since it was invented. Though, every film is not good, all may be somewhat impactful. Alfred Hitchcock, a man that has directed many big movies, couldn’t have known the impact of one of the most shocking and controversial movie ever. Hitchcock’s Psycho effected the way the current entertainment industry shows mental health, sexuality, suspense, and awareness in culture. With amazing violence and suggestive sexual content, the movie crossed some censorship lines. Arguably Hitchcock’s largest hit, still lives in current media today.
In 1859, Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking Origin of Species, which would introduce the seminal theory of evolution to the scientific community. Over 150 years later, the majority of scientists have come to a consensus in agreement with this theory, citing evidence in newer scientific research. In an average high school biology classroom, one may imagine an instructor that has devoted much of his life to science and a predominantly Christian class of about twenty-five students. On the topic of evolution, one of the students might ask, “Why would God have taken the long route by creating us through billion years of evolution?” while another student may claim “The Book of Genesis clearly says that the earth along with all living creatures was created in just six days, and Biblical dating has proven that the earth is only 6000 years old.” Finally a third student interjects with the remark “maybe the Bible really is just a book, and besides, science has basically already proven that evolution happened, and is continuing to happen as we speak.”
Michael, S.et al. (2008). Prospects for improving K-12 science education from the federal level. Journal of Education 69(9): 677-683.
In the world of cinema, there’s almost always a discussion regarding what scenes would be suitable for the grasping imagination of any audience, young or old. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film, Psycho, sparked a plug for the movie industry as it was the first movie of its kind to display such graphic scenes of sex and violence to a worldwide audience.
The Experiences And Perceptions Of Social Support By Single Mothers Of Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Zacherl, Danielle. “Biology 171 Evolution and Biodiversity.” National Association of Research in Science Teaching 2007 Annual Meeting, New Orleans LA. (2007):n. page. Print.
Since the release of George Melies’s The Haunted Castle in 1896, over 90,000 horror films have been made. However, none have been more frightening and influential than that of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining and Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. Each a product of horror’s 1970’s and 80’s golden era, the films have a reputation of engulfing viewers in fear, without the use of masked killers, vampires, or other clichés. Instead, Kubrick and Spielberg take a different approach and scare audiences on a psychological level. The Shining and Jaws evoke fear through the use of three different film aspects: the use of a “danger” color, daunting soundtracks, and suspenseful cinematography.
Carrying a concealed is truly a human right to every citizen living in the United States . Even if a person chooses not to exercise that right , overall carrying a concealed weapon can not be taken lightly. The significance of this right is it contains much responsibility. Having a concealed gun can honestly save one or many lives.This is very important so an individual interested in having a concealed gun should understand t...