Context
Creationism and intelligent design should be given the same status as evolution in the classroom according to 29% of teachers in a poll by Teachers’ TV (2008). While half of those polled considered otherwise, some 89% thought it should be discussed if raised in a science lesson. Such views from the metaphorical ‘chalk face’ no doubt reflect the reality of the classroom but resources geared to facilitate this are sparse indeed.
Nor are such views confined to teachers. In a survey of the UK population some 27% considered that intelligent design should be taught alongside evolution in science lessons. (Lawes 2009). A recent survey among churchgoers revealed that 61% thought that creationism should be taught as part of science in schools (Village 2011). An even greater percentage believed that it should also feature in Religious Education teaching.
Professor Michael Reiss (2010), a distinguished educationist, estimates that 10 – 15% of people in the UK accept the record of the Bible or Quran on creation and therefore a similar proportion of state school pupils are likely to believe this. In schools with a strong Christian or Muslim ethos the percentage holding such a belief will be greater; in the Christian Schools Trust member schools, for example, it is as high as three-quarters of the teenage pupils (Baker 2009, Table 7.1).
For a number of years there has been a vocal lobby from humanist and other groups opposed to the teaching of creationism and intelligent design in schools (for an excellent summary see Baker 2009, Section 4.6). As a result government guidance was given to teachers in state schools (DCSF, 2007). This supported teaching different beliefs about origins in Religious Education but indicat...
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... 28% of science teachers believed it essential to cover religious beliefs about the origin of life in the classroom (Times Educational Supplement, 19 September 2008).
Village, Andrew et al (2011) , ‘The Bible, Creation and You’ survey 2011 : Report on the initial findings, York St John University, available at : http://w3.yorksj.ac.uk/pdf/The%20Bible%20Creation%20and%20You%20survey%202011.pdf (accessed 8 August 2011).
Captions
The home page of The World Around Us virtual museum. Access is gained to any of the galleries through the toolbar at the top of the page or via the image logo of the relevant gallery at the bottom.
A small section of the display on dating in the Paradigm Crisis gallery of The World Around Us virtual museum. Each of the exhibits on the website can be enlarged to provide greater detail.
Prepared for Origins 55 (2011)
In the novel Monkey Girl: Evolution, Religion, and The battle for American’s Soul, Humes tells the story of how 11 furious parents in the Dover Area school district decided to sue the school board and the district, because of the new learning objective requirement saying that all of 9th grade biology classes had to be taught Intelligent Design (ID), which is basically a form of creationism as a scientific alternative to evolution. They also believed that it “violated their first amendment right to information and ideas in an academic setting” (Humes, 2007, p. 221). This was the first legal trial to the perception of Intelligent Design. This novel is a narrative that captures nearly everyone’s view point in the Dover Area school District on the issue of Intelligent Design replacing evolution. There were numerous groups and organizations involved the trial including; The American Civil Liberties Union, Americans Unites for Separation of Church and State, Pepper Hamilton LLP, and the National Center for Science Education. This Trial was so major that even that national government was involved. George W. Bush sent a conservative appointee (John Jones) to the bench, which was done because it was “the early handicapping in the trial suggested a
In the uncertainty that the modern world is, there is one law that stays petrified in stone no matter what happens: “Things change with age.” No matter if it is in history, science, or even Pokémon, things change as time passes by and this process is called evolution. The theory formulated by Charles Darwin is the belief that all organisms have come from earliest creatures because of external factors (“NSTA…”). School boards everywhere have accepted the theory of Evolution as fact making it essential to be in the curriculums of science classrooms. However, over the years, controversy has arisen as the fact that is evolution is still only a theory with flaws and setbacks, efficiently making other theories (i.e. intelligent design) a viable alternate in the classroom. The law, on the other hand, had a different idea about these other theories with numerous bans them from schools, claiming them to be against the second amendment. Despite the bitter debate of rather or not it is valid and right for teaching (primarily alone) the theory of evolution lies as being the most reliable and accurate way to teach how the modern world came to be.
In Inherit the Wind, a 1960s film adaptation directed by Stanley Kramer, the battle between religion and science was tested, portrayed through the Scopes Trial of 1925. In the trail, John Scopes, a high school science teacher, was accused and convicted of teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, curriculum that was forbidden by Tennessee state law. It is clear that a focal point of the film was the discussion of whether religion should be the driving force behind education, or if science and empirical study is a better alternative. This discussion is alive and well in 2017, crucial in a time where Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, is a known believer in theories of ‘intelligent design,’ a theory that suggests divine guidance in the
In cases having to do with constitutionality, the issue of the separation of church and state arises with marked frequency. This battle, which has raged since the nation?s founding, touches the very heart of the United States public, and pits two of the country's most important influences of public opinion against one another. Although some material containing religious content has found its way into many of the nation's public schools, its inclusion stems from its contextual and historical importance, which is heavily supported by material evidence and documentation. It often results from a teacher?s own decision, rather than from a decision handed down from above by a higher power. The proposal of the Dover Area School District to include instruction of intelligent design in biology classes violates the United States Constitution by promoting an excessive religious presence in public schools.
Coogan, Michael David., Marc Zvi. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, and Pheme Perkins. "Genesis." The New Oxford Annotated Bible: With the Apocrypha. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.
In The Battle for the Beginning, MacArthur directs believers to recognize the scriptural claim that first three chapters of Genesis concerning creation are the record of a literal and historical event. MacArthur senses a growing shift amongst modern evangelical believers who seek to revise or interpret the events of creation in a non-literal or naturalistic way. Macarthur reasons that a non-literal or naturalistic interpretation discounts what the scriptures says, and ultimately undermines Christian theology. For MacArthur the Bibl...
Robert Root-Bernstein and Donald L. McEachron, “Teaching Theories: The Evolution-Creation Controversy,” The American Biology Teacher, Vol. 44, No. 7 (Oct…1982). This article, written by Robert Root-Bernstein and Donald L. McEachron sheds light on the controversy of evolution vs creationism in schools and the validity of each being called a scientific theory. The work was created to answer the questions, “Which of these theories is truly scientific and which is a religious belief? Which should be taught in schools?” The article concluded in favor of evolution as a valid scientific theory that should be taught rather than creationism, but also mentioned the worth of understanding the latter.
Evolution and Creationism are both fact and theory but the question is which one should be taught in schools? Only a few school distracts have approved the teaching of evolution because it has more senitific evidence than creationism to prove that it is true. According to a new Gallup poll, just 39% of Americans believe in evolution. The Gallup polls also show that those Americans with higher education believe in the theory of evolution as opposed to those with only high school diplomas. The polls found that 74% Americans with post-graduate degrees believe in evolution theory compared to 21% of Americans with only high school diplomas. The Gallup polls suggest that the belief in the theory of evolution is associated with education. Evolution should be taught in schools because it has more scientific evidence to support it than creationism does. Also, public schools should not teach things that have to do with God, such as creationism, because the Constitution requires the separation of church and state. Finally, if we do not allow schools to teach evolution it would be a form censo...
With countless theories disproving the theory of Evolution still in progress of research, the theory should not yet be taught in schools. It is only a theory and the theory has multiple flaws. There are many aspects that contradict with proven and confirmed scientific laws of nature. Science is said to be logical all the way. Contradictory should not occur. A theory that teaches something which may be a complete false statement should not be taught in schools.
Ruse, Michael. "Intelligent Design Should Be Taught in Religion Classes, Not Science." Intelligent Design vs. Evolution. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. At Issue. Rpt. from "Keep Intelligent Design Out of Science Classes." beliefnet.com. 2006. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 18 May. 2014.
Since the time that teaching evolution in public schools was banned as heresy and taboo for contradicting the Bible, most public school systems today take an opposite approach in which creationism is seldom ta...
Scott points out that school districts have boards in place that have people who “...may or may not know much about the field of education” (Pg. 87-8). He goes on to say that these people, despite the state mandated curriculums that are supposed to be used to guide the districts, have the final say in what their educators can teach. There are parallels between the disorganization of our school system and the religious matters in that there are many sects of Christianity, from which most of the antievolution ideals stem. The Fundamentalist movement in the 20’s is one of the main culprits against evolution as it called for a strict interpretation of the Bible. This movement led to the push to eradicate the concept of evolution from the curriculum due to the fear that it will shake the faith of the youth. This push resulted in the Scopes trial which put the controversy in a new light. Despite the odds, Scopes won but even after that even less schools taught evolution. Much later on, schools began to teach concepts that were scientific alternatives to evolution as creationism was viewed as a religious view and was not allowed to be pushed
Since the publication of Darwin’s Origin of Species in 1859, there has been a continuous debate in the United States regarding evolution and creation. Recently, this debate has intensified throughout America over the issue of whether or not to include creationism in the public school curriculum either in conjunction with evolution or as a replacement for the theory. With such a volatile subject being argued, there are other issues that are brought up at the same time. I find these side issues to the evolution/creation debate to be very perplexing. The many differing viewpoints that my friends, family, and the American public in general believe are incredibly interesting. There are varying strict “either/or” views, and views that combine evolution and the Bible’s story of creationism. There are diverse ideas where evolution and science can coexist with the Bible, and different commitment and intensity levels to these beliefs. The knowledge and familiarity, or lack thereof, that people have with both evolution and creationism is intriguing as well. The most interesting of these questions is the key motivation behind people’s opinions; are they were religiously based or is there something else?
Berkman, Michael B., Julianna Pacheco, and Eric Plutzer. "Evolution and Creationism in America's Classrooms: A National Portrait." Plos Biology. 20 May 2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2010. .
Stenmark, Mickael. How to Relate Science and Religion. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004.