Creationism taught in school?

[Endangered Specie]

Please keep the discussion civil and avoid overly attacking religion, religious people, science or scientists.


I will start off by saying that I voted for choice #2, simply because creationism, is not science, and would be the equivalent of forcing religions institutions to teach evolution.

[WindRavenX]

1. This is touchy subject for me

As I want to teach biology in HS...I believe that the way science is taught does no eliminate creationism and should therefore not be discussed in a science class. Keep theology out of science classes!

[NikolaTeslaRocks]

9. I dont really care...

I am forced to homeschool and am mad because the state wont help me out with homeschool expenses even though I save the state a ton of money. If they were to pay for my homeschool supplies that would save them tons since it cost them about the same to pay for the $22.00 a day per student. It is like the state would be paying for 1 or 2 month of supplies and the rest would be money saved.
I could get a great curriculum for my kids for $400.00 or less. I could go higher as well.

They force me to choose between vaccinating my kids or homeschooling.
We dont have exemptions worth a toot in this state unlike 48 other states. They wont even let me use the books and such they use with public school kids. Heck, they dont even allow homeschoolers a tax break for their expenses which can add up to thousands if the parents so choose a very expensive program.

I dont care if the state cant pay for the kids education or what they teach. They dont have any legal control over what I teach my kids anyway.

Homeschooling is a good option for our family but what if my husband was abusive. I would have no choices as I can not get an exemption,
Unless I moved out of state which I probably would end up doing.

[WindRavenX]

10. um...what does this have to evolution debate?

No offense.

[NikolaTeslaRocks]

16. You are right,

IT doesnt really have anything to do with it.

I would care if I had a child attending PS though.
I am reading other responses to guage my opinion if my kids attended school. You guys have some good points.

I want both things thought but I am thinking maybe the theology part should be in another type of class. I plan on teaching various outlooks and theories. I will let my child decide for himself because the truth is nobody really knows and it is all theory in a sense. Some of it is more plausable though.

[WindRavenX]

23. creationism has no part in how science is taught

leave that part out of public schools.

[BREMPRO]

24. agreed, this is theology, not science. I heard

someone for a school district in TX refer to creationism as "intelligent design" WTF! is this a RW PR campaign to re-brand theology as science?

[WindRavenX]

25. yes

In discrediting science and the scientists, they can rape the planet and never have anyone believe the cries of the scientists.

[BlueEyedSon]

2. Should be mentioned alongside Evolution in science class

and thoroughly debunked (as "science") there.

[DireStrike]

3. Actually that's a really good point.

[BlueEyedSon]

6. Along with Lamarckism "inheritance of acquired traits"

(another debunked theory that was at one time in competition with Darwinism)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamarck

[DireStrike]

17. Yes, I remember learning about that... the flies and the wings

And the "fat people with fat children" nonsense...

"Use and Disuse" was used a lot in describing it, if I remember correctly...

[Endangered Specie]

4. Unfortunately...

Creationism isnt science, and cant be science, it cant possible be proved (no experiment can be designed), and it deals in the supernatural. Science does not deal with the supernatural, only Natural causality.

Youd have to mention that, and there really isnt much else to say.

[Astarho]

13. Actually it is

I remember in high school biology class where in the first chapter would say something like, "back in the 1700's people belived the world was created by god X thousand years ago, but in the following century as technology and understanding of the world increased, a new theory was needed..." and then they would go on with a brief history of biology to how it works today.

Just like in Chemistry the first chapter mentioned that "the ancient Greeks believed there were four elements: fire, air, earth, and water, but in later centuries..."

[BlueEyedSon]

14. Sweet. It was never even an issue in my class (mid 70's)

[imenja]

5. Can't people send their kids to Sunday school?

Why is it the state's responsibility to teach religion? That's what Sunday school is for.

[BlueJazz]

7. I believe that Creationism can be talked about in schools...

...in much the same way as Leprechauns or Easter Bunnies or a thousand other Fantasies are discussed.

[NikolaTeslaRocks]

19. I think that is a good idea...

They should teach creationism as well as the easter bunny and more.
They could teach thes issues and beliefs that got the easter bunny story started. Many fables started from somewhere and most of the time is loosely based on things that has happened in the past.
The story of Santa Clause was based on what what saint christofer did for others in the past.

I think kids should get a well rounded education. Then again I think they should teach much more than they teach in PS. The basics naturally should be taught but they need to expand a lot more.
Not enough money to do that though.

[immoderate]

8. It's RADIOACTIVE!

The only mention that should be made of it is call it nonsense. When I taught science, and a student brought it up, the only thing I felt safe saying was,"That's not science."

I really didn't want to touch a lot of things that people have emotional ties to, like astrology, UFO's, ESP. I tried to limit myself to saying there's no scientific proof for these things and then I would change to the subject we were studying.

--IMM

[baldguy]

11. Our tax dollars shouldn't be used to intentionally teach lies.

[Spangle]

12. I voted "other"

But I don't think that only the Bible version should be told. I think that the early versions should also be studied. And a mention of the various people who had the same tale.

If the Christians want this taught, it has to be a more factual version. Which is to state that what is stated in the bible is a retelling of an older tale. I don't really think that the Christians would want those other versions discussed deeply.

From there I think they should also cover the new age thought that we might be "enginered" through changes in our DNA by the "God" mentioned in the bible or the "Gods" mentioned in the older texts. <grin> And that whole version of "creation."

There is more then one version.

As for evolution. It's the only theory that changes and doesn't change it's offical name. I was taught in school that we came from apes. Now we know we do not. One would say that theory is a bust. But they just changed the theory. The REASON is because when the theory first came about, like ALL theorys, it wasn't proven. That is why it's called a THEORY. It is by trying to prove it, that we have continue to learn. The Theory of Evolution changes as our knowledge grows.

This is one fact that we all have to accept. Because trying to act like the evolution theory is a fact, we walk into a trap. It is still just a theory. The only difference is, we are willing to study and LEARN. Creastionism does not.

[DrWeird]

21. Unmitigated horseshit.

Just because you don't understand the theory because of your limited exposure to it, doesn't mean the theory is invalid.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/19/tech/main656621.shtml

OK, so in school you were taught that humans came from apes. Depends on what your definition of "ape" is. If you mean that humans were descended from the modern Lowland Gorilla, no, that wouldn't be true. But evolution has never said that. Darwin never said that. He said we evolved from a common ancestor, and he was right.

Evolution has been proven. It is a fact. Just as much as gravity, or that the Earth is round and revolves around the sun, or that germs can cause disease.

And shame on you for denying that and propagating the myth that Evolution is anything less.

You're a walking example of how bad science education is in this country.

[NikolaTeslaRocks]

22. Spangle, I am with you

If you are going to teach the kids this, tell them many different theories in a factual yet interesting manner. Let them hear all the different possibilities and let them decide for themselves. Kids have such great imaginations and such interesting thoughts. Let them learn to think for themselves. Thinking for themselves is very important. This subject would help them learn to think about different aspects instead of a narrow viewpoint. In life one needs to develop these skills.

We just dont know for sure how all this came to be. It is all a big guess. I tend to believe the big bang theory myself but I wont rule out the other possibilities.

[bryant69]

15. There seem to be two debates

One is whether or not we should teach creationism in the schools, and the other on whether or not a sensible moral person could believe in creationism. They are distinct debates--I don't support teaching creationism in school, but I do think a sensible person can believe that there is something more than Darwinistic determination in the creation of life.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Endangered Specie]

20. Darwinisn does not deal in how life got started (created)

but how life evolves.

[LibertyorDeath]

18. OK for the last time that's Cretinism

Magical thinking & then on the seventh day he rested. LOL

[donheld]

26. I vote "other"

Teach it in comedy class