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The influence of Genesis
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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.” A secular country like our own does and should treat each argument as valid. However, only the third student’s argument cites scientific backing. Is it fair that we are denying that intelligent design be taught as an alternative to evolution in our science classes? When a belief has no legitimate scientific backing, it is not science, but rather a philosophy, whereas biology is in fact science, which is why intelligent design does not belong in science classes in public schools.
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...
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...ligion, but it would allow for greater open-mindedness – parents should be able to send their students to a school in which they know that no indoctrination is occurring. As for those who do not tolerate the teaching of evolution, despite the 150 years of growth for this theory, there is always the local place of worship, which will freely teach the word of God.
Works Cited
Branch, Glenn. "Intelligent Design is not Science, and Should not Join Evolution in the Classroom." usnews.com. U.S.News & World Report, 2 Feb. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
"Intelligent Design." pbs.org. PBS, 5 Aug. 2005. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
"Judge Rules Against ‘Intelligent Design’." msnbc.com. MSNBC, 20 Dec. 2005. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
Morris, Henry. "Where Evolution has Gaps, Creation Might Offer Answers – If we will Listen." usnews.com. U.S.News & World Report, 2 Feb. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
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
The Dover Area School District of Dover, Pennsylvania is seeking approval from the General Assembly of Pennsylvania House to include the theory of intelligent design in the instruction of biology. Intelligent design, also known as I.D., is a theory that seeks to refute the widely-accepted and scientifically-supported evolution theory. It proposes that the complexity of living things and all of their functioning parts hints at the role of an unspecified source of intelligence in their creation (Orr). For all intents and purposes, the evidence cited by I.D. supporters consists only of the holes or missing links in evolutionary theory; it is a widely-debate proposal, not because ?of the significant weight of its evidence,? but because ?of the implications of its evidence? (IDnet).
Teaching of evolution has several issues. One of the main issue is that it is unfair to some students with a background of Christianity. Christians believe in Creationism, meaning God created the whole world or if not, most of the world. Darwin's theory of Evolution is complete contradictory of this. In the Bible, it is stated that God made humans in His image while Darwin's theory says that Humans evolved from monkeys. It is basically proving that God, does not exist, violating the first amendment, Freedom of Belief. The first amendment states "..respecting the establishment of religion..." When Christian students listen and are forced to learn the theory of Evolution, it is restricting them to worship without obstacles and is therefore, disrespecting the establishment of religion by defying the existence of God. "If Genesis were interpreted as symbolic, as a myth, fable or fantasy, then the entire role of Jesus would have to be reinterpreted."(http://www.religioustolerance.org/ev_school.htm)
Le Beau, Bryan F. "Science and Religion: A Historical Perspective on the Conflict over Teaching Evolution in the Schools." EbscoHost. MARHO, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. .
One way to address the question is whether or not creationism, in itself, is a valid idea to be taught in public schools. The answer to this can be yes. Not only should a student in American public schools learn and acquire knowledge in empirical sciences, and other tangible facts both in history and other courses, but he should also learn how to think and make decisions for himself. Unfortunately, as it turns out, creationism is in direct conflict with the biological theory of evolution. Many fundamentalist propose that creationism should replace, or at least be offered as an alternative to Darwin’s theory of evolution.
It would let everybody be introduced to other ideas and allow the students to learn what they want to learn. This would appease most people. According to Wikipedia there are 2.2 billion Christians, 1.6 billion Muslims, and 1 billion nonreligious/atheists in the world. In my opinion all of these religions are faith based. One could argue that it requires more faith to believe in evolution than it does to believe another faith based religion. Those are the top 3 religions in our world and everyone should be respected and taught to whomever wants to learn them. Same with all other
Recently, in Georgia, the persisting question 'does evolution have a place in our schools?' was again brought up. The state wants to remove the theory of evolution from the curriculum. The children would still be taught mathematical theorems, classical literature, chemistry, and biology; but the teachers would be depriving them of a scientifically accepted theory of how the world began. The children cannot be made to believe anything that they do not want to, therefore teaching them the valuable philosophy of evolution would help to expand their minds, rather than shrink them. Evolution as a science is particularly beneficial. Most young children, stereotypically boys, are very much into playing with dinosaurs, and watching TV shows and movies about dinosaurs. As they get older they learn about fossils and how many archeologists believe that modern birds are descendents of enormous winged birds of the Mesozoic era. This might strike them as strange if they were not taught about how all things evolve. Learning about animals from billions of years ago would not destroy their belief of God, it might, in fact, glorify Him even more; because God is so talented and powerful that he is still coming up with new ideas for species on our planet. Evolution fits into the biological category of the sciences. This is significant due to the fact that without at least one class in biology, a high school student would not be able to graduate and move onto higher learning. I remember my biology class my sophomore year of high school. My teacher, a first year teacher, blatantly said to the class, "I don't believe in Evolution, but I have to tell you at least a little about what it is, because I guess it matters." I...
This paper seeks to examine two main themes. The first is a brief history of how creationism became so critical an issue for debate, especially in terms of children. Why are most Christian (evangelists) so particular about what their children learn in school about evolution, even to the extent that some send their children to home school or private institutions? Secondly, I look at three main websites that are dedicated in full or in part to educating young minds about creationism or creation-science. The sites www.kids4truth.com, answersingensis.org, and drdino.com all have similar ideas about what is appropriate for school-aged youth to be learning about creationism. After talking to two of the website creators/maintainers, I was able to try to understand more fully the philosophy behind educating children on the principles of Creationism.
... The way that science courses are evolving, who knows, maybe in the next few generations intelligent design will be the mandatory science course for all students, while evolution is only taught in history class. Works Cited Dembiski, William. The. The “Pandas and People” Theory of ID.
From the early 20th century onward, teaching biological evolution in the public schools has been a contentious issue. Although a series of federal court decisions has upheld the proper place of biological evolution in the curriculum, the struggle over evolution in the curriculum continues. Recent conflicts over the content of science education standards in many states have arisen precisely because evolution was awarded its proper status as the fundamental theoretical construct underpinning modern biology. So the underling question is, why is it important that evolution be taught in school?
In the articles “Critiques of Darwinism Evolution Should Be Taught in Science Class” an “Intelligent Design Should Not Be Taught in Science Class” they point out why they think evolution should/shouldn’t be taught in schools. In the article “Critiques of Darwinism Evolution Should Be Taught in Science Class” shows how Stephen Meyer and John Campbell think that evolutionary theory should be taught in class because it is the only perspective on how life was originated over time. They state that they (science teachers) are just educating students on the world. They aren’t bashing religions or trying to tell the students to go against their beliefs an...
Evolution needs to have its place in the school curriculum because it lays the foundation for understanding human sciences, and by not exposing students to the theory it is hurting US science and innovation. According to Gary Bates, chief executive officer of Creation Ministries International, if evolution is going to be taught in schools then creationism needs to be taught too. Bates also says that creationism is not a religion, although that might have some truth, it was found in a the supreme court case of Edwards v. Aguillard (1987) that teaching creationism in public schools violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution. But just because creationism isn’t allowed to be taught doesn’t mean we should ignore evolution too.
Faith is trust or belief in a deity without conscious reasoning. Faith is instinctive, untaught, and intrinsic that some people view it as a way to see the truth regardless its lack of proof. In fact, people base on faith to determine whether they know or not know certain matters. According to “On Evolution, Biology Teachers Stray Away from Lesson Plan” by New York Times, 15-20 % of teachers teach creationism while 60% refuse to endorse neither evolution nor its unscientific alternatives (Bakalar). The problem of teachers teaching creationism doesn’t lie in ignorance but their conscious decisions to reject the scientific explanation. All biology teachers have learned about evolution in college before they could teach and understand that teaching creationism in public schools is unconstitutional yet some still choose to advocate for creationism. In this circumstance, people who support evolution see the matter through both experiments with specific DNA data and physiological evidence and analytical observation of the history of human development. On the other hand, creationism lacks scientific proofs and analytical evidence. Still, it has meaningful connection to personal belief, psychological mind, and intuitive
The teaching of evolution in schools has been a huge controversy in classrooms throughout the country. Conflicts with previous beliefs and new ideas clash regularly across America, and the theory of evolution is not exempt from the turmoil. Because of this, the curriculum has been halted in many classrooms and has therefore been brought to the attention of many. The two sides to this debate, those for and those opposed, have reasons and explanations to support their views.
Talking on both sides of the debate, each side feels as though the other has no scientific reasoning come up with their theory. In reading the article written by Shipman, the evolutionists believe that intelligent design has no concrete evidence on how the world was crea...