Friday, April 25, 2008
Science Curriculum up for debate
I read this article on Austin American Statesman this morning about how now Texas is joining in on the debate of whether Creationism is Science. Several other states have had huge debates regarding this issue and it isn’t pretty. The gloves have come off and its scientific fact against religious groups. Many schools are having this issue because these religious groups do not want their kids learning about evolution. They want the bible’s creation stories but into the books and not evolution. This is an issue that has gone on for many years. I graduated high school eleven years ago and it too was a heated topic in my school. I can’t believe that after all these years and it being in the constitution to separate church and state ie. School, that we are still having this argument. Don’t get me wrong I do believe in God. But as I take more and more college science courses the more I see facts of evolution. It is a difficult issue to come to terms with. But when it comes to teaching our kids; they need to know what has been scientifically proven, to be on the same educational level as everyone else. In the article a college campus in the Dallas area was trying to give a master’s degree in science on creationism. It was ruled that Creationism is on the religious side than science. I am so happy that the judge ruled that way, because why should we give a master degree out in science, if the only course studied are from the bible. There isn’t really a way to prove God’s creating the Earth in seven days scientifically. And how does that compare to a master’s in Biology? I feel that if parents have concerns and what not that we should make sure that they are involved. I can’t stand when a parent is so close minded and judgmental about their child’s education but they refuse to take the time and effort to learn more about what is going on in their child’s life educationally. How is a kid that graduates high school in Texas going to hold up in a Harvard biology class?
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2 comments:
I very much enjoyed Anna's post. If Anna can't believe that this debate has continued over the past eleven years, then she will be absolutely blown away to know that this debate goes back even farther! In America, this was a hot topic even in the 1920s, the time of the Scopes Monkey Trial. However at that time, creationism was favored over evolution. My first snag with Anna's argument came when I realized that she had not linked the article that inspired her to write this or any other sources that have shaped her view. It is hard for me to see how she arrived at her conclusion if I cannot walk the path she used to get there.
As far as the argument itself goes, I cannot see much support for it, at least in her post. Anna makes the bold statements that this debate is between,"...scientific fact against religious groups," and that children "...need to know what has been scientifically proven..." However, you give no support for those statements. The argument would have been stronger had she made a small parenthetical note with a link for extra reading to support your statement. What evidence does support the theory of evolution? Beneficial mutations? A clear fossil record? An accurate dating method? Evolution requires just as much faith to grasp as any religious theory. Anna's wording portrays much more confidence then your supporting facts credit.
Anna also makes the statement, "They want the bible’s creation stories but into the books and not evolution." This is true; many do desire creationism to be taught as they only possibility. However, according to a poll posted by CBS, an even greater portion, in fact the majority of Americans desire for creationism and evolution to be taught side by side as theories. This is the view I hold. It is often beneficial for one to understand another's opposing view.
If this is a question of teaching scientific fact, then lets not teach this subject. If it is a question of producing well rounded students, then lets give them all we've got. After, the students deserve to have access to the information and hold to the idea that they are convinced of.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/22/opinion/polls/main657083.shtml
I am commenting on my colleagues blog on "Science Curriculum up for Debate." Evolution has not been scientifically proven and Creationism has not been disproved. There have been atheists who went on a mission to disprove creationism, (A Case for Christ, Lee Strobell), and ended up becoming a Christian during their research. The reason evolution has not been scientifically proven is because no one witnessed the beginning of human life, which means the people who believe in evolution have faith that we evolved from a different species. So I would suggest that both theories are faith-based. In the documentary Expelled, produced by Ben Stein, he talked to highly accredited professors who have wrote books on evolution, but when he asked them where we came from, they could not give an answer. They had come down to the cell where we came from, but they could not tell him where the cell came from. So when the blog stated, "when it comes to teaching our kids; they need to know what has been scientifically proven", then we should not be teaching them evolution either because it is not scientifically proven. I think it would be fair to teach evolution as a theory, but not as scientific evidence. I believe that only teaching evolution is close minded and judgmental that Creationism does not exist. If they are going to teach one, then they should teach them all.
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