Creationism in Public Schools Essay - 1429 Words

Creationism in Public Schools Teaching Creationism in Schools The question as to whether or not creationism should be taught in public schools is a very emotional and complex question. It can be looked at from several different angles, its validity being one of them. Despite the lack of evidence to support the fundamentalist idea of creationism, that in itself is not enough to warrant its exclusion from the curriculum of public schools in the United States. The question is far more involved and complex. 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†¦show more content†¦The problem in scientific creationism, and what I see as a reason for its exclusion from the science classroom in public schools, is the fact that it looks as if, from the outside, the whole theory that it rest on is simply a contortion of the traditional version of creation described in Genesis, custom-made to fit in with Darwin’s theory of evolution. R. M. Hare would probably say that scientific creationism is simply a modification of the story of creation in Genesis, to fit into the Ã’blikÓ of the religious fundamentalist. A blik, as Hare describes it, is a pre-set worldview held by all people, in which they draw from when forming certain opinions on any particular subject. In the case of religious fundamentalist, whose fa ith in the validity of the Book of Genesis is an essential part of their blik, it becomes necessary for them to contort their literal view of the Book of Genesis into a form that is scientifically acceptable. For this reason, creation science still does not have a place in the science classroom of public schools. Another problem with scientific creationism is that it would exclude the idea of a random beginning. No theory could ever be tested to find origins because it would conflict with scientific creationism. Scientific creationism would be, in essence, a lesson on science halting efforts to find creation, if it is possible at all. It may, however, be acceptable asShow MoreRelated Creationism and Public Schools Essay example960 Words   |  4 Pages Creationism and Public Schools nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The issue of whether creationism should be taught in public schools, rather than evolution, is a new one. It has only been in the past fifty years that it has even been in debate. Public school science classes, when discussing the origins of life on Earth, coincided with Sunday school classes. Students learned that the Earth, universe and everything else was created in seven days, by God, as stated in the Old Testament. It was notRead MoreCreationism vs. Evolutionism in Public Schools1538 Words   |  7 PagesDebate: Creationism vs. Evolution in Schools: 1st Affirmative Constructive Speech Creationism and Evolutionism by definition are very different topics. Currently, evolutionary naturalism is the most widely taught view of origins in America. In schools in the modern day, only evolutionism is taught and condoned. But before the 1920s, only creationism was taught, and evolution was forbidden. Then, on February 20, 2008, the Florida State Board of Education voted to revise the public school guidelinesRead MoreShould Creationism be taught in Public Schools? Essay1124 Words   |  5 PagesTeaching Creationism or Intelligent Design to our youth can be done in a way that is neither opinion based nor completely fact based, but may hold some risk of personal interpretation. The first thing needed to be considered is how can children of the middle school age range grasp such a deep subject and have the capacity to reach their own conclusion. Information found regarding the development of children in this developmental range was found in the book titled Characteristics of Middle GradeRead MoreCreationism in Public School Science Class Essay923 Words   |  4 Pageshappen? If not, then why should science teachers teach that life evolved over billions of years, and that it was created as it is now just six thousand years ago? Creationism should not be taught in science class because it has no supporting evidence, it is not equal to evolution, and religious myths can not be taught in public schools in an officially non religious nation. ...[I]ndividual scientists and philosophers of science have provided substantive critiques of intelligent designRead More Why Creationism Should Not Be Taught in Public Schools Essays1921 Words   |  8 PagesA hotly debated topic concerning public schools centers on the origin of life. Now more than ever, science and religion are butting heads. What should public schools teach to their students? Alex Rainert reasons that both â€Å"science and religion are engaged in the same project, to discover the origin of life† (141). In short, one could better describe the debate as a crusade between evolutionists and creationists; both sides have their well-founded arguments, but when one looks at the decisions ofRead MoreEvolution over Creationism for the Public School System Essay1829 Words   |  8 Pagesgoing to Sunday school, and they’re telling them that God created them, and then they go to school and they’re being taught that man evolved from an ape† (White, Gary). The argument has taken the better part of a century, as to if creatio nism or evolution should be taught in public schools (Vedantam, Shankar); and no closer have we came to deciding which idea or more appropriately which theory should be taught to the youth of America. Roughly twenty to twenty-five percent of public school educators holdingRead MoreThe Theory of Evolution and Creationism Debate The subject on what goes into public school1700 Words   |  7 Pages The Theory of Evolution and Creationism Debate The subject on what goes into public school textbooks have always been an intense debate. Recently Bill Nye the Science Guy and Ken Ham held a debate on this topic on February 4, 2014 which gain over two million views. Which raised the question is creationism a viable model of origin in today’s modern scientific era (Ken Ham)? In order for one to answer this question accurately first one would need to know why this question is significant. Then theyRead MoreShould Intelligent Design and/or Creationism Be Taught Alongside Evolution in Public Schools?641 Words   |  3 Pagesabout whether or not should intelligent design should be taught alongside evolution in public schools, which has been going on for a great amount of years. Intelligent design is the idea of natures changes cannot be a random process, but a type of guidance must have lead to why nature is the way it is in today’s era. In most cases, that specific guidance is God. God has created the world for a purpos e. Creationism is the same idea as intelligent design, believing that nature was created by a divineRead MoreThe Creationism Debate Essay examples698 Words   |  3 PagesCreationism being taught in public schools is not right because there are many beliefs about how the earth was created. Many science teachers have different beliefs on this particular subject. Some believe it should not be taught in public schools but on one’s own time at home, church, or another place. Other science teachers think students should be taught all the believable theories about evolution and creationism. Some science teachers have gotten in trouble with the law by not obeying otherRead MoreEssay on Intelligent Design: The Best of Both Theories1112 Words   |  5 Pagesbeen going on for years and years. Should schools be allowed to teach evolution without teaching creationism? The courts have ruled, the answer is no, the theory of creationism cannot be included in a public school’s academic curriculum. With the court’s decision, it has been made clear there is no place for faith based theories to be taught in our public schools. What if there was a different approach that took God out of the equation? Public high schools should allow a course in intelligent design