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Does Creationism Have a Place in Public School Science Curriculum?

Updated on October 4, 2008

What do YOU think?

Creationism belongs in schools:

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Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here? These are the questions everybody gets around to asking eventually. And they are questions your child will ask you, or himself, sooner or later. For many, their religious beliefs answer these questions. The stronger a person’s faith, the more likely they are to accept the teachings of their particular religion. To have faith is to believe in that which we cannot see. Science, on the other hand, is a rational system of explaining our world based on what we can perceive with our human senses. Science relies not on faith, but evidence. We don’t have to believe in science; we simply observe.

Creation vs. Darwin From a scientific perspective, we have a pretty good understanding of how human life came to be on Earth – not perfect, but pretty good. Darwin’s evolution is a dirty word in some circles, but scientists accept his concepts as sound. Proponents of Creationism believe we have an even clearer documentation of the origin of human life in the book of Genesis in the Bible.

Creation Stories We began with one man and one woman in an idyllic garden, a man, and a woman. But that’s only the beginning. Even the Bible presents two different creation stories side by side – one in which Adam and Eve are created simultaneously and that other one where she’s subordinate. And wish how we would that our story is best, if we go down the road of teaching creationism, it’s impossible to discount all the other colorful and wondrous stories that have evolved over time.

Ancient Finns, for example, believed that the world created when a giant egg was broken. They thought a bird flew over the sea, seeking a place to make a nest, but finding nothing but water. When she stopped at the first dry place a big wave came and broke her eggs. The fractured parts became the sky, the sun, and the mother earth. The first man was born from Ilmatar, the maiden of air, who was impregnated by the sea. This man then cultivated the Earth. It’s a lovely story.

Farfetched? Mythical? It’s not really that different from the Judeo Christian tradition of Adam and Eve in the Garden.

Where Does Creation Fit in School? So if we’re to teach creationism in school, what do we teach? Do we teach the Christian Creationism with the big C, or do we present all the stories of the world, in small c fashion? The biggest question may be – does any of this belong in a science curriculum? You tell me. Please vote in the poll above!

Further Reading:

 The National Center For Science Education provides a nice history of Creationist ideas.

The age of the dinosaurs is one of the most fascinating issues Creationists must reconcile with their beliefs.

There is a very thoughtful and thorough explanation of the Creationist position here.

 

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