[weegee]

While I don't believe that creationism should be taught in schools, why is there such a need to teach evolution at all?

We can study extinct species without saying "this species begat this one". The jury is still out. Scientists in different nations cannot agree on where man originated or how he came to populate different continents. There may have been some foot travel but there may also have been some boat voyages.

You are right that there are a lot of other things to teach children. So teach them those things that are known rather than those things that are suspected.

Is much time spent on the big bang theory in elementary and high schools?

How about man made global warming which is also a "scientifically" supported theory in some minds?

[Phatnbald]

How about it ?

The math that says there was an inflation in the early universe is what put the cameras on Titan- do you think thats a European hoax ?

[RightWingAtheist]

Because any subject in biology cannot be described without reference to the theory of evolution. You are correct that describing speciation is a problem; the lines are very difficult to delineate, but we can still explain how certain traits and morphologies arise through natural selection, and this should be taught. You also mentioned teaching global warming; students should not be taught ecology or environmental issues until after they are taught the basics of biology, including evolution, so that they are informed enough to understand and critically interpret environmental issues, instead of just mindlessly repeating "Reduce! Reuse! Recycle!" Of course, they also need to be taught intensively in physics and chemistry beforehand as well.

[VadeRetro]

While I don't believe that creationism should be taught in schools, why is there such a need to teach evolution at all?

"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." -- Theodosius Dobzhansky

If we need to teach biology, we need to teach evolution.

[cookcounty]

"While I don't believe that creationism should be taught in schools, why is there such a need to teach evolution at all? "

Because Evolution is based in socialistic "scientific materialism" which assumes the world is pretty easy to understand and control. "We don't really know for sure" is NOT an acceptable answer because it implies we humans to not have the ability to fix everything. And that is unacceptable to the socialist mind-set. Thus they fret and sweat that students in Georgia might see "the label" and commit the unpardonable sin ---DOUBTING the ideas of the EVOLUTIONISTS!

[crail]

We can study extinct species without saying "this species begat this one". The jury is still out.

There are also a lot of things we don't know about WWII as well. We can study both Germany and Britain without every saying they went to war. There's even people who deny the holocaust ever happened. The jury is still out. Until historians and holocaust deniers can agree, we should concentrate on things we know. I don't understand why historians insist on teaching it before we have every last piece of knowledge in place, start to finish, east to west.