Posted on 09/11/2008 12:26:35 PM PDT by Schnucki
Creationism should be taught in schools as a legitimate point of view to stop religious children losing interest in science lessons, a leading Royal Society scientist has urged.
Rev Professor Michael Reiss, director of education at the Royal Society and a biologist, said teachers should discuss Creationism openly in science classes.
He said one in 10 pupils have Creationist beliefs and he maintained it would be self-defeating to dismiss them all as wrong and misguided.
Far better, he told the British Association conference, to treat Creationism as a “world view” rather than a “misconception”.
His comments, however, provoked a vociferous reaction from other scientists who said Creationism had no place in a science lesson.
Prof Lewis Wolpert, of University College Medical School, said: “Creationism is based on faith and has nothing to do with science, and it should not be taught in science classes.
“There is no evidence for a creator, and creationism explains nothing. It is based on religious beliefs and any discussion should be in religious studies.” Dr John Fry, a physicist at the University of Liverpool, said: “Science lessons are not the appropriate place to discuss Creationism, which is a world view in total denial of any form of scientific evidence. Creationism doesn’t challenge science; it denies it!” However, Professor John Bryant, a biologist at the University of Exeter, gave cautious backing to Professor Reiss’s call and agreed creationism should be discussed as an alternative position of the origins of man and earth.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Treating creationism as a “world view” in the classroom seems appropriate. After all, from a metaphysical standpoint you cannot prove you existed yesterday.
Just to be clear: In a science class I would expect a series of detailed lectures about the scientific theory of evolution. I would expect merely a brief discussion about how some folks don't buy it. That's all.
But I imagine that's too threatening for the folks with the materialist world-view.
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Funding should follow the child.
Let parents, teachers, and principals decide these matters privately in the private setting of at private school!
Government should get out of the education business. Government should not **force** creationism or Darwinism or a thousand other non-neutral educational topics on unwilling children.
Finally, there is no such thing as a religiously neutral school! It is axiomatic. For this reason when government is involved in education government will establish the religious worldview of some and trash that of others!
Government schools are a First Amendment and freedom of conscience abomination!
Geocentrism is a worldview, as is scientology.
Teach the controversy.
I hope this guy has tenure. If not he’s toast.
first Palin, now this. PZ Myers must be having a total meltdown right now.
Yup. It doesn’t have to be done in a way that insults Evolution. And Evolution can be taught in a way which doesn’t make fun of religion. But acknowledge both, celebrate diversity, and move on.
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If you were outlining a curriculum for a private school, I would support you. But....Please remember that government schools have the power of police to force children into its indoctrination centers, and have the power to throw citizens in prison if they refuse to pay taxes for them.
What you have suggested above is **not** religiously neutral, and there are plenty of parents who would **strongly** object. There is NO possible way to approach the topic of the origin of life in a religiously neutral manner. No school can. Government schools can’t either.
The solution is to begin the process of privatizing universal K-12 education. Let parents, teachers, and principals decide these matters privately in private settings.
Also....Please remember that evolution/ID/creationism is merely one of thousands of issues upon which there can be no compromise.
Why would he be toast?
I know that open minded liberal atheists are the most tolerant people in the world, and they respect diversity of ideas as a goal unto itself.
/sarc
Oh! Yea! What was I thinking!
Also....Please remember that evolution/ID/creationism is merely one of thousands of issues upon which there can be no compromise.
As an agnostic I could not agree with you more. The best reason to privatize the schools IMO however is simply to get our money's worth. Even the best public schools are little more than mediocre, but they cost as much as elite prep schools.
As a blue collar worker, I have to make serious economic sacrifices to send my daughter to private school. In her case, Catholic school, as they are the best I can afford. To see what kind of value we were getting for our money, my wife and I toured a handful of public schools with the thought that maybe we could save $5500 a year and buy something frivolous like a car with less than 100,000 on the odometer. We only bothered with the highest rated schools in our area and we found that their curriculum was about 1 to 2 years behind that of our daughter's school and their standardized test scores reflected this. They also receive more than twice the money per student as our daughter's school does.
OK Genius, when does your typical public school student in the US even get a shot at taking a "religious studies" class as an elective in their K-12 years? Meanwhile, science and the hideous attendent worldview is a requirment.
This is like telling some one in a whellchair that they could get the second floor of the apartment building by walking up the stairs.
OK Genius, when does your typical public school student in the US even get a shot at taking a "religious studies" class as an elective in their K-12 years? Meanwhile, science and the hideous attendent worldview is a requirment.
This is like telling some one in a whellchair that they could get the second floor of the apartment building by walking up the stairs.
Huzzah! FINALLY Last Thursdayism gets the respect it deserves.
You don’t need to teach creationism, it’s a faith and not a science. Teach evolution as a theory and discuss all sides of the issue, both pro and con. Scientists have turned evolution into a religion.
Professor Reiss, a Church of England clergyman, said: “Just because something lacks scientific support doesn’t seem to me a sufficient reason to omit it from a science lesson.”
I can't wait to hear what he wants to add to the history lesson even though it lacks historical support! And lets ad txt msgng spelng 2 English class, yl were at it!
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