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0|0|0|||||The Evolution Of Creationism - PART I|alexb||12:43:05|02/04/2005|%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%0D%0AFrom Rethinking Schools%2C Winter%2C 1997%2F98%2C Volume 12%2C Number 2%2C See http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rethinkingschools.org%2Farchive%2F12_02%2Fcreate.shtml%0D%0A-------------------------------------%0D%0ATHIS IS PART I OF TWO PARTS.%0D%0A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%0D%0AThe Evolution Of Creationism%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0ARight-Wing Zealots Attack Science%0D%0A%0D%0ABy Leon Lynn%0D%0A%0D%0AMore than 70 years after the Scopes %22Monkey Trial%2C%22 the scientific theory of evolution is still too hot for some American schools to handle.%0D%0A%0D%0AIn that infamous 1925 case%2C worldwide attention focused on John T. Scopes%2C who was on trial for teaching evolution and breaking a Tennessee law which banned teaching %22any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible.%22 Despite decades of scientific advances supporting evolution since the Scopes trial%2C despite numerous court rulings aimed at protecting science and educators from religious zealotry%2C and despite ever-increasing rhetoric about helping students compete in the modern world by giving them the best possible science education%2C schools all across the country are under pressure to downplay%2C ignore%2C or distort one of the fundamental theories of modern science. In at least some of those schools%2C the pressure is working.%0D%0A%0D%0AWhat%27s more%2C some observers say%2C the pressure is getting worse. Right-wingers and religious fundamentalists have been buoyed by newfound political strength in recent years. They are attacking evolution -- as well as the whole concept of a secular%2C publicly funded school system -- with ever-increasing vigor as they attempt to batter down the U.S. Constitution%27s separation of church and state and stamp their own brand of religion upon school curriculum.%0D%0A%0D%0ACreationists don%27t often win outright victories%3B a court decision or legislative vote eventually stops many anti-evolution proposals. Nonetheless%2C the enemies of evolution often succeed in sending a message to teachers%3A If you value your careers%2C don%27t teach this. And many teachers%2C fearing they%27ll be fired or that their communities will shun them%2C comply.%0D%0A%0D%0AFurthermore%2C in recent years creationists have adopted more sophisticated tactics. In particular%2C they have repackaged creationism to make such beliefs appear as legitimate scientific theory -- which they then argue should be taught in conjunction with evolution.%0D%0A%0D%0AWhat is Evolution%3F%0D%0A%0D%0ASimply put%2C evolution is the scientific theory that all life forms on earth today are descended from a single cell%2C or at most a very few different cells. The diversity we see among species is the result of biological changes that have taken place over many hundreds of millions of years. During that time%2C new variations of plants and animals have appeared%2C through what the National Association of Biology Teachers terms %22an unsupervised%2C impersonal%2C unpredictable%2C and natural process of temporal descent ... .%22 Those new variations best able to adapt -- to find food%2C escape predators%2C protect living space%2C or produce offspring -- survived to pass along their traits to future generations. This is the process that Charles Darwin termed %22natural selection%22 in his seminal 1859 work%2C %22On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.%22%0D%0A%0D%0AThe scientific community attaches great importance to the theory of evolution. The National Association of Biology Teachers says it%27s impossible to provide %22a rational%2C coherent and scientific account%22 of the history and diversity of organisms on earth%2C or to effectively teach cellular and molecular biology%2C without including the principles and mechanisms of evolution. Similarly%2C leading national voices for the reform of science education%2C including the National Science Teachers Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science%2C emphasize the importance of teaching evolution as part of a well-rounded K-12 science curriculum. An NSTA position paper on evolution%2C for example%2C notes that there is %22abundant and consistent evidence from astronomy%2C physics%2C biochemistry%2C geochronology%2C geology%2C biology%2C anthropology%2C and other sciences that evolution has taken place%2C%22 making it an important %22unifying concept for science.%22 Scientific disciplines %22with a historical component%2C such as astronomy%2C geology%2C biology%2C and anthropology%2C cannot be taught with integrity if evolution is not emphasized%2C%22 NSTA concludes.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0AWhat Creationists Believe%0D%0A%0D%0AGenerally%2C there%27s no conflict today between the theory of evolution and the religious beliefs of people who think that a supernatural entity guided the creation of the world. Many scientists and philosophers who accept the validity of evolution are nevertheless devoutly religious. Even Pope John Paul II%2C in a statement released in 1996%2C said that while the Catholic church holds that God created heaven and Earth%2C there is strong scientific evidence to support evolution.%0D%0A%0D%0AIn the realm of U.S. politics and education%2C however%2C the term %22creationist%22 is generally used to refer to people actively pushing a particular%2C fundamentalist Christian religious perspective which rejects the theory of evolution as false. While there are different factions -- some creationists insist that Earth is only a few thousand years old%2C for example%2C while others remain open to the possibility that it%27s much older -- people actively challenging evolution and seeking to promote creationism generally believe that%3A%0D%0A%0D%0A%2A  Life appeared on Earth suddenly%2C in forms similar or identical to those seen today. Humans%2C therefore%2C did not evolve from earlier species.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%2A  All life was designed for certain functions and purposes.%0D%0A%0D%0A%2A  The Bible is an accurate historical record of creation and other events%2C such as the Great Flood. %28Again%2C however%2C there are factional differences. Some creationists insist that the %22creation week%22 was a literal seven-day week%2C while others believe the creation period could have lasted longer.%29%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0AMany creationists also believe that because evolution contradicts their interpretation of the Bible%2C it is therefore anti-God. For example Henry Morris%2C founder of a leading creationist think tank%2C the Institute for Creation Research%2C has written that evolution is dangerous because it leads %22to the notion that each person owns himself%2C and is the master of his own destiny.%22 This%2C he argues%2C is %22contrary to the Bible teaching that man is in rebellion against God.%22 %28See the http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rethinkingschools.org%2Farchive%2F12_02%2Fresourc.shtml article for more information on the Institute for Creation Research.%29%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0AThe Roots of Creationism%0D%0A%0D%0AIn the decades immediately following the publication of Darwin%27s landmark book in 1859%2C colleges began revising their curricula %22to purge religious influences%2C%22 says Gerald R. Skoog%2C a professor of education at Texas Tech University and a past president of the National Science Teachers Association. High schools began following suit around 1900%2C but the process was by no means swift or comprehensive. In 1925 in Dayton%2C TN%2C science teacher John T. Scopes was put on trial for breaking Tennessee%27s law banning the teaching of evolution. The case became an international spectacle because of the appearances%2C and impassioned arguments%2C of lawyer Clarence Darrow on Scopes%27 behalf and political giant William Jennings Bryan in opposition to evolution. Scopes was convicted%2C although his conviction was later dismissed on appeal by the state Supreme Court. The anti-evolution law remained on the books in Tennessee until 1967%2C when it was finally repealed.%0D%0A%0D%0AIn recent decades%2C numerous state and federal court decisions have sought to protect scientists and educators who advocate the teaching of evolution. At the heart of the decisions is the courts%27 view that banning the teaching of evolution is a violation of the U.S. Constitution%27s separation of church and state. Among the more significant decisions%3A%0D%0A%0D%0A%2A  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1968 that an Arkansas law banning the teaching of evolution was unconstitutional. In essence%2C the court held that creationists were attempting to foist a particular religious philosophy in the schools.%0D%0A%2A  In 1981 the Supreme Court rejected a California creationist%27s claim that classroom discussions of evolution infringed on his right%2C and the rights of his children%2C to free exercise of religion.%0D%0A%2A  In 1987%2C the Supreme Court tossed out a Louisiana law that required the teaching of creationism whenever evolution was taught in schools%2C saying the law was an endorsement of religion.%0D%0A%2A  In 1990%2C the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a school district could prohibit a teacher from teaching creationism and that such a prohibition wouldn%27t violate the teacher%27s free-speech rights.%0D%0A%2A  Similarly%2C in 1994 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a teacher%27s First Amendment right to free exercise of religion is not violated by a school-district requirement that teachers include evolution in biology curricula.%0D%0A%2A  In September 1997%2C a U.S. district court in Louisiana struck down as unconstitutional a three-year-old policy in Tangipahoa Parish that required teachers to read a disclaimer before teaching the theory of evolution.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0AEvolution also received a major boost%2C oddly enough%2C from the Soviet Union%27s launch of Sputnik in 1957. Critics of the U.S. education system seized on the launch%2C saying America%27s %22defeat%22 in the space race was due to poor schooling. This issue quickly became part of the national political agenda%2C and schools began putting new emphasis on math and science education.%0D%0A%0D%0ADespite these court decisions%2C however%2C and the resurgence of interest in science education that flowed from the space race%2C evolution remains a popular target in school board meeting rooms%2C legislative halls%2C and courthouses from Virginia to California. The last decade in particular has seen a surge in creationist political activity.%0D%0A------------------------%0D%0ATHIS IS PART I OF TWO PARTS - THE NEXT PART FOLLOWS SHORTLY.%0D%0A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%0D%0A
1|1|0|||||RE%3A The Evolution Of Creationism - PART I|alexb||09:51:20|02/06/2005|Very closely worded article can be found at%0D%0A%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.csicop.org%2Fsb%2F2004-06%2Freality-check.html
2|1|0|||||RE%3A The Evolution Of Creationism - PART I|CrAzY TrAiN||12:44:18|05/09/2007|i%2C myself am a Wiccan. I beleive in reincarnation. Creationalism should not be taught in schools%2C simply because not everyone believes in it. Just like there should not be prayer in school. if students or staff wants to pray%2C they can do it silently. religion should not be in school