Keep Creationism Out of Schools

Since the twentieth century, America has made giant leaps in technological advancements and efforts toward science, health, and medicine. We are working toward a more innovative future for our children through the encouragement of knowledge and critical thinking skills. However, in some areas of the United States there are those who try to discredit what modern science has to offer in favor of religious dogma. The most prevalent following is the Christian movement of Creationism. Christians proclaim that all things, from the universe to human life, were created by God. They inherently reject the theory of evolution in favor of an abstract, conceptual interpretation of creation via the book of Genesis. The book of Genesis was handed down from generations and has maintained a pretty steady stronghold since the Middle-Ages only recently diminishing due to the modern study of genetics and evolution. The book of Genesis provides details as to Gods creation of the universe, Earth, Adam and Eve: Genesis: 1:1, 1:2: In the beginning when God created the heavens and the Earth, the Earth was a formless void [] Genesis 1:3, 1:4: Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw that light was good [] Genesis 1.25: 2:7: God formed man from the dust of the ground [] Genesis 3.17:2:21, 2:22: He took one of the ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib the lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man [...] That is just one belief of creationism, though. There are many concepts of creationism in other belief systems and religions. For instance, Hindus are polytheistic (which means belief in many Gods). They believe that the Earth was once an actual god in flesh who created himself, other gods, and humans. Some Muslims deem that if evolution is a fact, that it is the cause of their God. Buddhists believe that the universe and humans were created over time and a spirit took the form of a man and created other human beings. As we can see, those who wish to push Christian creationism into our public schools do not seem to consider students who are immersed in their own cultural and religious backgrounds, making it is quite discourteous and intrusive to students who may hold contrary religious/spiritual beliefs. Evolution is the best possible and universally accepted method in explaining the origin of life on Earth. Physical experimentation in biology, anthropology and genetics explains structural and molecular change. Archaeology provides the physical evidence of fossils. The constant morphing and alternation of energy, cells and amino proteins denotes how complex organisms began evolving and emerging from the oceans - and even studies going further in the universe with nebulae harboring the very elements and proteins abundant on Earth. All life on Earth is the product of uncoordinated events of chemical bonds and biological reactions, coupled with the natural passing down of genetic traits through breeding. Natural selection (or genetic drift) explains how certain organisms survive and adapt longer than others in their current environment. This explains why some species have died out and others have prevailed and/or evolved. What sets religious beliefs and science far apart from each other are three major components of a complete scientific theory: Objective reality (ex: humans are live creatures), educated guess/hypothesis (ex: humans came to be by X and Y), and most importantly, the

mathematical and physical evidence to solidify the hypothesis (ex: fossil records and carbon-14 dating). Therefore, we can already see how things are more reputably explained via the realm of science. Science is a solid step working with facts and evidence to gain a logically structured understanding of things. Creationisms argument of supreme intelligence as a reason leading to our existence is a purely speculative ideology that only follows itself. One cannot ever embellish his or her views with physical evidence because it simply does not encompass any. For example, lets take a look at this rebuttal, taken from an article posted on AnswersinGenesis.org: []The real issue here is not one of proof or disproof, but of spiritual ramifications. If God is the creator, He is also the judge. Evolution allows many people a way to deny Gods authority seeing creation as being disproven helps them ignore the clear signs of a Creator []The Bible isnt a science textbook in the sense that it describes exactly how the laws of the universe function, but it does make a number of statements that touch upon scientific principles. And what it does touch on is factually accurate. Underneath this myth is the assumption by many scientists that only natural (and not supernatural) causes can explain reality. God could not have created, for example, because special creation is denied, not by fieldwork or research, but by biased presuppositions. If the Bible does contain the true history of the universe as inspired by the One who created it, then doing science without a biblical worldview often leads to false or imperfect conclusions. A scientist can make astounding discoveries and not believe Gods Word, but a full understanding of the universe begins with Genesis. What we see here is anything but a scientific argument as a rebuttal to the validity of evolution. The author clearly indicates that faith and spiritual devotion to God is what matters in theory. He/she proclaims that God is the creator, simply because the Bible states it. Where is this connection to science in the book of Genesis that the author is talking about? If the Bible contains an association to real science, then wouldnt it be a universal truth amongst all creationists? For instance, we know that Einsteins General Theory of Relativity contains the standard equation of E=MC^2 and this equation marks the very basis of the laws of physics. What is the Christian scientific standard of creationism? The author uses a weak, argumentative implication where creationism is only entertained as a sole metaphysic and philosophy. His means is not very useful in providing concrete answers to human origins. Abstract stipulations are neither solely true nor are they strictly limited; hence, they cannot be strictly defined. Evolution provides irrefutable facts and evidence that can be defined in order for it to prevail significantly over accounts in Holy Scriptures. Nevertheless, creationists exert a very apparent motive for control. An attack on evolution goes back to last century. On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin, was the first innovative publication regarding physical evidence supporting evolution. The book was banned in the United States in the 1920s at the hands of a Christian movement. This led to the eventual banishment of teaching evolution in public schools. Granted, Darwin had some discrepancies in his theories; however, he had put us on the right track to human evolution and inspired the founding fathers of genetics and DNA analysis; namely, Watson and Crick who discovered the first DNA molecule and thus dubbed evolution as irrefutable fact. Shockingly, evolution did not actually become popular in the United States until the latter end of the mid-twentieth century, with Epperson v. Arkansas, in 1968. The catalyst that shut down the abolishment of evolution in

public schools was the First Amendment of the US Constitutions Establishment Clause (i.e.: Separation of Church and State): Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances This law protects the right to ones own religious beliefs. It allows for the church to freely practice in its own environment without the state treading on religious practice and without religious practice treading on state. The creationist movement continued several assaults on evolution in public schools. In the 1980s, creationists attempted to force their way into the Arkansas and Louisiana public school systems. In 2005, Tammy Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, creationism enforcement came back for another attack. It was the first case to reach the Federal courts. Another protest in 2005 was made in the Cobb County School District, in Georgia; Selman v. Cobb County School District. The sticker, as read below, was placed inside the covers of all biology textbooks in the schools. The stickers lead to an outrage in the community and a rigorous trial: This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered. Thankfully, all of the above-mentioned trials were considered a promotion of religious interests in public schools and thus prohibited by the courts. Its unfathomable that creationists would suggest that students should think critically about the theory of evolution, but they do not cite a more plausible theory one should be comparing it to. As mentioned previously, faith does not make correct and is therefore no match for physical evidence. Trial and error, hypothesis and experimentation are why schools advocate evolution. Critical thinking does not come from what religion dictates; Christian creationists expect pure belief, while absurdly attaching the label of science to it, rather than actually practicing science by utilizing resources and evidence to support its disposition. Therefore, elements of the Christian faith are not what our students should be learning in public schools. It is illegal and it is not science. Belief belongs in church, at home, private schools, etc. as a separate religious discipline. Remember, the suppression of freedom and technological advancements under Christianity plagued the Middle-Ages. The inquisitions promoted the banning, confiscation and burning of books filled with heretical science and mathematics, that later turned out to be the very laws of planetary motion, the nature/inter-workings of the moon and sun (Copernicus and Galileo). Do we really want to make an example of these times again?

Sources: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments, New Revised Standard Version, New York, Oxford University Press Date unknown ReligiousTolerance.org, Beliefs of World Religion, Beliefs by Religion, 1995 http://www.religioustolerance.org/ev_denom2.htm AnswersinGenesis.org,Top Ten Myths About Creation, 2009 http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/topten/myths-about-creation#paginateTop Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Religious Grounds, by Margaret Bald and Ken Wachsberger, 1998 Oyez, US Supreme Court Media http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1968/1968_7/ - Date unknown http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_effect_of_evolutionary_theory, last modified on 4 October 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_intelligent_design, last modified on 6 November 2009 Judge Nixes Evolution Textbook Stickers, Associated Press, 2005 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ID/6822028/ <Photo 2>