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[kelby66]

some argue that Darwin's theory leaves no room for alternate scientific explanations.. also if the the option to explore the theory of creation is not offered... it would be unfair... in not giving the students the right to choose what they want to believe in..the State of Florida is said to vote on this Tuesday... if passed the law would go into effect that teachers would be required as early as sixth grade to teach this subject as a part of the school curriculum...why can't this remain an optional subject? why should it be forced into law?... why can't it remain at the college level when people can "choose" to study this as a matter of freedom of choice? do you think if this law is passed that many parents in support of the theory of "Creation" will remove their children from public schools to religious schools?what's your take?

[Kaiser]

In science, a theory is something that can be tested, but creationism doesn't allow this.  There's no way to set up an experiment to either prove or disprove that a god/intelligent designer/etc created everything.  Regardless, Darwin's theory does leave room for alternative explanations should one or more arise.  For many years, people believed that physical characteristics evolved directly from function(i.e. giraffe necks are long because they were always stretching their necks to eat leaves).  That theory was found not to be the case, so it was abandoned.  If however, someone came up with another testable theory that held up under rigorous examination, it could coexist or even replace Darwin's evolutionary theory. I believe it should be taught in science classes because it's the cornerstone of modern biology.  You can't make something as vital as that optional.  It's not optional to study addition and subtraction, and it's a good thing because then math wouldn't make a lot of sense later on.  On the other hand, creationism has no scientific basis and therefor shouldn't be taught alongside any science.  It would be fine in a religion class, but it has nothing to do with biology.  I suppose if the law is passed, many fundamentalists would remove their children from public schools in favor of a religious education.  And that's fine, but it's going to put them behind their peers in biology at the very least.

[Pasqual]

Would you think that, in a sixth-grade class, Newton's Laws shouldn't be mentioned because God is omnipotent? God IS omnipotent-- i agree with you emotionally, and in fact i will agree with you about that in most discussions(until a discussion of Mortimer Adler's thesis in How to Think about God arises, at which time i might take the opposite view just for the sake of discussion).  but i also assure you that evolution, in its status as a scientific theory,  is considered *better* supported than Newtonian physics, because it hasn't yet been supplanted by a better explanation of the known facts.     People who "argue that Darwin's theory leaves no room for alternate scientific explanations" are not scientists -- scientists don't think that way, by definition.  Creationism is not a scientific theory, because it doesn't predict anything that can be tested.  So, in a class that is mentioning the major scientific theories(and surely sixth grade -- not college! -- is none too early for this survey), a mention of evolution belongs, and a mention of Creationism doesn't.    No one can prevent students from believing in whatever they want to believe in. or whatever their parents have taught them to believe in.  Scientists don't "believe in" science the way creationists believe in God -- scientists just accept, on the basis of evidence, that evolution is better supported than any other explanation of how the diversity of life that we see around us came to be.   Any parent who removes a child from public school over this issue, in my opinion, is committing child abuse, by subjecting the child to an inferior education -- one that that refuses to recognize the evidential support for evolution. LexWordsmith 71 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[link]

Creationism is a religious belief of only certain religions. If the parents of a child want a religious belief taught to their child, they have the option of doing it themselves or sending them to a private school. Today, it seems too many parents want the state to do things they should be doing themselves. If the parents remove their children, it will actually benefit those who stay in public schools, because they will have smaller classes and the resources of the school will have less drain. The result on the children who are only taught the religious viewpoint will be negative, if the child ever wants to work in a field that requires a knowledge of science. Evolution is part of biology. Strict Darwinism is not the current theory. There is evidence that evolution can move in jumps and not just slowly over long periods of time. If you don't believe that animals can change over time, just look at dogs, cats, chickens, cattle, sheep etc. If you don't think plants can change over time, just look at wheat, corn, cotton etc. Religious freedom means you can practice your religion to your heart's content. I does not mean that I have to believe what you do. Forcing your religion on others is not freedom.

[Alberto]

The USA is based, in part, on the rule of separation of Church and State. Creationism is a religious belief of only certain religions. If the parents of a child want a religious belief taught to their child, they have the option of doing it themselves or sending them to a private school. Today, it seems too many parents want the state to do things they should be doing themselves. If the parents remove their children, it will actually benefit those who stay in public schools, because they will have smaller classes and the resources of the school will have less drain. The result on the children who are only taught the religious viewpoint will be negative, if the child ever wants to work in a field that requires a knowledge of science. Evolution is part of biology. Strict Darwinism is not the current theory. There is evidence that evolution can move in jumps and not just slowly over long periods of time. If you don't believe that animals can change over time, just look at dogs, cats, chickens, cattle, sheep etc. If you don't think plants can change over time, just look at wheat, corn, cotton etc. Religious freedom means you can practice your religion to your heart's content. I does not mean that I have to believe what you do. Forcing your religion on others is not freedom. YuLiQigong 71 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.