I Love Texas

[Mark]

My favorite was the science teacher at that christian school flatly declare that dinosaurs never lived. They're fossiled remains were created as part of the earth for us.

[Tsukiyumi]

Yeah, I love that one.

"Why would God put a bunch of fake fossils in the ground at all?"

"..."

[Mark]

Well, he needed some kind of defense to back up his claim the earth was only a few thousand years old.

[Tsukiyumi]

Yeah, that's the bullsh*t I was talking about.

[stitch626]

Well, he needed some kind of defense to back up his claim the earth was only a few thousand years old.

Yeah, that gives people who believe in creation a bad rep...

[Sionnach Glic]

Guys, you know that I respect the hell out of ya.....but I have to disagree with you here. Evolution is still a THEORY with as much validity at this point as CREATIONISM. I truly feel that both theories should be presented equally to encourage independant thought.

As soon as one can be PROVEN, they should be carefully treated as such.

Gravity is also a theory, but I doubt many people would dispute its truth. A theory in science is not the same as it is in layman's terms.

To put my own views simply, in a science class they should teach just that - science. Evolution is a scientfic theory, and the best scientific theory to explain the growth and change of organisms through generations. So until another scientific theory comes along to challenge it, it's the one which will be thought.
Creationism is not a scientific theory, thus it should not be thought in a science class. If you want to teach it in a religion class, feel free. But what is thought in a science class should not depend on how many people believe in its truth.

That's pretty much the approach we take over here. Biology textbooks give a description of evolution, what it explains, where the theory came from, and what evidence there is to support it. Neither Creationism nor Intelligent Design are mentioned at all. Go into a religion class, however, and you'll get the rundown on various religions' creation myths.
And I think it's worth pointing out that this is in a private school owned and run by a Christian brotherhood.

Of course, it's also worth pointing out that practically no one over here has ever even heard of Creationism, and if you asked someone what it was they'd just stare blankly at you. Indeed, I don't think I've ever encountered anyone over here in person who denied that evolution of some sort takes place (though I'm sure there are a few around). Despite Ireland's reputation as a rather religious nation, most people tend to assume scientists know what they're talking about when it comes to things beyond their own limit of knowledge..

[Mikey]

That's kind of my point. In America, at least, there is a statistically-signifcant number of people which believes in creationism. Therefore, the existence of the belief of creationism needs to be taught... in a current events/American civ arena. It does NOT need to be taught in a scientific arena, as the whole nature of creationism is to decry science (* - see below.)

As an example: I don't think white supremacism needs to be taught as an ethos; but the existence of same certainly needs to be taught.

(* - that is, creationsim in its most popular conception. I personally believe in a deity which created life, but in a manner which doesn't exclude evolution or ignore the overwhelming evidence in support of natural selection.)

[Sionnach Glic]

Ah, in that case we're in agreement. If something is believed by a lot of people then it should indeed be thought, just not necessarily as science.

[Mikey]

If something is believed by a lot of people then it should indeed be thought

Now, that's kind of a bandwagon idea, no?

[Mark]

[Tyyr]

Creationism is not a scientific theory, thus it should not be thought in a science class. If you want to teach it in a religion class, feel free. But what is thought in a science class should not depend on how many people believe in its truth.

I am in total agreement with this. There's no way you can separate creationism from religion. Given that it's a religious belief it should be taught in a religion class.

As for evolution frankly I think it should be taught honestly, warts and all.

[Mark]

Personally I think we should teach the colinization theory of mine as well.

[Sionnach Glic]

???

If something is believed by a lot of people then it should indeed be thought

Now, that's kind of a bandwagon idea, no?

Yeah, let's just say that there's a damn good reason that I don't teach English.

[kostmayer]

Personally I think we should teach the colinization theory of mine as well.

If we're talking BSG, then you're gonna get religious fights between those whose follow the BSG theory, and those who follow nBSG.

Personally, if Patrick MacNee prefaced one of my classes with "There are those who believe that life out here, started out there...", followed by the BSG theme, I'd believe anything he told me.

[Sionnach Glic]

If we're talking BSG, then you're gonna get religious fights between those whose follow the BSG theory, and those who follow nBSG.

And what of the heathens who follow the 1980 abomination?