Although many believers think that evolution is compatible with the Bible, many others feel that the account in Genesis must be taken literally and that teaching evolution is an affront to their religious beliefs. Many states and school districts have tried to ban the teaching of evolution (most famously, the state of Tennessee, which prosecuted John Scopes in 1925 for violating its ban), but the Supreme Court ruled in 1968 that the purpose of such bans is religious and cannot be permitted in public schools.
In 1987 the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional Louisiana’s Creationism Act, which forbade the teaching of evolution unless the theory of creation science was also taught. Nonetheless, believers in “intelligent design”—or “creationism”—have continued to insist that creationism should be taught alongside evolution in the classroom.
PROS
In the mid-nineteenth century, Charles Darwin articulated his theory of evolution, which argues that human beings evolved, over the course of millennia, from more primitive animals. This theory conflicts with the account of man’s creation in Genesis, wherein Adam is created by God as the first fully formed human, having no predecessors.
Adam’s creation is the act of an “intelligent designer,” rather than the result of some natural evolutionary process. Although many believers think that evolution is compatible with the Bible, many others feel that the account in Genesis must be taken literally and that teaching evolution is an affront to their religious beliefs.
Many states and school districts have tried to ban the teaching of evolution (most famously, the state of Tennessee, which prosecuted John Scopes in 1925 for violating its ban), but the Supreme Court ruled in 1968 that the purpose of such bans is religious and cannot be permitted in public schools.
In 1987 the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional Louisiana’s Creationism Act, which forbade the teaching of evolution unless the theory of creation science was also taught. Nonetheless, believers in “intelligent design”—or “creationism”—have continued to insist that creationism should be taught alongside evolution in the classroom.
History has shown that scientific theories are often disproved over time; evolution, thus, should not be considered to be an unassailable truth. In the spirit of scientific inquiry and intellectual skepticism, students should be exposed to competing theories.
CONS
In practice, there is no question that the supporters of creationism depend upon one religious tradition—the Judeo-Christian—and upon the account of creation in its sacred texts. Teaching creationism establishes, in effect, only that specific religious tradition, to the detriment of other religions and of nonbelievers.
Teaching creationism in a publicly funded school is clearly a violation of the Constitution. Evolution is a theory that is based on verifiable scientific facts, but creationism is based on the revelations contained in scripture. Creationism cannot be taught as science because it is not consistent with standard scientific procedure. All religions offer a creation story, varying from religion to religion and from culture to culture.
A public school might examine all of these beliefs in the context of a history of ideas course, rather than in a science course. In practice, however, creationists are not interested in exploring different beliefs; they are, rather, committed to putting one religious belief on equal footing with prevailing scientific thinking in the science http://free-educations.blogspot.com/search/label/Classroom
Creationism is not a scientific theory and is not accepted by the scientific community. Schools have a mandate to teach what is currently accepted by the country’s scientists— that is, they must teach evolution, not material from outside the discipline of biology.
Science is morally and religiously neutral. It does not aim to uphold religious beliefs; it does not aim to debunk
religious beliefs. Evolution is not taught as an attack on religion; it is taught as the best scientific explanation of
available facts. Students are free to pursue their own private religious beliefs.
Read More : Creationism In Public Schools
