Evolution Being Taught in Schools

The question as to whether or not creationism should be taught in public schools is a very emotional and complex question. It can be looked at from several different angles, its validity being one of them. Despite the lack of evidence to support the fundamentalist idea of creationism, that in itself is not enough to warrant its exclusion from the curriculum of public schools in the United States. The question is far more involved and complex.

In the film Judgement Day: Intelligent Design on Trial, a small, rural town in Dover, Pennsylvania is being analyzed for its Kitzmiller vs. Dover court case. Dover is a school district in Pennsylvania whose school board argued that their students should be aware of Intelligent Design as an alternative to teaching Darwinism. There are several arguments being discussed throughout this documentary. The most expressed argument is whether not Intelligent Design should be taught in schools. Some other prevailing arguments are the belief that Intelligent Design and creationism are the same thing, the argument that evolution is neutral to religion, and the argument that evolution should not be questioned no matter what. Questions such as these captivate the mind and makes people wonder what the real truth is.

The argument has been going on for years and years. Should schools be allowed to teach evolution without teaching creationism? The courts have ruled, the answer is no, the theory of creationism cannot be included in a public school’s academic curriculum. With the court’s decision, it has been made clear there is no place for faith based theories to be taught in our public schools. What if there was a different approach that took God out of the equation? Public high schools should allow a course in intelligent design to be included in the curriculum as a way of teaching both evolution and creationism without violating the separation of church and state. This is certainly easier said than done.

In the United States, the theory of evolution and creationism has been strictly debated as far as which method if any should be taught in science classes across the globe. How was the earth created? Where did humans come from? These are questions that arise in most science classes. Many students require an explanation to why humans exist. There are those who would oppose evolution, and there are those who oppose creationism. Is there a significant difference between these methods? Several states have passed regulations that allow schools to teach both methods. The Louisiana Science Education Act, in particular, is an extremely controversial debate. The act allows teachers to teach adscititious materials in the classroom. Many opponents are looking to repeal this law. The Louisiana Science Education Act should not be repealed as it allows the student to engage in critical thinking skills, acknowledge both theories and ultimately decide which theory they believe in.

Vanessa Alacantar was a high school student who wrote an argumentative essay entitled “Why creationism should be taught in schools.” As can be ascertained from the title, the author’s position is that the theory of creation should be taught in schools alongside evolutionary studies. She writes the essay with a sure and almost condescending tone, making certain claims out of context in addition to using faulty logic in what I personally see as an attempt to confuse the reader about the view opposite her own.

The objection to evolutionary theory and it's teaching began well over 100 years ago. Charles Darwin proposed in 1859 that populations of organisms underwent evolution through a process known as natural selection. Three years prior to the publication of this theory, in 1856, he wrote of "creationists" in a personal correspondence (Darwin, 1856). The notion that scientific theory conflicts with and rejects religious dogma has been a persistent, pervasive one. Religious organizations continue to push for the acceptance of creationism or intelligent design in school today. Despite the numerous legal cases brought to forth to force the teaching of creationism in public schools, we of the school board maintain that creationism has no place within our schools.

What is the difference between belief and ethics? Where is the line drawn between faith and law? This is the debate fought by creationists and those who recognize evolution as true. The argument has been thrown back and forth for years. But, the real question is, should intelligent design be taught in public schools? In America, creationists believe that the world was created by a god, the majority of which is made up of Christians, are usually the the people that believe in intelligent design. This Christian theory states that all life on earth, and the earth itself, was created by an intelligent designer or god in their present form. There are variations in belief including “Young Earth Theory,”

Across America people continue to debate about whether the theory of evolution should be taught in schools. In the year 1925, a trial was held in Tennessee in which a substitute teacher was being tried for teaching human evolution in a state funded school. The man, John Scopes, was found guilty and fined, but this brought about a question that has plagued the country for years. Should teachers in public schools teach about human evolution, and if so how does this interfere with the religious side of people’s beliefs? Although many people believe that it is beneficial for evolution to be taught in schools, it is not necessary at all.

This shows that the theory is shaky and the theory that the education system rely on is solely based on opinion. As what happened before and after they set to rely their beliefs on the evolution theory, the opinion of the scientific community with regard to theories has a great propensity to change with time. An American molecular biologist, Wells (2009) said that “Darwinism is false, it persists in spite of the evidence, and the eagerness of Darwin and his followers to defend it with theological arguments about creation and design suggests that its persistence has nothing to do with science at all.” Even the science community have doubts and criticism, so why wouldn’t the education system let the students to be informed and balanced by the appearance of two controversial theory rather than only one. Maybe the educators need some support from the community that have their children at

This does not mean, however, that we take every bit of information we come across. All things being equal, we should take the piece of the puzzle of knowledge to fit, and mold, our thoughts, views, values, and beliefs into our individual outlook. Evolution is a part of science that demonstrates key mechanics that are not only used in evolution, but also can be applied to all sides of science. It will help students see the possibilities of the world, and help puzzlement questions (i.e. the blue jay vs. the crow) that humans have faced since the origins of cognitive thought. There is something to be said about how the principles of evolution embrace other scientific ranks that help to answer the many questions of the universe. Despite concerns of religious freedom, it must be known that evolution is not one minded, nor is it an instrument to attack other ways of thinking. In life, we all have to take, and pick, what we want from our world. This is why debates and controversy exists in our daily lives. It is clear that evolution is not only a should in our public schools, but a need as we try to develop clear minded, intelligent, bright, and tenacious minds of the

Another reason evolution should not be taught in schools is that it disclaims scientific laws that are already established as being true. John Morris who earned his Doctorate in Geological Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and is the current president of the ICR; stated in his article titled, Should the Public Schools Teach Creation that, “evolution flies in the face of established scientific law, including the second law of thermodynamics, the law of cause and effect, and the law of biogenesis, as well as not being harmonious with observed data. Fossil gaps are real, there are limits on genetic variability, favorable mutations are essentially non-existent, etc” (John Morris). The first scientific law the quote talks about is the Second Law of

I feel that both evolution and Creationism should be taught in public schools. Evolution should be taught in biology class as a scientific concept and Creationism should be taught in history along with religion. Children should be educated on both topics because knowledge will help them develop their own beliefs rather than just going along with what other people may believe. Teachers should be able to teach about evolution and Creation without giving their own personal bias.

Teaching Creationism or Intelligent Design to our youth can be done in a way that is neither opinion based nor completely fact based, but may hold some risk of personal interpretation. The first thing needed to be considered is how can children of the middle school age range grasp such a deep subject and have the capacity to reach their own conclusion. Information found regarding the development of children in this developmental range was found in the book titled "Characteristics of Middle Grade Students,” Caught in the Middle by the Sacramento Department of Education. It was found that students of this age hold a variety of learning attributes that support the belief that children can handle both sides of this controversial issue. Some

Public schools are a place to learn proven facts and some very well—known and accepted theories. These schools have been led this way for a long time and show no signs of changing. Many states around the country have rejected the teaching of creationism in public schools, since the subject is so controversial among teachers and parents. In Ohio, a bill to develop new science content standards was not successfully passed. Many creationists were upset when they discovered that the first drafts of the standards were filled with evolutionary content, without any allowance for alternative explanations of life’s origins. In the uproar, the state board held a special meeting to investigate the process that the writing team and advisory committee used to draft the science standards (Matthews, Answering Genesis). This is why learning the facts about evolution should be taught at school. By doing this, there would be much less confrontation between teachers, students, and parents. If one has the desire to learn about creationism or any other beliefs of how the world came to be, one should learn it at a place outside of school, such as church or at home.

Recently, in Georgia, the persisting question 'does evolution have a place in our schools?' was again brought up. The state wants to remove the theory of evolution from the curriculum. The children would still be taught mathematical theorems, classical literature, chemistry, and biology; but the teachers would be depriving them of a scientifically accepted theory of how the world began. The children cannot be made to believe anything that they do not want to, therefore teaching them the valuable philosophy of evolution would help to expand their minds, rather than shrink them. Evolution as a science is particularly beneficial. Most young children, stereotypically boys, are very much into playing with