Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Another step backwards
I notice that Bush has been promoting "intelligent" design, i.e. creationism again. Its really obnoxious to have these kind of backwards ideas presented as credible scientific fact.
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The people of the USA have the right to teach their children anything they want in the schools. Many US cicizens believe in creationism, so it is reasonable of them to teach it to their children. Your authoritarian streak is coming out again. You'd have only 'approved' things taught, with no guessing who'd do the approving.
Creationism is a ridiculous medieval lie. Its not true. Children should be taught stuff based on scientific fact. To suggest that there is any scientific basis for creationism is a lie and anyone who believes it shouldn't be allowed to work with children.
This being my blog, weirdly it holds my opinion about how I think the world should be run. Of course I'm being "authoritarian", that's the point of a blog. I rule the blog, all worship at my feet please!
cruella, you old witch, while I don't disagree with your views on creationism per se;
(a) evolution is not scientific fact, it's theory
(b) creationism isn't true or false, it just doesn't fit the observed data, or other established theories, as well as evolution
(c) Bush was making a point on intelligent design rather than creationism - they're not necessarily the same
(d) there is a place for teaching intelligent design in a religious education course
pip pip
intelligent design isn't being promoted as something to be taught in religious education, but as something to be taught in science class. it has no basis in scientific fact. i have no problem with religious education teachers talking about creationism as something which some religions believe in. it has no place in a science classroom though.
the details of the way in which the evolution of species happened is very much open to debate. evolution though is not something which is really open to debate. we have so much evidence for it that no scientist of any standing would question it.
Creationism is regarded as fact by many people. Those same people fund schools for their children to attend. They expect those schools to do their bidding as they are paying for them. That's democracy. I'd hate to live in a country where an 'authority' could march into the schools and demand that they stop teaching what the people believe to be important. Sounds like some creepy world like Soviet Russia, with pictures of Lenin on every classroom wall.
A majority of people in the UK are atheist or agnostic. Even among religious people in the UK, the majority support the concept of secular education. In the US more than 95% of the population believe that teaching creationism in science classrooms is wrong. My point is about the way that governments are beholden to a religious minority when I believe they should be beholden to the desires of the tax-paying public.
As far as the UK goes, religous schools and religion are not really linked. They are mainly used by middle-class professionals, often public sector, who want a school without yobbish troublemakers but can't afford to go private. It's selection by pushy parents as opposed to selection by 11 plus like we used to have. And if 95% of US citizens have something taught in government schools of which they disapprove, then they can hold their politicians to account for this if they choose. Obviously the 5% who do want creationism taught are more politically active, so good luck to them. If you sit on your backside and do nothing you can't complain if things happen which you don't like.
Erm, well that's why I'm not sitting on my backside - I'm blogging about it and trying to raise awareness and stir up opposition to the plans. Good for me eh?b
Also I went to a C of E school and we most definitely were taught religion as fact, we had assembly every day on a religious theme and a couple of times a term we all went as a school to Eucharist. My parents are both athiests but were forced to pretend to be church-goers so that I could get in to that school. That's not fair in my view.
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