The Evolution/Creationism debate is an ongoing debate that may seem as if it is a matter of science versus religion, but it can also be seen as a clash of cultures and politics as well. The debate is about what should be taught in schools, evolution, creationism or both. Some want just evolution or just creationism taught. Others think it is fair to teach both, but they are not equal entities: evolution is science; creationism is literature and religion, and religion is not supposed to be taught in public schools based on separation of church and state laws in the Constitution. So if both are taught, should they be taught side by side or in separate classes such as science and literature or English classes? These are the surface aspects of the debate, but the conflict goes much deeper because it concerns the very basis of religious belief for some and causes great distress in those who cannot accept that what they and their ancestors have thought for so long was reality is really mythology.
Some people, even scientists, are able to reconcile evolution and creationism as theory and mythology respectively, but some cannot bring themselves to do that even with the presentation of all the evidence that supports a much longer time span than the Judeo-Christian bible and belief system claims. For hundreds of years before major anthropological studies of fossils and Darwin’s work on the Galapagos Islands yielded the theory of evolution, people believed that the Earth and its inhabitants were created by a divine power. They reasoned this must be so because they had the bible as an authoritative text and there seemed to be evidence of divine design in nature itself. People looked around at natural occurrences such as the seasons. They thought, “What else but a divine creator could design such a perfect system for the sustenance of life?” It did not occur to may of them that they were looking at the results of millions of years of adaptation to the planet’s environment that made nature seem so perfectly designed. Darwin himself studied theology and planned to be a member of the clergy, but he saw something in nature that got him to wondering about the way animals and plants adapted to the environment. When he traveled to the Galapagos Islands and saw the differences in the finches, he understood then the basics of evolution.
However, a large group of mostly Christians, at least that is who evolution troubles most in the United States, refused to take the evidence that Darwin and subsequently thousands of other scientists produced to support the theory of evolution as feasible. Those who oppose evolution cannot reconcile having one common ancestor for all animals that have walked the planet. This is largely because the bible says that humans were created specially and given dominion over the other animals. Many religions and cultures have similar creation myths, but the debate about what should be taught in public schools is hottest in the United States. It is understandable that people would be upset at having their supremacy diminished by a theory. Humans like to think that they are special, but they are just a product of evolution like other animals. Their evolution was just more advanced and/or went in a different direction at critical junctures in evolutionary history.
Another objection creationists have is that evolution is “just a theory,” meaning that theories can be disproved. That is true, but evidence of evolution continues to surface and no evidence disproving it has. This is where Christians often trot out the idea that “humans cannot know the mind of God.” That is true and logical whether one believes in god or not just based on the fact that one cannot know another’s mind ever. This favorite saying of creationists though means that God planted the evidence of evolution so that false believers would be revealed and then true Christians would know who they are and know to avoid them. As irrational as it sounds, that is a method of refuting evolution that creationists have provided many times. The problem begins when creationists (who may not all be Christians) maintain that creationism is as viable a theory as evolution and should be taught alongside evolution in public schools apparently so that students can choose one or the other because it is impossible to believe that beliefs can be held at one time in one person’s mind.
That is why the debate over what should be taught is so controversial. Creationists do not want their children believing that what their religion teaches is not true. It is difficult to explain mythology to children. They do not understand that a story to explain what seems inexplicable at one point in history can still be appreciated as a piece of religious and cultural knowledge at a later point in history. Christians wa
Order this paperThe Evolution/Creationism debate is an ongoing debate that may seem as if it is a matter of science versus religion, but it can also be seen as a clash of cultures and politics as well. The debate is about what should be taught in schools, evolution, creationism or both. Some want just evolution or just creationism taught. Others think it is fair to teach both, but they are not equal entities: evolution is science; creationism is literature and religion, and religion is not supposed to be taught in public schools based on separation of church and state laws in the Constitution. So if both are taught, should they be taught side by side or in separate classes such as science and literature or English classes? These are the surface aspects of the debate, but the conflict goes much deeper because it concerns the very basis of religious belief for some and causes great distress in those who cannot accept that what they and their ancestors have thought for so long was reality is really mythology.
Some people, even scientists, are able to reconcile evolution and creationism as theory and mythology respectively, but some cannot bring themselves to do that even with the presentation of all the evidence that supports a much longer time span than the Judeo-Christian bible and belief system claims. For hundreds of years before major anthropological studies of fossils and Darwin’s work on the Galapagos Islands yielded the theory of evolution, people believed that the Earth and its inhabitants were created by a divine power. They reasoned this must be so because they had the bible as an authoritative text and there seemed to be evidence of divine design in nature itself. People looked around at natural occurrences such as the seasons. They thought, “What else but a divine creator could design such a perfect system for the sustenance of life?” It did not occur to may of them that they were looking at the results of millions of years of adaptation to the planet’s environment that made nature seem so perfectly designed. Darwin himself studied theology and planned to be a member of the clergy, but he saw something in nature that got him to wondering about the way animals and plants adapted to the environment. When he traveled to the Galapagos Islands and saw the differences in the finches, he understood then the basics of evolution.
However, a large group of mostly Christians, at least that is who evolution troubles most in the United States, refused to take the evidence that Darwin and subsequently thousands of other scientists produced to support the theory of evolution as feasible. Those who oppose evolution cannot reconcile having one common ancestor for all animals that have walked the planet. This is largely because the bible says that humans were created specially and given dominion over the other animals. Many religions and cultures have similar creation myths, but the debate about what should be taught in public schools is hottest in the United States. It is understandable that people would be upset at having their supremacy diminished by a theory. Humans like to think that they are special, but they are just a product of evolution like other animals. Their evolution was just more advanced and/or went in a different direction at critical junctures in evolutionary history.
Another objection creationists have is that evolution is “just a theory,” meaning that theories can be disproved. That is true, but evidence of evolution continues to surface and no evidence disproving it has. This is where Christians often trot out the idea that “humans cannot know the mind of God.” That is true and logical whether one believes in god or not just based on the fact that one cannot know another’s mind ever. This favorite saying of creationists though means that God planted the evidence of evolution so that false believers would be revealed and then true Christians would know who they are and know to avoid them. As irrational as it sounds, that is a method of refuting evolution that creationists have provided many times. The problem begins when creationists (who may not all be Christians) maintain that creationism is as viable a theory as evolution and should be taught alongside evolution in public schools apparently so that students can choose one or the other because it is impossible to believe that beliefs can be held at one time in one person’s mind.
That is why the debate over what should be taught is so controversial. Creationists do not want their children believing that what their religion teaches is not true. It is difficult to explain mythology to children. They do not understand that a story to explain what seems inexplicable at one point in history can still be appreciated as a piece of religious and cultural knowledge at a later point in history. Christians wa
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