David Attenborough joins the campaign against creationism in schools.

[Peanutbuttertuesday]

I've posted before about the issue of religion being taught as fact in schools before. I'd be interested to hear what everyone has to say about this.
Discuss!
www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8769353/David-Attenborough-joins-campaign-against-creationism-in-schools.html

Good Milly yes. I do not understand why we should pretend the idea never existed- fine as "sidenote". I guess sidenote is a word I should have used long ago might have saved all this typing!

Yes Milly I mean music! I am very pregnant and very hot so hopefully I wont be flamed for such a typo!

I think that may be the main issue here, CF. It would seem to most of us that contemporary creationism is an entirely different topic to evolution.

Creationism is, after all, an explanation of how the world came to be. Evolution is is an explanation mostly about what is happening now and involves very little discussion in school about origins - that is a tiny part of the teaching of evolution in school.

I am currently doing work experience in a school that teaches creationism, was when I first heard them saying it. They also want corporal punishment back and are campainging for it.

Is this school an academy sponsored by a right wing evangelical group by any chance? This is what happens when the state gives up control of education to anyone who fancies running a school.

How we define religion/science is irrelevant. The point is both are almost intwined currently- you bring up evolution, you bring up other theories. Just let children be aware of what we are aware of thats all.

You know one day, just one day people might even laugh at those who beleived in evolution. Who knows....

Can't you report the abuse to someone? Anonymously if you feel you would be made to suffer for it.

Again, I go back to the difference between a scientific theory and a story.

No Kat- somethings are explicity linked in our minds- evoloution/ creationsim being one of them. They are both ideas about how we came to be- one is based on science the other on the supernatural.

As a society the two are very closley linked- the article, this discussion is the very evidence you need.

"you bring up evolution, you bring up other theories"

You are still doing it. Evolution is NOT one of a list of theories that includes .

Even most churches are too embarrassed to support creationism now, but it never was a scientific theory. It was always only a myth.

Some things are explicitly linked in our minds- evoloution/ creationsim being one of them.

Indeed, but time and a good education will cure that

Not in my mind they aren't!

My mind is able to distinguish between science and stories. I am also able to understand the fact that the stories were made up by people as a way of explaining what they did not yet know. Science is what we DO know so far. It doesn't claim to be the sum of all knowledge. But it is more that just a story that someone has made up.

Should we be teaching them about Astrology too? That is supernatural and loads of people believe in that!

Should we be teaching them about Astrology too? That is supernatural and loads of people believe in that!

And astrology and stars are 'explicitely linked in our minds', so when schools teach about the stars, the solar system etc, they should also include astrology?

I do think mythic structures are very important to society and that schools should educate students about them. I don't think we should write these things off as not worthy of study within the appropriate context.

I don't think we should write these things off as not worthy of study within the appropriate context.

I agree, as long as it is within the appropriate context and not as an 'alternative' scientic viewpoint/theory.

Yes, the appropriate context. That would be in a lesson on Philosophy (which I think should be taught in secondary school) or RE.

You know one day, just one day people might even laugh at those who beleived in evolution

I doubt it. Even if a better theory arises in due course, the reasons for currently thinking (not believing) that evolution by natural selection are rational in the light of available evidence. Nothing to ridicule there, is there? We don't laugh at the Newtonian theory of light just because it was superceded by Einstein etc etc

You know one day, just one day people might even laugh at those who beleived in evolution

It'll be a very scary day if they do, it will mean we've lapsed back into another Dark Ages..... or Kansas rules the world.

Hmm

"Creationsim and evolution aren't linked yet... Im on this 168 post long thread discussing the very two things together"

Do people not realsie how many theories we have been utterly convinced are correct yet something comes along to disprove it?Disproving a theory hardly equates to "lapsing". Infact the opposite; the theory becomes something new.

Creationsim and evolution aren't linked yet... Im on this 168 post long thread discussing the very two things together

Only because you're about every 4th post, busy trying to link them, when everyone is teling you one is a theory suported by evidence and the other is a myth with no evidence.

OH MY DAYS. WHO CARES ABOUT SCIENCE/MYTH FOR THE LAST TIME

Its psychological link. A link thats debated in many scienctific and religious books/ debates/ articles yada yada

Do you understand word association games? No?

Maybe that will help you if you play one.

Yes but once we have disproved a theory we should be saying that it has been disproved. Not putting it on an equal pedestal with more credible theories which are based on the best evidence we currently have. Once upon a time people believed that the Sun went around the Earth and it was considered heretical to claim otherwise. These days we don't present that as a "valid alternative viewpoint" when discussing the solar system as we know it is not correct.

I care about science/myth. I would like science teachers to be able to get on with teaching science, which is what they are paid to do. Not teaching children about various myths.

Its psychological link. A link thats debated in many scienctific and religious books/ debates/ articles yada yada

Its only debated because numbskulls keep on bringing it up, and then refusing to listen to the rational explanations until they get the fairytale one they want.

"Do people not realise how many theories we have been utterly convinced are correct yet something comes along to disprove it"

You misunderstand how science works.

1. No scientist should be 'utterly convinced a theory is correct'. In religion blind faith is praised, but in science it is rightly despised.

2. The person disproving it is often the person who came up with it. That is the job of science and disproving a theory adds to science in much the same way as proving one. It's not bad news when we disprove one, but a step forward.