Teaching Creationism in school

[StuntNun]

On Friday my DS1 (9) and DS2 (5) both came home with a booklet called The Story of Creation from an external group who have been running a bible club in the school for the past few weeks. This tract has rung alarm bells with myself and DH on both religious and scientific grounds. It gives ideas such as the earth being 6,000 years old, states that the moon 'hangs on nothing' completely neglecting the effect of gravity, says there were dinosaurs on Noah's Ark and describes evolution as impossible. It also talks about original sin, blood sacrifice and the story of Cain and Abel, none of which I regard as being appropriate for Primary School age children.

My oldest son laughed at the 6,000 years old idea because he knows about fossils, but the eight-year-old girl next door is very concerned about original sin. She can't understand why she was born with sin in her heart. I also worry that these dogmatic Creationist statements could lead to a crisis of faith if children take them to heart but then go on to learn about evolution in high school.

We have written a letter to the school asking whether the Principal knew the content of the booklet before it was given out but are not sure of the next action to take, and whether we need to make a complaint to the school, the Board of Governers, the education board or the Department for Education. Does anyone have any advice on how to tackle this subject? We feel that the booklet is completely unsuitable and should not have been given out at school.

I am a Christian children's worker and part of my remit is to visit the local church primary school and get involved in assemblies etc.

I would fully expect to be out of a job if I distributed a booklet like that in school - and even more so if I presented it as "the Truth" (as opposed to "what some people think")

It is a very narrow and literalist interpretation of the creation story. And the vast majority of the Christians I know (including our church leaders) do see Creation as a story, not a pseudo scientific explanation of how the world came into being.

If that's any use.

Creeping, just following up from your post this morning at about 10:44.

I did not say children need to be taught about creationism. I said children need to be taught that other people do not always believe what they believe.

I did not say they need to make up their own mind about creationism. I said they need to question what they are told. Do you believe everything you see on television, or read in a newspaper? Thought not.

Handmade, I totally agree with your clarification. That's not how I read your post, so maybe I misunderstood you.

StuntNun...so, they are telling lies about what 'some people think'; they are telling lies about basic physics; they are even telling lies about what the Bible says (dinosaurs??? Or did they just make that bit up?).

These people need kicking out of the school, and perhaps some corrective RE and science lessons would be in order in case any of the kids swallowed any of this rubbish.

At my DCs school there was an evangelical after school Bible club.
It was completely optional.
I chose NOT to send my kids.

OP chose to send hers and is now blaming the school for her poor decision in supporting this bunch of nutters.
Sorry but if all the parents pulled their kids out the group would fold and the school would carry on.
If other parents are happy with their kids learning that drivel, its not your right to stop them.

Were they upfront about their agenda though? I wouldn't have sent my child to any 'bible club' but I think if there had been one I'd have expected the staff, as a duty of care, to have checked that they weren't opening the doors to extremists.

GRimma
Frankly I used to consider the after school football coach an extremist in his views of the importance of that sport.
Once the school day is over it's Caveat Emptor for parents.

The school do have a responsibility to look into what's going on at after-school clubs which they arrange, even if they aren't actually running them.

If, for example, an after-school 'Politics Club' turned out to be a front for the BNP, then that wouldn't reflect very well on the school, to say the least.

They should be all over complaints such as the OPs - children aren't stupid, but neither should they be exposed to stupidity in the guise of education / 'moral guidance'.

What is the nature of the school's responsibility for after-school clubs?

It's an interesting point.

Public liability Insurance
CRB if unsupervised with children
Rental paid

not much more than that.

We heard back from the school yesterday. The Principal said that she did review the contents of the booklet before it was distributed to the pupils, and that is was entirely in line with the Northern Ireland Curriculum's core syllabus for R.E. She also stated that she assess the suitability of the person presenting the bible club to ascertain whether it provided an opportunity to enhance the curriculum.

Not very happy about this as we had been working on the assumption that she didn't know the contents of the book. Her letter implies that she supports this Creationism agenda which puts us in a difficult position. DH is currently on the warpath and fully prepared to remove the children from the school at this point.

Oh dear Stuntnun.

If the stuff in the booklet is in accordance with NI national curriculum I would asking serious questions further up the chain from the HT.

We did not ' evolve from monkeys' for a start! It's factually incorrect.

It's disingenuous to say this is part of the RE curriculum , surely RE us about looking at different belief systems, in some context ' Christians believe X, Muslims believe Y.

Oh get over it. I too live in NI, its a Christian country and I hate to tell you but A LOT of Christians believe in creationism.

When your kids go to secondary school they will be bombarded with the lies that evolution is a fact, which its not, its a theory.

Oh and what school would DH move them to? Most if not all primary ll NI schools teach this, along with singing Christian songs in assembly.

We used to act out plays based on bible stories!

Evolution is a theory supported by huge amounts of evidence. that is what a school will teach ( if they teach evolution in any detail)

Tangointhenight - do you think it's fine for children to be taught that we evolved from monkeys when we didn't? They are in school remember. That because it's a Christian country children should be taught this dirt of guff?

I don't believe we evolved from monkeys. And I don't believe in evolution, at all. But I will let ny children be taught it because I have no other choice,but when they come home from school I will make sure that they know they don't have to believe it.

Which is what the OP could also do in her case.

they will be bombarded with the lies that evolution is a fact, which its not, its a theory.

yes, its a theory just like gravity is a theory.

You are quite right not to 'believe' in evolution. You only need to believe in unprovables like God.

Hopefully your kids will get a good enough education to understand for themselves the difference between evidence-based science and anything else.

We didn't evolve from monkeys! We share a common ancestor with apes.

"Christians" do not "believe in creationism".
Some members of minority churches do, but evolution as the explanation for the origin of species is supported by both the C of E and the RC church.

People dismiss creationism as a fairy story, some prominent scientists have devoted their lives to prove it possible!

But this isn't a thread for me to debate that, all I'm trying to say is that kids get a whole mixed bag of opinions and they can figure it out for themselves, just because they are taught a bit of creationism doesn't mean they won't get taught evolution down the line.

Tangointhenight - What do you believe then?

Evolution is fact. How it happens is theory.

I'm sorry but all the Christians I know, and thats quite a lot, believe in creationism, hec its there in black and white in genesis, but then again a lot if so calmed Christians pick and choose what suits them from the bible.