An on-going issue that the American courts have been facing since 1925 in the "Monkey Trial" is whether creationism should be allowed a place in Science classrooms in America. In the "Monkey Trial," teaching Darwin's theory of evolution was disregarding state laws. In 1987, however, the Supreme Court ruled that the teaching of biblical creationism in public schools was illegal because it contradicted the First Amendment guarantee of division between church and state. After this ruling, "intelligent design, a theory that life was created by a higher force rather that evolution but not necessarily by God, came into play. The Americans against creationism in school argue that "intelligent design" is still part of religion, so it should not be taught. Americans who believe that creationism or "intelligent design" should be taught in school along with evolution, claim that they are being deinied of their civil rights when requests to teach an alternative to evolution are denied. So what should the Supreme Court rule? Should "intelligent design" be taught alongside evolution? Sixty-five percent of Americans say it should.
I believe that the Supreme Court should rule in favor of both, "intelligent design" and evolution, being taught in school. For one, they will both be taught as just theories. I firmly believe that one of the duties of public schools is to teach students so that the students can develop their own opinions about life. Teaching just evolution, a theory that contains many gaps in which there is no evidence, is denying students of their civil rights. The theory of evolution with no higher power is only believed by athiest. This being stated, I believe that atheism can be considered a religion or cult because it is an ironic system of beliefs of having no beliefs. So isn't teaching a predominantly athiest theory denying non-athiests of their rights? Evolution is not a fact, so other possibilities/ theories should be taught in the classroom. The only other dominant theory is creationism/intelligent design. Also, I find it interesting that in 1925, the government was against teaching evolution, but after many decades, it was against teaching anything else other than evolution. These facts definitely display how the interpretation of the Constitution is always changing. Is it the Constitution stating that creationism should not be taught in schools alongside with evolution, or is it the way people in this decade are interpretating it?
So, in conclusion, I give all my support to teaching both, evolution and "intelligent design" in classrooms, for only then, will Americans be given their civil right of their freedom of knowledge and opinions.
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This is an excellent article-very well written and thought out. I could not agree with you more. Evolution is JUST a theory and yet many teachers and schools promote it as fact. One argument I've heard is that since Creation cannot be tested in a lab, there is no proof of it occurring...but then, there isn't a way to disprove it, either. In addition, evolution also cannot be recreated in a lab. I think it's wrong that schools should teach it as fact. If anything, they should at least admit it is simply a theory; although, I don't think it has much ground at all.
ReplyDeleteIt saddens me to see how easily we have forgotten what America was founded on. The first book ever printed by the government, I believe, was the Bible. And, in schools, they taught the Ten Commandments and the values of the Bible, which of course is the source of "intelligent design". All throughout our nation's history it is evident that our Forefathers believed in God and creationism. Evolution isn't even an American concept.
If we must have evolution taught in schools, than it should be hand in hand with "intelligent design".