Creationism in public schools: the speech of Jim Strayer humanists of Florida
Creationism and Intelligent Design are based on miracles and superstition. Imagine, teaching miracles in a public school classroom!
Who decides what mathematics, chemistry; physics, and biology is taught in public schools?
Who determines what constitutes science?
There are hundreds of colleges and universities around the world that conduct scientific research. Not one of them, not one, accepts Creationism or Intelligent Design. But there are teachers, principals, superintendents, and school board members who believe that they can decide what science is based on — their religion.
Creationists do not use the scientific method in search for evidence. Instead they attack evolution. And attacking evolution does not prove creationism. That is not how science works, and if they do not understand that, they have no business determining what should be taught in public schools.
When politicians superintendents, principals, and teachers try to get creationism into public schools by attacking evolution it means five things:
1. They do not understand how science works.
2. They have no evidence to support Intelligent Design and Creationism.
3. They want to discredit science and the scientific method.
4. They want opinion to replace evidence.
5. They want their religious beliefs supported, and not seen as myth and superstition.
In September, 2002, Georgia’s Cobb County Board of Education voted to allow alternatives to evolution to be taught in their public schools. An alternative theory would require evidence. Without evidence there is no alternative to replace evolution. By completely disregarding the science established by universities around the world, they have demonstrated that they have no understanding of what a scientific theory is. This intrusion into science teaching is taking place in several states.
The reason that creationists want the battle to be fought in the seventh grade and not at the University level is obvious. It is because Intelligent Design and Creationism fail every scientific test established by scientists everywhere. They get away with teaching pseudoscience in many religious schools and now they want to do the same in public schools. So, youngsters will be exposed to a false premise that they may accept as true science.
The knowledge gained by understanding evolution leads the fight against disease, promotes the development of beneficial new plants, and continually amazes us with new evidence of life millions of years ago. However, under the creation model, there have been no advances in any scientific field because of their work.
What do we get from Creationism in the classroom? Can creationists answer this challenge: where do creationists do “creation science,” and what do we get from their research? Contact all the major research universities, or check them out on the Web. There is no science associated with Intelligent Design or Creationism. None of the defenders have done any scientific research in support of their beliefs. Their writings are seldom submitted to peer-review scientific journals. Instead they expect go to junior high students for approval.
There is no scientific literature in support of Intelligent Design or Creationism. Imagine a teacher giving a student the task of reporting on either, only to find out that there is no resource material available that is based on evidence.
Science relies only on evidence. Evolution is based on vast evidence found in every level of organized life, from the fossil records to DNA. It is based on evidence found in nature dating back billions of years, and from current experiments that test the process by which evolution occurs. It is supported by geology, geography, biology, and chemistry.
Intelligent Design is based on the supernatural, on miracles, and on myth. The folks who want creationism taught are not interested in improving science education, but instead, making science fit into their religion.
Conflicts with religious beliefs are meaningless. To keep up with what the Creationists are up to, check out the National Center For Science Education: www.ncseweb.org
Challenge teachers and school boards who want pseudoscience based on miracles in public schools, and support teachers and school boards who want science based on evidence taught in their schools.
Mr. Strayer may be reached at: Biojims@aol.com
COPYRIGHT 2002 American Atheists Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
