Since the time of the Scopes Trial people have been furiously debating over whether to teach evolution or creationism in the nation’s schools. Should neither course be taught? Should both courses be taught?
Creationism is based on a biblical interpretation of science that life began 6,000 years ago at God’s order. Evolution is a recent (for the course of human history) and heavily tested scientific theory. Did life begin 6,000 years ago or over 1 billion years ago? Both should be taught in our education system but not in the same classroom.
What do I mean by not in the same classroom? I mean that creationism is along the lines of myth and should be taught in a theology course. Evolution has been and is still being tested with a wide range of evidence confirming its truth. Neither views are scientific law, but Darwin’s theory has more credibility.
Let’s say we took creationism to a laboratory and decided to test this hypothesis. We’ll start by cutting out a man’s rib; better yet, let’s make it 50 men to ensure accuracy. I’ll bet everything I own that no woman will be created, there will just be 50 men recovering from having a rib surgically removed.
What about Noah’s ark? For the sake of argument, let’s propose God created every animal. Then let’s say God ordered Noah to round up two of each and put them on a big, wooden boat.
Sounds convincing until you are living in a beaver dam because termites and woodpeckers destroyed your house. Better yet, how in the world would he have convinced the dinosaurs to hop on board? Welcome to Jurassic Ark.
According to some creationists, man and dinosaur somehow coexisted in the beginning, which for them was roughly 6,000 years ago. In Kentucky there is a creation museum that even has a display of a triceratops with a saddle on its back.
Am I denying the existence of a God? No, I actually believe there is a deity. I just give Him (or Her or It) more credit than creationists do. Man once believed the sun and all the planets revolved around the earth, just like the Bible and Ptolemy said it did. Does evolution truly defy God? If man was created in God’s image that would mean that man is a creator. But man doesn’t always get things right the first time or even the first five thousand times. God would also have had to spend a lot of time tinkering with all these life forms and is bound to make a few major mistakes along the way. Just look at the dodo bird, the wooly mammoth and Donald Trump.
The theory of evolution has been repeatedly tested, the Bible has been repeatedly recited. To simplify the credibility of the theory into a few words: just look at the bones.
In the age before, microscopic diseases were thought to be punishment from God for wickedness. In the age of science, we find the causes of most disease is from bacteria. If only people had bathed regularly, perhaps the bubonic plague would not have been as devastating as it was.
People can study the various strains of unicellular organisms and note the similarity. Then they could work their way up to multi-cellular organisms, then fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
Within each branch you will find a set of very common traits. Within humans you will find a very striking resemblance to apes. Many emotions that would normally be considered human can be found within apes — emotions such as denial, greed, compassion, love, etc. can also be observed among apes.
Does the lack of evidence or testability of creationism mean it should not be taught in our public schools? Of course not, just not in a biology textbook.
I’m in favor of educating our youth on the belief practices of every religion. That would also mean teaching them of Gaia creating the world, the Hindu version of creation, the Asatru creation myths, the Wiccan versions and others.
Nobody can conduct an experiment to see if someone can survive inside of a great fish. Nobody can test whether a man could round up two of each animal and put them on an ark.
Radio carbon dating has found fossils far older than a mere 6,000 years of age. For this reason evolution and creationism should both be taught, but creationism holds no place in the science lab.
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