[quote]Sloth wrote:
So is support of teaching evolution in public schools, to a captive audience, partly dependent on the hope that it erodes religious thought? Or, to simply teach evolution? Some of the language here, and the atheist ‘authorities’ evoked, suggests the former. Firstly, anyone holding that scripture was not meant to transmit facts/theories of nature is ‘immune.’ That theological/moral understandings are transmitted originally to an audience who wouldn’t even know what a cell was, much less understand evolution from a first cell(s). Instead, using a cosmology familiar to the audience these concepts are deposited with. Forget evolution. I’ve known as a small child that there weren’t gates in the ‘dome’ above to let the waters (rain) pass through.
So, while I have no problem with evolution personally, the arrogant misuse of science as a hammer, to pound away at the religious thought of citizens (as a side ‘benefit’) via their children, through the compulsory nature of the public school system, turns me off to the ‘cause.’ And the secret? Believing in evolution, or not, has no bearing on the vast majority of careers. The evangelical doctor doesn’t need it. The evangelical small business man doesn’t need it. Actuaries don’t need it. Accountants. Engineers don’t need it. An evangelical chemistry professor needn’t speak once to it in order to deliver a rock solid chemistry education.
Again, Dawkingelicals and Hitcherites salivating over a potential one size fits all edict on this issue irks me. Also, I find the overstating of the importance of teaching evolution to every child, silly. There are very few avenues, career and academic, where I’d agree knowledge of the subject is critical (much less outright acceptance).
But, tell ya what, end the public school system as we know it. Perhaps use vouchers or some such. Us Catholics will have kids learning about evolution in one period, and attending mass during another. Atheistic/secular schools can teach evolution in one period, and then maybe pass out contraceptives in the next. And evangelicals can do whatever they like. Problem solved, and I didn’t even charge the tax payer.
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So many kids leave school being so exceedingly bad at the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic (functionally illiterate almost)that yes, there are probably many other issues that take priority in regards to schooling before the evolution/creatonism debate.
But for better or worse, the ‘where do we come from’ question is so basic to us as (sometimes) thinking beings that it’s impossible to avoid, especially with hopefully curious young minds.
Of course private education that serves the parent’s wants is the answer to it. In public schools, the correct answer to the question “Does god exist?” or all religious questions is : Ask your parents. A school should not be an indoctrination factory, in a perfect world. But in reality , for both sides , that’s what they are. Because once you have the children, you have the next generations in your camp.
