1417 Parents and Science vs. Religion

It's really not that simple, is it? Many parents are angry at all the "social science" baggage that accompanies evolution, which at its core is anti-God, which throws it into teaching religion in the schools. That said, it's not like these same parents don't have other alternatives. There are books, videos, classes at church, sermons from the pulpit (I've never heard such a sermon, but I think they are out there), and intelligent conversations at the dinner table. Yes, it means you'll have to tell the kids not everything they learn at school is true. Yes, it means you will all have to be in the same room together for 10 or 15 minutes. But you can do it. Teach them to ask questions. Teach them to think if the school isn't doing it.

"Nearly 30 years of teaching evolution in Kansas has taught Brad Williamson to expect resistance, but even this veteran of the trenches now has his work cut out for him when students raise their hands. That's because critics of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection are equipping families with books, DVDs, and a list of "10 questions to ask your biology teacher." " Christian Science Monitor

I grew up being taught nothing but evolution. I just can't figure out when there was a golden age of Christian values in education, because I'm 65 and we didn't have it. We may have had more consensus on behavior expectations, but one town I lived in had 1,000 residents, the other 2,800. Most Americans don't live in small towns. I learned it; I passed the tests. We are not going to turn back the clock. I passed all the required college-prep science courses, was in all those honor societies even in grad school. And I never believed a word of it. Even when I was a liberal humanist I could open my eyes and see there was a creator. I maybe didn't believe much of the standard protestant theology, but I certainly knew that much.

I think the parents going after Intelligent Design and Creationism in the schools should turn their efforts to hiring better teachers, offering broader range of courses, reinstating standards for some basics in speaking and writing, and then take care of religion at home and church. Just as you don't think the school should be passing out condoms, many parents don't want your religion passed around either. Let them give their kids birth control if they think it is important, and you take care of the other type of creation.