Don’t paint everyone with the same brush. I knew that that’s an urban legend as does my favorite Creationism research org, Answers in Genesis.

Posted by Hans Mast on 18 August 2005 @ 5pm

“Creationism research”?
How do you conduct creationism research?
That’s like having an evolutionary faith org.

Category conflict.

Posted by Josh Chernila on 19 August 2005 @ 2pm

Wait, you think that kids will be stupid all because there could be some confusion stemming from the creation-evolution debate? This is one issue. I know evolutionists take just as strong a stand on this topic as creationists, but I think it is a gross overgeneralization to say that children will suffer that much because of it.

And Josh Chernila, to a certain extent, evolution does require faith. You have to believe that science is infalible, or that there is always a scientific answer to a question or conflict based on the presented evidence. Is there absolute proof for evolution? Of course not, just like with traditional faiths; with any doubt that may exist, at least some faith is needed. You may not “worship” evolution, but you certainly hold it as a standard above others.

Posted by CR UVa on 19 August 2005 @ 3pm

Evolution doesn’t require faith, it requires skepticism as to the origin of the universe,
and the origin of life. It requires that you ask questions.

As for the last billion years or so, there’s no faith involved. It’s just a lot of questions
that have been answered, requestioned and the origional answers confirmed. Get yourself a fossil
and a carbon dating kit and then come back and talk to me about faith.

The difference is that if you question a scientific result, science says “come and test this, try it, if it doesn’t work, find another explaination”, meanwhile if you question a creationist result, you get
“Tempt not the Lord thy God!”!

Where evolution demands that you ask questions, creationism demands that you
refrain from asking questions.

Teaching kids not to ask questions by forcing them to accept evolution in school is the next step
on the deathmarch towards abject ignorance and a class-stratified America.

We threw all this stuff of in the Renaissance and then in the Reformation and then in the
Enlightenment and capped it with American Revolution.

How can you defend such ignorance with a straight face?

And to answer your question: Yes, I do hold the standard of asking questions over the standard
of being told to sit down and shut up. Judging from your strong opinions here and elsewhere around
Virginia’s blogsphere, I’d hazard that you fiercely agree with me.

Posted by Josh Chernila on 19 August 2005 @ 4pm

Questioning is an important part of any type of developmental process, whether it is educational, personal, or (possible oxymoron) government planning. Not questioning, and not learning critical thinking skills, is a problem, with or without the religious component.

I have a friend that works as a microbiologist. She tells me that the newer workers in the lab - university graduates, mind you - have a serious problem: they can’t extrapolate from what they know to handle knew situations. That is, they can run the tests they’ve been taught, exactly as they’ve been taught, but they can’t compensate for any variable that differs from a ’standard recipe.’

Gee, that sounds a lot like results you might get teaching the SOLs, doesn’t it? If I’m not careful, I’m going to start criticing GW’s NCLB … Back to religion, education and questioning.

Too many times, people react to questions that impact their beliefs in the manner prescribed by Bounds:

All questioning must be watched against and eschewed…. Faith must assert itself and bid these foes to prayer depart.

I can’t help but think that a (religious) faith that has to be fortified against questions must be a pretty puny faith. Belief, religious or otherwise, that doesn’t allow questioning can only lead to stunted development, stagnant understanding and empty (if vehement) rhetoric.

Sometimes, maybe, Jesus would let the air out of someone’s tires…. (http://www.radioessays.com/essays/wwjd/)

Posted by Richard Hubbard on 19 August 2005 @ 11pm

Wait, you think that kids will be stupid all because there could be some confusion stemming from the creation-evolution debate?

No, kids will be stupid because they’re being taught that fossils were planted in the ground by Satan in order to make us doubt the divinity of Christ, that dinosaurs ate cavemen, and that empirical evidence, verified thousands of times through the scientific method, can be rejected due to “beliefs.”

There’s a war on between facts and supernatural fantasy. Creationism/evolution is just the opening salvo. Teach supernatural powers in church. Teach facts in school.

Posted by Waldo Jaquith on 21 August 2005 @ 10am

Oh, I almost forgot to restate my thesis, which perhaps was not clear: I think that kids will be stupid because they’re told that Earth stopped orbiting the sun a couple of times. That’s completely insane. It’s pure bullshit, credited to NASA as a bald-faced lie to help prop up the fact that it’s clearly a lie.

So long as repeating fables as science qualifies as teaching science itself, we are, in fact, screwed.

Posted by Waldo Jaquith on 21 August 2005 @ 2pm

No, kids will be stupid because they’re being taught that fossils were planted in the ground by Satan in order to make us doubt the divinity of Christ, that dinosaurs ate cavemen, and that empirical evidence, verified thousands of times through the scientific method, can be rejected due to “beliefs.”

For the record, I don’t agree with any of that stuff.

Posted by Hans Mast on 22 August 2005 @ 5pm