> -----Original Message----- > From: Beth Fleischer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 1:00 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Re: McCain's VP want's Creationism taught in Science Class > > > That's pretty much exactly what I believe, Loathe. > > > > You and I are entitled to our opinions (which I think are correct, of > > course), and we aren't cultists or religious zealots or anything like > > that.....UNLESS we want to teach what we believe as if it were > science. > > > > THAT is where we'd cross the line. > > > Yes, thats exactly it. > > Science is taught in science class. > Religious theories like intelligent design (what loathe described) need > to > be taught in church or by parents, not in public school science class. > Else > we have to teach ALL religious theories and we dont' want to go there.
It maybe surprising but I honestly don't have a problem with teaching the concept of creationism in science class: as long as it's given the scientific weight it deserves. In fact I think it can be very useful. In short saying: "Some people believe that the universe, or certain aspects of it, where created by a supernatural force - a God or Gods" does not bother me. It's absolutely true and doesn't violate Constitutional muster as it's not promoting any specific belief system. However such a discussion should end immediately with an explanation of why such beliefs will not be part of the science class. Something like: "Science can only be concerned with those things that a observable and falsifiable. The supernatural can't be falsified and so isn't considered by science as a discipline. These broad aspects of life and believe are the purview of another discipline, philosophy." This is very much like I was taught in the late eighties. Our entire discussion of "creationism" in science class was respectful and explanatory but still under five minutes long. Such a discussion can be beneficially extended to explain falsifiable premises, predictability, observability, etc. In short I would have high-school students leave with at least two concepts firmly in mind: 1) That science is a defined discipline with specific rules and boundaries and that certain things - no matter how relevant or important to some individuals - simply don't fall within those boundaries. 2) That science is not the only discipline available to explain the universe: that the disciplines of philosophy, theology and others seek to do the same thing and are just as active and respected as science. To be even shorter: let them know why it's not covered in Science class and give them something else to look into. No question is ever wrong, but it can definitely be asked in the wrong place. Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;203748912;27390454;j Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:267675 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
