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Where I went to school in Virginia creationism was never discussed. My science teachers actually taught evolution as staunch fact. Personally I think theories on how the earth came to be should be briefly discussed with no background agenda. The current scientific facts are what should be discussed. Let kids decide for themselves what they want to believe.
I went to school in the Bible Belt and the teachers taught Evolution. Most of the students didn't really care. It wasn't an issue. People are gonna believe what they want in the end.
I went to school in the Bible Belt and the teachers taught Evolution. Most of the students didn't really care. It wasn't an issue. People are gonna believe what they want in the end.
I think that's an element both sides don't seem to want to accept. I think both are basically taking it for granted kids will believe their teachers and whatever they're taught. Possibly because if you're a good student you do learn that school is partly about giving the teacher the answer they want to hear and not necessarily the right answer. (I don't think I fully appreciated that until I was a Junior in High School. Most "learning" I did on my own time, school was about using what you've learned in a way that can please an authority figure or audience. Which is not a mocking statement as I think that's a valuable skill for most people and I'm mostly glad I learned it.) Anyway all that might give a teacher or professor or a parent an unwarranted confidence about their influence.
I think I read that even after getting a degree from a public college half of Americans don't believe in evolution. Obviously they have to fake that they do in order to get certain degrees, but that people can fake it I think is to be expected. And I know the reverse can happen too. I know of a guy who went to High School in the Old South and he could probably fake belief in Creationism as the school desired that. Like I said kids who are halfway intelligent can kind of figure out school is largely about giving answers they want. Kids who are not halfway intelligent likely ignore or forget anything they learn in biology.
Oh good good thanks! See, as I understand it, the rest of the world believes that something like half of America believes creationism is true. So I was wondering what is actually taught.
That's because something like half of all Americans do think Creationism is true, whether or not it's taught in the schools is another matter entirely. The U.S. is far and away the most religious industrialized nation in the world. 73% of Americans believe in a god, versus 38% in the UK, 34% in France and the Netherlands, 31% in Denmark, and 23% in Sweden.
It shouldn't be taught in a Parochial (Catholic/Christian) school's Science class (creationism tends to be pushed at "Christian" schools) because it discredits the legitimacy of the curriculum at those schools.
What an ignorant thing to say. So since learning about science might cause some kids to question the validity of religion, evolution shouldn't be taught in religious private schools? I guess it's gonna suck to be those kids when they grow up and try to go to a decent college.
This whole science vs. religion thing is more of an issue now, mainly used by politicians to divide the public, than it ever was in the past. My mom went to a Catholic high school in the 60's and learned about evolution in her biology class taught by nuns. Even Pope John Paul II believed in evolution. Science didn't exist when the Bible was written, so how could it contain answers to questions relating to science?
That's because something like half of all Americans do think Creationism is true, whether or not it's taught in the schools is another matter entirely. The U.S. is far and away the most religious industrialized nation in the world. 73% of Americans believe in a god, versus 38% in the UK, 34% in France and the Netherlands, 31% in Denmark, and 23% in Sweden.
Belief in God =/= belief in creationism.
While ~70% of Americans believe in god, only about half consider religion important.
While Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina may be teeming with people who think the Earth is 4,000 years old, places like Vermont, Washington, and New York are populated by a not inconsiderable number of frothing Athiests.
You can't make blanket statements about what 'Americans' believe because the country is just to broad and diverse to make such statements.
Saying that Americans are Bible-believing Fundamentalists is like saying that Europeans speak German.
What an ignorant thing to say. So since learning about science might cause some kids to question the validity of religion, evolution shouldn't be taught in religious private schools? I guess it's gonna suck to be those kids when they grow up and try to go to a decent college.
I thought s/he meant Creationism should not be taught in Catholic schools. Others were saying it's "okay in religious schools" and I think s/he was rejecting that. You might be right and I'm wrong though. Which did you mean KerrTown?
While ~70% of Americans believe in god, only about half consider religion important.
While Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina may be teeming with people who think the Earth is 4,000 years old, places like Vermont, Washington, and New York are populated by a not inconsiderable number of frothing Athiests.
You can't make blanket statements about what 'Americans' believe because the country is just to broad and diverse to make such statements.
Saying that Americans are Bible-believing Fundamentalists is like saying that Europeans speak German.
Atheists only make up 14% of the total U.S. population, and, unfortunately we are the minority no matter where we are. VT is the least religious state with atheists comprising 22% of the population, while Seattle is the least religious major city with atheists comprising 25% of the population.
Atheists only make up 14% of the total U.S. population, and, unfortunately we are the minority no matter where we are. VT is the least religious state with atheists comprising 22% of the population, while Seattle is the least religious major city with atheists comprising 25% of the population.
I'd be willing to wager that a lot of self-proclaimed christians are culturally christian but actually agnostic, but in a lot of communities admitting that would reduce one to a pariah so that skews the statistics.
Furthermore, there are a lot of people who show up on statistical charts as 'believers in god' who are, in practice, entirely secular in worldview but maintain some notion that there is a 'god' in a similar way to the Deists. While these people believe in that 'divine watchmaker', their outlook is rationalist and materialist and they could hardly be considered religious, much less christian.
What an ignorant thing to say. So since learning about science might cause some kids to question the validity of religion, evolution shouldn't be taught in religious private schools?
You might want to read the quote that I replied to about Creationism again.
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