A Backdoor For Atheism?
In this week's Time magazine, the following quote apears in an article about the push for intelligent design (ID) being taught in schools alongside evolution:
"Teaching evidence against evolution is a backdoor way of teaching creationism," says Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education.
I suppose, then, the case could be made that teaching evolution as the only explanation for existence is really a backdoor way of teaching atheism, no? Besides which, Scott's statement seems outrageously defensive: if there is evidence against evolution, why shouldn't that be taught as well? What, truly, is the harm? If evolution is true, it will stand. If not, I would think Scott, and anyone else, would want people to discover the truth. I mean, isn't that what science is all about, at the end of the day?
I am not advocating that public schools start teaching from Genesis 1. All I'm saying is, why should anyone be afraid of raising questions about evolution in the classroom? Don't we want to inspire kids to actually, well, think?
Maybe people are worried that kids will start to believe in God. Why, though? I mean, what makes believing in God worse than believing in nothing at all? I am genuinely, honestly curious about this.
Thoughts, anyone?
"Teaching evidence against evolution is a backdoor way of teaching creationism," says Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education.
I suppose, then, the case could be made that teaching evolution as the only explanation for existence is really a backdoor way of teaching atheism, no? Besides which, Scott's statement seems outrageously defensive: if there is evidence against evolution, why shouldn't that be taught as well? What, truly, is the harm? If evolution is true, it will stand. If not, I would think Scott, and anyone else, would want people to discover the truth. I mean, isn't that what science is all about, at the end of the day?
I am not advocating that public schools start teaching from Genesis 1. All I'm saying is, why should anyone be afraid of raising questions about evolution in the classroom? Don't we want to inspire kids to actually, well, think?
Maybe people are worried that kids will start to believe in God. Why, though? I mean, what makes believing in God worse than believing in nothing at all? I am genuinely, honestly curious about this.
Thoughts, anyone?
posted by grackyfrogg @ 9:00 AM
5 Comments:
At 12:43 PM ,
BeautiPhil said...
on a whim i'm going to post without much thought... oh wait, does that negate your thoughts about us thinking? sorry... hmm, well what I wanted to say was: control. you can't control God, therefore they can't control us if we believe in God. kids who believe in some cold fact are much easier to manipulate don't you think?
person who doesn't want us to believe in God: "billions of years ago the earth was formed, the millions of years ago animals and stuff came about"
kid: "oh, ok. that has absolutely no bearing on my life because it was way back when. I'll just go on with my daily life now..."
as opposed to
person: "maybe there is Something that created us"
kid: "Hmm... if that's true and there is a God, then I believe in it and it has a direct affect on my life. Now where does that lead me from here?"
example A- control, pattern
ex B- LIFE
Ever read 'Brave New World'? science takes over and everyone is a mental slave to it...
At 5:59 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I had two thoughts on this one...
One, I think a lot of people that don't have a belief in God have been burned by the church. Not literally, but you know what I mean, they have had some terrible experience with the church and that to them makes all religion and all things to do with religion tainted by whatever they've experienced in the past. So while you think that it's not a bad thing to teach their children to think, they can't get past the fact that they once thought about it as well and had a bad experience.
More than that though I think is the fact that most people that are not christians think that christianity is dumb. They think that we are the people that are not smart enough to live our lives for us, and so we look to 'the church' to tell us what to do and how to act. Plus, how could anyone be so stupid as to believe that the big bang is not how the universe started. They plain and simply think that they know more than us and that we are dumb. So, when you say, why are they afraid that their children will think, they are saying... what you're offering up is not really thinking or education. It's stupidity wrapped up in religion.
That at least is what I've seen from most non-christians as it relates to their views of christianity, evolution, and christians in general. Sadly.
Becca
At 2:04 AM ,
BeautiPhil said...
true Becca.
The bad experience bit bugs me though. you have bad experiences in every aspect of life. Doesn't everyone get burned in a corperation at sometime? Yet they go back. Love life? There are a very few people in this world who haven't been burned there at least once _and yet they do it again_!
if they really stuck by that mentality, people wouldn't remarry! oi!
the crutch theory is also crock. At least I think it should be. i dunno. i was going to make an argument about people like me and the frogg who do stuff like go overseas and stuff, and how that's much more than just a safty net religion... but then the argument about how we're using our religion to travel could be brought up... and I'm not sure yet how I'd respond.
Paul still was on the ball when he said that we're without excuse because of creation. Honestly I don't understand how New Zealanders aren't all saved. We're not even talking fingerprints or snowflakes or trees, just straight up beauty and mountains and stuff.
anyway... I don't think all those people who totally give their lives on missions use it as a crutch, they give their life away. China, africa, etc... and the athiest people? hmmm, posh jobs and a corner/windowed office...hmmm... crutch!
;-)
At 4:29 AM ,
Anonymous said...
Alot of people believe in God when it is convenient for them to...when they are in trouble, crisis, etc. They mock those that claim to be Christians because they only see those high profile Christians who are hypocrites or make very public transgressions. (affairs, judgements of others, embezzlement and so on) These folks don't understand that Christians aren't perfect, we still make mistakes, cheat, fib, and don't live the way Christ wants us to-like him. All they see is mess-ups and it doesn't fit together neatly and logically.
At 10:57 AM ,
Anonymous said...
deep. i dont think that i will reveal my beliefs here but i do understand your frustrations. the word christian is such a loaded word. how about the term "christ follower"? instead of saying you are a christian , just blow people away with the that. deep.
as far as those over the top t.v. (tbn) people, they are putting themselves in the spot light, of course they are going to be judged. that kind of thing goes along with the fame. with fame comes responsibility. haha
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