Rachel Strehlow
Published: September 28, 2005
On August 10, the Kansas State Board of Education made a bold, controversial move to eliminate the theory of evolution from the mandatory school curriculum, causing conflict across the country. Despite their protests, evolutionists had refused to testify before any Kansas committee, refusing to “dignify non-scientific theories” by making an appearance. On the flip side, creationists felt that the decision was a move in the right direction for science.
Intelligent design does not only enjoy support from activists. Soon after the decision was made, President Bush said that the theory of intelligent design, which is the theory that life and the universe are too complex to have “just happened” and must have been designed, should be taught alongside the theory of evolution in public schools. In 2002, the Cobb County, Georgia school board granted a policy stating that “discussion of disputed views of academic subjects is a necessary element of providing a balanced education, including the study of the origin of the species.”
Scientists and astronomers alike have found the theory of intelligent design, to be scientifically plausible. Intelligent design scientists disagree with the idea that earth’s immense variety of species can have risen through random chance evolution, recognizing extreme intricacies in the earth and in life.
Still others argue that evolutionists have an agenda in keeping creationism out of schools. Dr. John D. Morris, a pro-creation activist from the Institute for Creation Research, said that evolutionists have “everything to lose and nothing to gain,” as openness or scientific accountability would threaten their monopoly on education, which has given them both power and money (in the form of textbook revenue).
Evolutionists claim that teaching the creation theory in schools would be imposing religion on students; however, it can be said that teaching evolution as fact is misrepresenting science and history, because evolution is not fact.
Both evolution and creationism are theories. On some level, both require a certain amount of belief, so why should students be ordered what to think and believe on a matter as highly spiritual as the reason for their own existence by requiring them to only study evolution in school? Don’t parents have the right to teach their children about their beliefs without them being ruled out by teachers?
Evolutionists admit that they don’t know where that “big bang” or blob came from or how it came to be. Evolutionary theory is inconsistent at best, shaky and hypothetical at worst. As history has shown us, teaching in absolutes is very dangerous. Teaching that unproven theory is historical fact falls under this category.
Parents have a right to send their children to public schools that don’t completely rule out their God having any part in science while lacking solid evidence to back up the alternative theory.