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Religion and science: respecting the differences : Comments
By Michael Zimmerman, published 31/5/2010The teachings of most mainstream religions are consistent with evolution.
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When you talk about old fables, are you alluding to the one where the frog turned into a prince via a maiden’s kiss, or the amphibian that turned into a mammal through a distant and mysterious process that similarly no one’s ever witnessed?
But we regress. We can’t finish this line of thought, as you’ve already said that you are finished with discussing this issue with me. Or maybe you haven’t?
A couple of times now you’ve brought up teaching creation in schools. I don’t know of anywhere in Australia where that’s been much of an issue. I know the leading creationist bodies in Australia and America have never been interested in introducing creationism into the public school curriculum. The issue is too delicate or controversial. Public education must be run under a certain amount of consensus. There is nothing to be gained about asking a teacher to teach something that is against their inner convictions. Creationists are not interested in having their ideas floated or flouted by those who don’t care to understand it and would just rubbish it. Most of the little skirmishes in America (usually overblown by the media) were mainly started by the desire of local school boards to be free to at least discuss the issue openly.
Creationism is sometimes raised in the appropriate place. I know there was one public university in Queensland that asked creationist speaker to come each year and present before their medical students for a debate type discussion. When I was a teacher, the senior biology teacher asked me to present some ideas about creation to the seniors. He was not creationist leaning, but wanted the students to be able to deal with controversies (rather than pretend they don’t exist).
Then there is the whole realm of Christian and private education. I know of some Christian schools that are open to creationist ideas. They will wish to make kids aware of both creation and evolution. Senior students would learn important skills of comparative thinking, respectfully comparing and analysing views that are different to their own.