While channel flipping in desperation for something mindless to watch I ended up watching a rather stomach churning show about the movement to bring "Scientific Creationism" (or whatever it's being called this week) in to classrooms via the backdoor. That is, Creationism can be taught alongside Evolution IF there's scientific evidence (not proof - science doesn't deal in proofs, math does) supporting a hypothesis. (Creationism isn't a theory because of lack of evidence. It's not even a good hypothesis.) Because the scientific road has evidently proven too perilous for Creationism they're resorting to the old Public Appeal route. They're having school kids demand that Creationism be given equal time next to Evolution, kind of like using children as soldiers in a war. Luckily, the attempt they showed on TV was knocked down.
After my stomach acid settled to a manageable level I thought the cliche of "What's good for the goose is good for the gander." So if the Right-wing religious types want Creationism to be next to Evolution in Science class then it's only fair that if they are to be considered equal that Evolution MUST be taught next to Creationism in Reilgious Schools and in Church services. This could be a tremendous opportunity for Science to spread the scientific method of inquiry, to talk about evidence, replicability, hypotheses and theories, peer review, and critical thinking. Or since the Creationists want their belief taught without the bother of the Scientific Method, the Evolutionists can use the same line of thinking while teaching in Church.
Using Darwin's "The Origin of Species" the Evolutionists can quote, misquote, stretch the meanings of sentences. They can forgo any rational thought and just appeal to people's instincts and emotions. They can endlessly repeat "Darwin wrote it! That proves it!". No need to bother with experimental evidence, they can ask people to believe in Evolution as a matter of Faith. And to detractors they can sneer "Prove us wrong!"
What a great opportunity but why stop there. Certainly every other belief of how we got here would deserve equal time in both the Churches and Schools, opening the door to other views...(see where this can lead?)
Promotion of religion in any form doesn't belong in our Public schools, not in our Pledge, not in our Science classes. That there's not a greater public outcry over the attempts of Creationists to destroy our scholastic system horrifying demonstrates how low our society has sunk in terms of rational and critical thinking. But then again look at what President Bush is doing...and cringe.
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