No Evolution in Scare Tactics About Teaching Creationism
If it's September, it's time for creationism in schools. That's how some would like it, anyway.I'm beginning to the think that the some who want it this way are the Darwinists. Ever so often we're subjected to the witty headline proclaiming the evolution of creationism. Scientific American doesn't disappoint, trotting out this well worn cliche to top off their tired scare tactic of make-believing that every school in the land is on the verge of a year's worth of teaching Biblical creationism. (Not to mention misrepresenting Sarah Palin.) Of course, no such thing is happening.
The truth is that ...
... the key public policy question today is not whether creationism or intelligent design should be required in classrooms (even the major ID proponents don't want that), but whether scientists, teachers, and students should have the academic freedom to discuss the scientific evidence that challenges Darwin's theory as well as the evidence that supports it. In short, the current public policy debate over the teaching of evolution is about academic freedom and free speech.
Science journals are already filled with debates over whether microevolution can be extrapolated to explain macroevolution, whether random mutations are a true source of major evolutionary innovations, and whether a gradual Darwinian process can account for events in the history of life like the Cambrian explosion some 500 million years ago. If scientists can debate these issues in their science journals, why can't students discuss them in the classroom?
Polls since 2001 have consistently showed that the vast majority of the American public wants to see evolution taught, but taught with full disclosure. Near or more than 70% of Americans want biology teachers to present both the strengths and weaknesses of evolution.