There's a difference in teaching about religions and a particular faith. I'm all for teaching knowledge of different mythologies in history classes, but I'd keep the religious faith teachings in a church.
I agree with you here. My kids' school actually teaches about Hinduism, Islam, Jewish, Christian, Buddhism, and others. They celebrate holidays and customs from many different cultures as well as religions. It's great! Christians are not the only people who have holidays and cultures out there! They are not the only people who believe in a God. Likewise, they are not the only people who do NOT believe in evolution. I am Christian, and I don't refute evolution. Nor would I want to. But there are many who do.
I understand it IS difficult to scientifically demonstrate evidence of God with the tools we may have at present. I get it. We believers don't really have a leg to stand on scientifically speaking.
The problem comes when the Bible and the Koran and the Vedas say one thing, but scientific theories come in to threaten that. Ideally, there COULD be a way to introduce "controversial" scientific concepts in a way that helps assuage people of faith who may have an issue with it. For example. A text book might read:
"Here is the scientific explanation of evolution. Many scientists stand behind this. Here is why: a, b, c. Here are some scientists who do not subscribe to this theory. Here is why. a, b, c. There is some controversy on the subject because of the following reasons: 1) scientific mumbo jumbo 2) religious mumbo jumbo 3) cultural mumbo jumbo. The evidence supporting evolution seems to be the prevailing evidence over all because of a,b, and c, despite opposing points of view."
The end.
Because that's all it can really ever be at this point--A very strongly supported theory. Science can only, by definition, report things that it can observably measure.
Do I "believe" in evolution? You betcha! I'd be an idiot not to. But it's still a theory by definition. Transitions in fossil record, combined with current observable and recorded trends and changes in species makes me convinced in a form of evolution. Do I think we evolved from amoebas. No. Nope. Apes maybe. Amoebas. No.
I find it interesting that you would believe that humans evolved from apes before amoebas. I am more comfortable believing in the amoebas. Otherwise we have relatives that didn't evolve for some reason sitting in zoos around the world.
"Research bias, also called experimenter bias, is a process where the scientists performing the research influence the results, in order to portray a certain outcome."
I don't know why I couldn't reply to this particular comment, so I reply here. I never said scientists couldn't have biases in their research, and you are right, they can. That still doesn't mean science itself is in any way less reliable tool for observing and studying the world around us.
"Im stupider for having read this."
So you get stupid for reading things. What a great rebuttal.
"I find it interesting that you would believe that humans evolved from apes before amoebas. I am more comfortable believing in the amoebas. Otherwise we have relatives that didn't evolve for some reason sitting in zoos around the world."
All the apes that sit in zoos around the world have evolved from the same ancestor we did".
"Just for the record, I do not refute evolution. I simply point out that many scientists refute certain aspects, implications, and extrapolations of it."
yup..so should everything else. Homeschool
There's a difference in teaching about religions and a particular faith. I'm all for teaching knowledge of different mythologies in history classes, but I'd keep the religious faith teachings in a church.
I agree with you here. My kids' school actually teaches about Hinduism, Islam, Jewish, Christian, Buddhism, and others. They celebrate holidays and customs from many different cultures as well as religions. It's great! Christians are not the only people who have holidays and cultures out there! They are not the only people who believe in a God. Likewise, they are not the only people who do NOT believe in evolution. I am Christian, and I don't refute evolution. Nor would I want to. But there are many who do.
I understand it IS difficult to scientifically demonstrate evidence of God with the tools we may have at present. I get it. We believers don't really have a leg to stand on scientifically speaking.
The problem comes when the Bible and the Koran and the Vedas say one thing, but scientific theories come in to threaten that. Ideally, there COULD be a way to introduce "controversial" scientific concepts in a way that helps assuage people of faith who may have an issue with it. For example. A text book might read:
"Here is the scientific explanation of evolution. Many scientists stand behind this. Here is why: a, b, c. Here are some scientists who do not subscribe to this theory. Here is why. a, b, c. There is some controversy on the subject because of the following reasons: 1) scientific mumbo jumbo 2) religious mumbo jumbo 3) cultural mumbo jumbo. The evidence supporting evolution seems to be the prevailing evidence over all because of a,b, and c, despite opposing points of view."
The end.
Because that's all it can really ever be at this point--A very strongly supported theory. Science can only, by definition, report things that it can observably measure.
Do I "believe" in evolution? You betcha! I'd be an idiot not to. But it's still a theory by definition. Transitions in fossil record, combined with current observable and recorded trends and changes in species makes me convinced in a form of evolution. Do I think we evolved from amoebas. No. Nope. Apes maybe. Amoebas. No.
I find it interesting that you would believe that humans evolved from apes before amoebas. I am more comfortable believing in the amoebas. Otherwise we have relatives that didn't evolve for some reason sitting in zoos around the world.
I don't know why I couldn't reply to this particular comment, so I reply here. I never said scientists couldn't have biases in their research, and you are right, they can. That still doesn't mean science itself is in any way less reliable tool for observing and studying the world around us.
So you get stupid for reading things. What a great rebuttal.
All the apes that sit in zoos around the world have evolved from the same ancestor we did".
I seriously wonder who those scientists are.
This is actually a really good article. I'll give it a closer look. It encapsulates a lot of the popular trend-bucking going on in this arena.