If we don't teach creation in school, because of other people's beliefs, why teach evolution?

I don't really believe in creation (or evolution), but it just saddens me how people bash on creationists, and don't let them learn creation in school, while it's okay to teach them the [i]theory[/i] of evolution.

I see this as bullshit.

Both sides have no proof that either creation happened nor evolution (thus the [i]theory[/i] of evolution). In my opinion, we should just leave both out completely (or give students an option).

It's not fair to creationists to not be able to learn their beliefs, while other beliefs are forced down their throats. It's just not fair in my opinion.

What do you guys think (and yes, I did get this idea from another person's post about wanting to fight a creationist on their beliefs)?

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QueenOfTheDemonRealm · T

Everybody else is saying this in the comments, so this may sound repetitive, but "Theory" in a scientific context is virtually the same as proven fact. Furthermore, the evidence for evolution is everywhere. From the fossil record, which we know is millions of years old thanks to measuring radioactive decay, to studies showing that we can "force" animals to evolve, providing direct observational evidence. For example, the Belyaev domesticated fox experiment: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/mans-new-best-friend-a-forgotten-russian-experiment-in-fox-domestication/ Essentially, a scientist took several wild foxes, selected the ones that were most docile around humans to breed with each other, and over several generations, they evolved into foxes that acted like and even resembled modern domestic dogs. You can't deny that kind of evidence. That said, I believe people should have the right to believe what they want, even if that belief is flat-out wrong, just so long as said belief is not forced upon others. So one is more than welcome to believe in creationism, even though all evidence indicates it's objectively false. To allow otherwise would be a violation of the United States Constitution's first amendment. But creationism should not be taught in public schools because religion is not meant to be taught in public schools, and creationism is rooted in religion while evolution is rooted in science. Also, if you're going to advocate teaching the Christian creation myth, you should also advocate teaching the creation myth of other religions, such as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, etc. To do otherwise would be hypocritical, especially considering you admit yourself you don't believe in either, as it suggests you're trying to push a specific religious agenda rather than wanting all perspectives to be viewed equally.

BlackBloodDemon · 22-25

@GrammarPolice: Technically, the beliefs of evolution is forced upon others. If I were still a creationist, I wouldn't want to have to sit in a class, and have peers look down at me saying I believe in myths. This goes for anyone who is a creationist or part of any other religion.

I'm currently in biology, and we have been talking about evolution for about 5 [i]months[/i] now. I understand that biology is connected to evolution, but if it's going to take that long to study, they might as well have it as a separate science class. It gets boring talking about the same thing for months.

I also don't have a problem with schools teaching other religious beliefs, because I also think it's important to know them as well; especially if you're religious.

For example:

Let's say you're Jewish, and you're in a debate with an Islamic, what can you say about their arguments to backup your argument? We can't say anything, because we don't study a lot of their information. A lot of people who are religious are against studying other religions. This is because they don't want anyone "converting over," which doesn't have to be the case. What if I just want to learn about the religion? I don't have to believe in it. Take historians, because some of them study past beliefs (ex: the gods of Ancient Egypt). They aren't "converting over."

QueenOfTheDemonRealm · T

But evolution is connected to science, not religion. There's a fundamental difference. Evolution isn't a "belief" like creationism is, it's verifiable fact. Five months does seem like a lot to talk about evolution, as it's really very simple, but on the other hand, evolution is a key part of biology, so you do need to know it to study biology. When I took biology, we spent about 3 months on evolution, but none of the creationists in that class (and there were a handful) complained too much.