NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Politics of creationism

The politics of creationism currently primarily concerns what should be taught as science in schools, and what is good science.^[1] In the United States, the teaching of biological evolution in the public schools is one significant area of contention, while the teaching of alternatives such as creation science and intelligent design are other aspects of the dispute. In addition, creationists have made inroads in the political realm in the US and other countries.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7] Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For a non-technical introduction to the topic, please see Introduction to evolution. ... Creation science refers to the attempts by creationists (especially those who believe in a young Earth) to use the methods and empirical practices of science to support their side of the creation-evolution controversy. ... Intelligent design (ID) is the concept that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. ...

In the first case, creationists argue that evolution should not be taught because it is bad science or because it is an anti-theist ideology dressed up as science.^[8] Pressure on local school boards and individual teachers has led to de-emphasizing evolution in some public schools, but the teaching of evolution continues to be predominant.^[9] In the second case, concerned parents, educators, scientists, and other interested parties argue that creation science and intelligent design are pseudosciences as well as thinly disguised schemes to introduce religion to the classroom. In the United States, recent court decisions have affirmed this position, consistently barring the introduction of creation science and intelligent design into public science curricula. Theism is the belief in the existence of one or more Gods or deities. ... An ideology is an organized collection of ideas. ... Phrenology is regarded today as a classic example of pseudoscience. ...

Public education in the United States

Evolution and creationism in public education in the United States have been the subjects of often acrimonious contention since the Scopes trial. Locally controlled school boards in regions of the country dominated by creationists have made numerous and varied attempts over the years to undermine evolution and/or promote creationism in public school science classrooms. The legal status of creation and evolution in public education is the subject of a great deal of debate in legal, political, and religious circles, mainly in the United States. ... William Jennings Bryan (seated at left) being interrogated by Clarence Seward Darrow, during the trial of State of Tennessee vs. ...

Those who do not consider creationism to be legitimate science oppose having children taught these beliefs as science, though most do not object to objective discussions about these beliefs in humanities classes, e.g., in a comparative religions course. On the other hand, religious fundamentalists often consider the teaching of evolution as a threat to their beliefs and prerogatives as parents and clergy.

Scientists opposed to the teaching of faith-based origins argue that science and religion are wholly separate realms, and that teaching creationism as science confuses students about the proper nature of science.

Controversy also surfaces frequently in school textbook/curriculum reviews.^[10] Creationists lobby for equal time, Teach the Controversy, or replacement of science curriculum with creation "science" or intelligent design. They allege science textbooks are biased, out of date and contain factual errors. A perennial hot-spot is Kansas, where the school board favors creationism whenever its proponents command a majority. Teach the Controversy is a slogan the Discovery Institute uses to promote intelligent design[1] and advance an education policy for US public schools which introduces creationist explanations for the origin of life to public-school science curricula. ... The Kansas Evolution Hearings were a series of hearings held in Topeka, Kansas May 5 to May 12, 2005 by the Republican-dominated[1] Kansas State Board of Education and its State Board Science Hearing Committee to change how the origin of life would be taught in the states...

Some creationists seek to redefine Constitutional limitations on religious advocacy in public school by lending their support to school voucher programs. They endorse those voucher programs that allow parents to send their children to private religiously-affiliated schools that teach creationism or intelligent design in science classes. Opponents say this violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, but the Supreme Court had not yet ruled decisively on the matter as of 2006. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion Together with the Free Exercise Clause, (or prohibiting the free exercise thereof), these two clauses make up what are commonly known as the religion clauses. ... The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the judicial branch of the United States federal government. ...

Education world-wide

Education in the United Kingdom comes under different systems in its four countries, all of which provide schools with a particular religious ethos as part of the state system alongside essentially secular schools. Both types of schools teach evolution by natural selection in their biology curricula, not creationism. An exception has arisen with the introduction in England of private sponsorship of state schools, known as city academies, which were introduced by Tony Blair’s government in 2000. This has allowed, for example, millionaire car dealer Peter Vardy to introduce the teaching of creationism alongside evolution in city academies accepting sponsorship from his fund, which is called the Emmanuel Schools Foundation.^[11] Diagram illustrating the English, Welsh and Northern Irish state schooling system (does not apply to independent schools) Education in the United Kingdom only gives an overview of the education system in the United Kingdom. ... Constituent countries is a phrase sometimes used, usually by official institutions, in contexts in which a number of countries make up a larger entity or grouping; thus the OECD has used the phrase in reference to the former Yugoslavia (example here) and European institutions such as the Council of Europe... A parochial school (or faith school) is a type of private school which engages in religious education in addition to conventional education. ... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification - by Athelstan AD 927 Area - Total 130,395 kmÂ² (1st in UK) 50,346 sq mi Population - 2006 est. ... State school is an expression used in the United Kingdom and other countries apart from the United States to distinguish schools provided by the government from public schools which are in fact private institutions. ... Mossbourne Community Academy, the controversial successor to Hackney Downs School. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament... Sir Peter Vardy is a successful British businessman from Durham specialising in the automotive retail business. ... The Emmanuel Schools Foundation (previously the Vardy Foundation after its founder, Sir Peter Vardy) intends to set up a total of seven specialist independent schools in the UK under the Governments City Academies Initiative. ...

This resulted in public controversy which drew attention to one private Seventh-day Adventist school and a few private Muslim schools teaching creationism.^[12] Despite protests by scientists, bishops and politicians, the government has so far not prohibited the teaching of creationism or intelligent design as long as National Curriculum guidelines on teaching evolution are met. Independent schools, which teach around 10 per cent of the population, are free to choose what they teach. Further clarification was given after it was found that a group called Truth in Science had distributed DVDs produced in America featuring figures linked to the Discovery Institute to promote Intelligent Design, and claimed that they were being used by 59 schools.^[13] The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) stated that "Neither creationism nor intelligent design are taught as a subject in schools, and are not specified in the science curriculum. The national curriculum for science clearly sets down that pupils should be taught that the fossil record is evidence for evolution, and how variation and selection may lead to evolution or extinction."^[14] Teaching about Intelligent Design Creationism can be included in Religious Education as part of developing an understanding of different beliefs,^[15] including secular humanism.^[16] Seventh-day Adventist Churchs logo The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Christian denomination which, as its name suggests, is best known for its teaching that Saturday, the seventh day of the week, is the Sabbath and that the second advent of Jesus Christ is imminent. ... A Muslim (Arabic: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…, Turkish: MÃ¼slÃ¼man, Persian and Urdu: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…Ø§Ù†, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Intelligent design (ID) is the concept that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. ... The National Curriculum was introduced into England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as a nationwide curriculum for primary and secondary state schools following the Education Reform Act 1988. ... Truth in Science is a United Kingdom organisation which deploys teach the controversy, a strategy to get Intelligent Design, a pseudo-scientific theory of origins, taught alongside evolution in school science lessons. ... The Discovery Institute is a think tank structured as a non-profit foundation, founded in 1990 and based in Seattle, Washington, USA. The stated mission of the organization is to, make a positive vision of the future practical. ... The Department for Education and Skills is a department in the United Kingdom government created in 2001. ... Religious education teaches the doctrines of a religion. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In September 2004, the teaching of evolution in primary schools was briefly banned in Serbia, but the ban was lifted days later after an outcry from scientists and even Serbian Orthodox bishops. The incident led to the resignation of education minister Ljiljana Čolić.[1] Anthem: Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Official languages Serbian written with the Cyrillic alphabet1 Government Republic - President Boris TadiÄ‡ - Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Establishment - Formation 8th century - Independence c. ...

In May 2005, the Netherlands education minister Maria van der Hoeven suggested that discussion of Intelligent design in schools might promote dialogue between religious groups. Widespread opposition from scientists led to proposals for a conference on the plan being dropped.[2]
Maria van der Hoeven (born September 13, 1949 in Meerssen) is a Dutch CDA politician and the current Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands. ... Intelligent design (ID) is the concept that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. ...

In Australia religious education occurs in both private and public schools. In 2005, when the Federal Education Minister, Brendan Nelson, raised the notion of ID being taught in science classes, the public outcry caused the minister to quickly concede that the correct forum for ID, if it were to be taught, is in religious or philosophy classes. "Intelligent design not science: experts"

Turkey, a secular state, has a small creationist movement, initiated after contact with creationists from the USA. However, members of the Turkish scientific community strongly oppose creationism, and only evolution is taught in universities. There is an ongoing debate on including intelligent design in high school text books.[3]

In Pakistan, evolution is no longer taught in universities^{[citation needed]}. However, Pakistan Academy of Sciences is a signatory of IAP Statement on the teaching of evolution dated 21 June 2006, and Urdu translations of various titles on evolutionary theory are widely available[4] for general reading. Pakistan Academy of Sciences was established in 1953. ... June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... (Ø§Ø±Ø¯Ùˆ), historically spelled Ordu, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-Iranian branch, belonging to Indo-European family of languages. ...

Brazilian scientists protested in 2004 when the education department of Rio de Janeiro started teaching creationism in religious education classes. Since then, most Christian colleges have taught evolution as science, while teaching creationism as religion only in special, non-curricular classes. Public schools teach only evolution.[5][6] Location of Rio de Janeiro Coordinates: Country Brazil Region Southeast State Rio de Janeiro - Mayor Cesar Maia (PFL) Area - City 1,260 kmÂ² Population (2005)[1][2] - City 5,613,000 - Density 4,781/kmÂ² - Metro 11,620,000 Time zone UTC-3 (UTC-3) Website: www. ...

In Japan, evolution is taught at all senior high schools (15-18 years of age). The regulation ("Gakushuu shidou youryou") states: "Explain (to the pupils) that the various forms of life on the earth have come to their present forms through evolution. Mention too the examples of evolution and explain the debates and processes that led to the theory of evolution." This means that no educational institutions can be officially run as senior high schools without teaching evolution. However, private schools are free to teach alternative views along with evolution. Creationism can be used as a supporting material in the non-science modules, such as National Language ("Kokugo").

In December 2006, a schoolgirl in St. Petersburg, Russia and her father decided to take the teaching of Darwinism in Russian schools to court. The position of the Russian Ministry of Education supports the theory of evolution. The suit has been backed by representatives of Russian Orthodox Church.[7][8] Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Russian Ministry of Education oversees education and school accreditation in the Russian Federation. ...

In early 2007, it was reported that the National Museums of Kenya is the target of an anti-evolution campaign mounted by Bishop Boniface Adoyo of Nairobi Pentecostal Church (NPC), Christ is the Answer Ministries, representing 35 churches with a total of 6 million members. Adoyo is advocating removal of all hominoid fossils from the museum because he believes "When museums claim that man evolved from apes, they are actually hurting many Christians who believe that God created us". He is also advocating a boycott of museums that display material about man's origin.^[17] The National Museums of Kenya (NMK) is a collection of museums and monuments in Kenya, including the Nairobi Museum Galleries, near Uhuru highway in Nairobi, Kenya. ...

References

Categories: Articles lacking sources from January 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Denialism | Creationism | Debates | Religion and science | Religious controversies George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament... (born September 29, 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... MirosÅ‚aw Orzechowski (born September 28, 1957 in ÅÃ³dÅº) is a Polish politician. ... NCSE may refer to: National Center for Science Education National Council for Science and the Environment North Carolina Stage Ensemble This page expands a four-character combination which might be any or all of: an abbreviation, an acronym, an initialism, a call sign, a word in English, or a word... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... November 27 is the 331st day (332nd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD (or CE) era. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD (or CE) era. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ...