Creationism Should Not be Taught in the Public Sphere of Education

Alright, let's get started.In this argument I will be making three major points against the teaching of Creationism in the public sphere of education: Creationism as a Religious BeliefSecularismReligious DiversityCreationism as a Religious Belief What kind of debater would I be without starting out my argument with a fact? More specifically, a definition. cre·a·tion·ism noun \-shə-G6;ni-zəm\ : the belief that God created all things out of nothing as described in the Bible and that therefore the theory of evolution is incorrect [1] Above is the definition of creationism. There are a few important things that require our attention in this definition. First of which: : the belief that God created all things out of nothing as described in the Bible and that therefore the theory of evolution is incorrect Well, now let's take a look at what a belief is... be·lief noun \bə-G2;lēf\ : a feeling of being sure that someone or something exists or that something is true [2] I could show the definition of ‘feeling’ and go my merry way down the line, but I think you get wha I'm trying to say. My point here is that creationism is a belief. Therefore, something that cannot be proven. Yet, there is still disagreement over this matter that there is in fact evidence that creationism exists. Bur even if there was supposed evidence, there'd still be a problem with teaching it in schools. (Before we go too much further, I will say that we’re not here to argue for or against the truth of creationism, merely its presence in public schools. Now for the second bit of creationism definition I would like us to examine.) Now let us examine our second point from the definition of creationism: : the belief that God created all things out of nothing as described in the Bible and that therefore the theory of evolution is incorrect Here's where we get into some dangerous waters. It can be understood that in order to accept creationism as being correct, you must also incorporate religion (specifically Christianity). Which would mean to teach creationism in public schools, you must also explain the aspect of a deity having an intervention in the process. Now you’re incorporating religion into public shools, which brings me to my second point. Secularism The separation of church and state (or sometimes more commonly referred to as secularism) is the concept of keeping religious or church matters separated from the affairs of the state (or government). [3] We can also see that the United States is a secular nation. [4] Which means it is not allowed to formulate a state religion (which there is none), or endorse religion in any way, shape, or form, unless it is in the name of defending the rights of practicing religion. Here’s the problem... Public schools receive funding from the federal government, and are therefore endorsed by the government. This means that public school are only allowed to teach secular ideas to students. Meaning, ideas that are backed by scientific evidence that do not require religion to be true. In other words, religiously neutral. Aw shucks...looks like creationism has got a problem. As we discussed earlier, creationism is an idea based upon belief. It must incorporate God and a religion. So it looks like creationism can’t be taught in secularist, public schools. “But wait!” you might say. “What if we just make it optional to teach creationism in school?” Sorry, that’s a no-go as well. Which brings us to our final point. Religious Diversity If religion were allowed to enter public school, then you would need to fair to all religions. Which by the way, there are at least forty-three (43) that we can identify as being separate, and that’s not counting many native beliefs that were never documented. [5] If religious ideas can be taught in schools, then everyone must be given a fair shot, and be allowed to teach all the different religious stances of creation. And just to name a few: Australian Aborigines Chinese Creation Hindu Creation Muslim Creation Roman Creation Greek Creation Yanomamo Sanema [6] And heck, we might as well educate students on how the Flying Spaghetti Monster came down from Pasta Heaven and served up a juicy planet for us all to live on. But even if we did offer all of these classes, why would we want to? By the time you've paid for teacher's salary, textbooks, and other materials, you've spent a large portion of taxpayer money teaching students on a subject that should be kept in churches. The point to be made here is that it's not the place of the schools to teach creationism, or any other religious idea. Leave that to the churches, that's why they exist. If students are interested enough a creation story, they can look it up on their own or ask the respective religious leader. So...to summarize. My points: Creationism is a religious belief- or rather a belief that requires religion to be true The United States has a secular government, and therefore, separation from Church and State Creationism cannot be taught in school because it is not a secular concept If Creationism was taught in schools then all other religions would have a right to press their beliefs onto students Conclusion: Creationism should not be taught in the public sphere because it has neither the right nor the need to do so. Sources [1]: http://www.merriam-webster.com... [2]: http://www.merriam-webster.com... [3]: http://www.secularism.org.uk... [4]: http://www.nobeliefs.com... [5]: http://www.religionfacts.com... [6]: http://www.innovationslearning.co.uk... http://ancienthistory.about.com...