Creationism In Biology Curriculum

I would like to begin by thanking MagicAintReal for proposing an intriguing debate topic. I shall endeavor to conduct this debate in the highest form of civility and I wish MagicAintReal good luck. I am looking forward to his arguments. C1 R1: The primary reason that Creationism is not taught in US public today is that its proponents have not succeeded in creating an argument for their position that is not permeated with religion. Consequently, Creationism has become an extension of religion (Christianity in America). Over the past century, the separation of church and state become much more important in the eyes of the American people. Most of them do not want their government "indoctrinating" their kids on a specific religion, especially when their kids are in the stage where their education will leave permanent effects on them. Because Creationism has always been linked to Christianity and its proponents have been unable to teach it without making it a religious issue, it has been banished from the US public school system. However, Creationism can be taught in the public schools without advocating for a certain religion. For example, here is what I would write if I was assigned to develop a textbook to teach biology or another science to kids in the US public school system: "Two major theories exist for the foundation and development of our universe: the theory of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin in 1859 and the theory of Creationism. The theory of evolution states that the universe and all species of organisms arose and were developed through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increased their ability to survive and reproduce. The theory of Creationism states that the universe and everything in it was created by a supernatural being. However, it also incorporates some principles of evolution, specifically microevolution (changes in allele frequencies), to explain changes in the characteristics of species over times, but it does not accept the principle of macroevolution (evolution of separated gene pools). The theory of Creationism is primarily based on religious accounts of the universe while the theory of evolution is based primarily on the work and observations of Charles Darwin and scientists who came after him." If you read the previous paragraph, you will see that there is no mention of a specific religion in it at all. Creationism can be taught in the US public schools as a scientific theory, open for question just like every other scientific theory regarding the foundation of the world should be. If one teaches Creationism as part of a religion, it limits the ability of students to challenge it on scientific grounds. Consequently, Creationism should be given equal time in the biology curriculum in US public schools only if it is presented solely as a scientific theory. C2 R1: Evolution might be the generally accepted view of the foundation of the universe by the scientific community; however, every theory is subject to the scientific method. The foundational law of science lies in the scientific method. We can never know something for absolute certainty. There can always be variables that we don"t see at first. Other individuals will conduct experiments on our conclusions to determine if our conclusions hold up under different variables. Rochester University provides the following information on the scientific method: "The scientific method is the process by which scientists, collectively and over time, endeavor to construct an accurate (that is, reliable, consistent and non-arbitrary) representation of the world" (http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu...). The four steps of the scientific method (retrieved from the same source, Rochester University) are listed below: 1. Observation and description of a phenomenon or group of phenomena. 2. Formulation of an hypothesis to explain the phenomena. In physics, the hypothesis often takes the form of a causal mechanism or a mathematical relation. 3. Use of the hypothesis to predict the existence of other phenomena, or to predict quantitatively the results of new observations. 4. Performance of experimental tests of the predictions by several independent experimenters and properly performed experiments. When the theory of evolution and the theory of Creationism are subjected to the scientific method, both theories have flaws in them that are explained by characteristics of the other theory. Consequently, it would be most beneficial to students in the US public school system to be taught both theories. The whole objective of science is to obtain the most complete picture of the universe. By not learning Creationism in the US public school system, students are not being given a complete picture of the universe. Conclusion: Scientific theories are always open for challenge. In the fundamental stages of education, students must learn the use of the scientific method. It is hard to find a clearer cut subject than the comparison of evolution and creationism. The separation of church and state is an established principle in US society today. However, this principle should not be utilized to hinder an honest and scientific presentation of evolution and creationism in the public school system. Therefore, my arguments in this round for the inclusion of creationism in the biology curriculum for US school system specifically state that Creationism can be taught without the extensive mention of religion (Christianity or any other religion) and that teaching Creationism is required by the principles of the scientific method.