Thus, as part of their basic education, students would be required to understand what it says and how it works. The revised 2000 standards do not specify that creationism be taught, but they leave the door open for study of alternative theories for the origin and development of life on Earth. Education Department spokesman Dan Langan said the wording allows for the teaching of creation theory alongside evolution in public school science classes. The degree to which schools teach it would be a local decision, he said. But it is disturbing that the state Board of Education would succumb to the pressure of Christian fundamentalists at the expense of the U.S. Constitution and the educational needs of Pennsylvania's students.
Creationism paints a veneer of pseudo-science on a religious belief system.
No reputable scientific group accepts it as a plausible alternative to evolution, period. Any individual is free to believe that the Earth is 10,000 years old and that man was molded from clay in the image of God. But he can't teach it as a reasonable scientific theory in public school, because to do so would violate a central tenet of the American form of government - the separation of church and state. Diane Snyder, vice president of the Butler Area school board, is not impressed with that wise arrangement and is not alone in wishing to impose her belief system on the students in her charge. The fact is, there are plenty of Christians, including those in the Catholic Church and mainstream Protestant denominations, who do not believe the theory of evolution is incompatible with their religious beliefs.