...The theory of evolution has been a controversial topic of conversation among many ever since the modern understanding was founded in 1859 by English naturalist, Charles Darwin. Ever since then , many people have come to assume this theory as “fact,” and it is now taught in schools across the nation in modern day (Khan). However, there are still those that believe the theory is entirely false (Evolution vs Creation), or that they believe in evolution but not certain aspects of what is taught (Morris). Controversy has grown in the modern day school system, and it brings up the question of: should we keep teaching evolution? On the other hand, is it right to teach evolution? This study means to use the quantitative method to discover the...
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...We all know evolution is just a theory and nothing about it can be proven. Or can it? Evolution has more evidence than most theories, but yet it is not officially taught in school. Why is that, and are people right saying it should not be taught in schools just because it counters everything creationism says? Its very important to teach evolution for several reason, like it helps you in different jobs. My first reason evolution should be taught in schools is that if someone whats a job in biology, other jobs evolution can give several important skills you will need for the work force like it tell you the history of the animal, Nothing would make sense in biology if you did not know anything about evolution. My second reason evolution should...
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...Teaching Creation and Evolution in Schools Why are we here? Many people ask that question at some point in their life. The answers are different no matter who ask. Some people believe a higher power created the universe and our purpose here is to serve that higher power. Others say we exist because of the Big Bang and our purpose for living is to survive. The first theory for this is known as creationism. The other is evolution and most schools have encouraged this. Why is one not right and the other false? Is there no balance between these two issues? The lack of evidence makes creationism hard to believe, and many holes in the evolution link makes that hard to believe. Theories of human evolution cause disagreements. Each theory has its own evidence to prove that its right, but lack of enough evidence to prove the others errors. Most of the theories that try to explain the human existence are labeled as creation theory, naturalistic evolution theory and theistic evolution theory. Naturalistic evolution theory states that evolution is a force and not controlled by a god, goddess or some other type of deity. Theistic evolution is a combination of both creation and naturalistic theories. To understand the struggle between creationism and evolution you must first understand creationism. Creationism is the theory that all life was created by God. In the book of Genesis you will find the story when God formed man from the dust of the ground. God also created...
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...Evolution in our Public Schools Student Name PHI 103: Informal Logic Instructor: Date Evolution in our Public Schools I. Introduction A. Thesis Statement One of the major concerns in the scientific studies of biology today is about evolution being taught in our public schools. This has been an ongoing concern for the religious sects, teachers, school board members, students, parents, and state officials. It has been the talk of the courts since the Darwin Theory came along. Many issues have risen over the years since evolution was introduced to the world and into the school system. The questions of whether mankind evolved from a monkey or the way of creationism, that man was created by God as stated in the book of Genesis (Bible). Other issues that came up were with the teachers themselves and having to teach evolution in their biology classes, when not fully understanding evolution itself. In this essay we will discuss the arguments of evolution versus creationism that is being taught in our public schools and whether it is acceptable to teach evolution to our school children. II. Body paragraph # 1 – Topic Sentence # 1 The disputes of evolution started back in the late 19th century, some years after Charles Darwin came to the conclusion of linking human ancestry to lower animals by his evolution theory. This evolution of reasoning caused a stir in the public schools when it was put into the biology text books and required to be taught to the students...
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...There’s No Room: A look at public schools’ design for science and evolution Nicole McCormick PHI103: Informal Logic (GSK1216H) Instructor Micheal Pelt May 21, 2012 The 1987 Supreme Court ruling on the case of Edward v Aguillard, struck down a Louisiana Law requiring “balanced treatment” between “creation science” and evolution. The Supreme Court found “creation science” to be unconstitutional, a statute that forbade teaching evolution unless “creation science” was also taught. Edward v Aguillard made it clear you cannot teach creation science alongside evolution (Brown, Feb2012). This argument of if evolution should be taught in public schools has waged on for decades, and as long as some continue to believe in intelligent design while others in evolution, it is a battle that will no doubt continue on, with unnatural selections for some. Intelligent design is primarily a religious belief and not a scientific tenet, which forms the basis for why it should not be taught in public school science courses. This essay will discuss how evolution in public school science classrooms serves best with the national science curriculum, and how theories of creationism and intelligent design (ID), try as they may, have no place in public science classrooms. Research will begin with data that includes the said appropriateness of evolution, and how the study of evolution in school is in line with the teachings of biological science. Next, what will be considered are the creationist...
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...April 24th, 2014 Why Creationism Should be Taught in Schools Evolution is believed to have been scientifically proven, but really it’s not. It is only a theory. If Evolution is only a theory, why is it the only theory being taught in our schools today? Creationism is another theory about how the world was created. It is just as valid as an idea as evolution, so why is only one theory being taught in our classrooms? Creationism should be taught alongside Evolution because students should be able to think on their own and decide what theory to believe. Both theories cannot be proven, so why not teach different perspectives? Evolution is not a fact, just theory and hypothesis. It is a belief. Some may even say, a faith. It might seem that people claim that creationism is religious doctrine, and it is, but evolution is just as religious as creationism. Both cannot be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Both take faith to believe them to be true. So creationism is just as valid as Evolution. Creationism came from religious views, but not everyone believes in the same religions. Evolution is a worldwide concept that many people have come to believe but they may not been exposed to these religions. “Dr. Bergman then went on to add, ‘If schools are to be a place where students can debate important questions, it would seem that eliminating religious questions would shelter students from an important area of debate which is crucial for living a well-rounded life.’” (Edwords...
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...Can Evolutionism and Creationism Co-exist? Is the teaching of evolution really corrupting the minds of children? Can you really talk about the two theories without cutting off the others head? These are questions that come to mind when thinking about the topic at hand. Evolutionism and creationism can be taught together in classes without any controversy because evolutionism can be tied into creationism in many ways. Almost everyone wonders if the world was really made and how it was made. Students everywhere also ask, “How did the human originate?” This is a huge controversy that has been fought for many years. Although there are many ideas, people mainly argue over two of them. The first theory is that people was created by God during his creation of the world; this is the idea of creationism. It is backed up by many religious people and religion itself. There is much turmoil on the broad topic of creationism and its place in American society. The big controversy of creationism versus evolutionism is a very large topic, something that has been made increasingly evident by the numerous books printed on the subject. Most evolutionist and creationist spend their time attempting to prove the other’s theory wrong; in one way or another, prove that theirs is the correct answer to the origins of life as we know it. I have no intent of diving into that raging battle, but would rather take a very different approach. Being raised in a religious household, I naturally have...
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...Acceptance of Evolution and Support for Teaching Creationism in Public Schools: The Conditional Impact of Educational Attainment JOSEPH O. BAKER Department of Sociology and Anthropology East Tennessee State University Public acceptance of evolution remains low in the United States relative to other Western countries. Although advocates for the scientific community often highlight the need for improved education to change public opinion, analyses of data from a national sample of American adults indicate that the effects of educational attainment on attitudes toward evolution and creationism are uneven and contingent upon religious identity. Consequently, higher education will only shift public attitudes toward evolution and away from support for teaching creationism in public schools for those who take non-“literalist” interpretive stances on the Bible, or to the extent that it leads to fewer people with literalist religious identities. Keywords: evolution, creationism, religious identity, education, science and religion, public policy. INTRODUCTION Acceptance of evolution and support for creationism has been publicly debated since the initial diffusion of Darwin’s theory about the origin of species, particularly in the United States (Numbers 1998, 2006). From before the infamous Scopes Trial (see Larson 1997) to the present, many Americans have resisted ideas about evolution, leading to a relatively low global ranking on public acceptance of the theory...
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...of things taught in public school. Few education issues have started controversy and debate about teaching of evolution. School boards have been forced to address concerns about good science education as well as conflicting claims about constitutional limitations but a new approach to teaching about evolution has been developed to meet the test of good science and satisfy the courts’ standards of constitutionality. In this case, several people concerns about strong challenges that gets through the society about anti-evolution that it can affect the religious or anti-religious beliefs of a dominant group. The United State Supreme Court precedents that the Constitution permits both the teaching of evolution as well as the teaching of scientific criticisms of prevailing scientific theories. The court focused on Arkansas statute that prohibiting the teaching of human evolution in public schools and universities, no teacher was permitted "to teach the theory or doctrine that mankind ascended or descended from a lower order of animals," or "to adopt or use in any such institution a textbook that teaches.” (Fortas, par 2) This explains the statute was an adaptation of the law at the center of the “Scopes monkey trial” in Tennessee. The Tennessee Supreme Court allowed the state to continue to prohibit the teaching of evolution. The case involved the teaching of biology in Little high school, the administrators adopted a new textbook for the 1965-1966 school year which contained a chapter...
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...Data Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about Epperson vs. Arkansas court case dealing with the religious schooling taught in public schools. Central Idea: The Supreme Court case between Epperson and Arkansas deals with the problem of whether it’s ok or not to teach the Evolution theory to children in the state of Arkansas. Type of Speech: Supreme Court Organizational Pattern: Event Introduction: Attention Getter: How many people were taught the Theory of Evolution in a high school class? Thesis: In this speech I will present the facts of the court, the religious views of Evolution, both sides of this argument, including Susan Epperson’s side and Arkansas State’s side, and the judicial decision. Preview Statement: In this speech I will present the facts of the court, with both sides of the argument, and the judicial decision. (Trans: I will begin today by presenting how the theory of evolution contradicts religion). Body: I. In the case of Epperson vs. Arkansas, the driving force behind the ban of the theory of evolution were moral views. A. The population of Arkansas in the 1960’s was made up of rural traditional families with conservative views. 1. The conservative views were mainly affiliate with religious beliefs. 2. The driving force behind the outlaw of the teaching of evolution was the fact that evolution, “contradicts a literal interpretation of the first chapter of Genesis.” 3. In the first chapter of genesis, the bible explains how god...
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...taught as an alternative viewpoint to the theory of evolution within the American public school systems. If scientific creationists believe that God's message is the defining element for the content, aims, and conditions of educational practice, then the argument can be made that creationism belongs in the classroom. On the contrary are those who assert creationism is not science and further suggests that "creation science" is a misnomer and oppose religion into public educational programs. They maintain the position that public educational programs should be made separate from concerns of the church. Fundamentalist Christians differ from liberal Christians with respect to the basic theories to how life began. Liberal Christians mold their lives around the theory of evolution; forging their spiritual doctrine around their lifestyle, where as fundamentalist Christians remain faith based; life created by God and their lifestyle strictly follows biblical doctrine. Those who side with the theory of Darwin and claim that creationism is really anti-science are in direct conflict with adamant creationists; and somewhere among these groups are a third group, scientific creationists, who use scientific terminology to prove that only life can come from other life. During the 1960’s the United States began an initiative to catch up with newer science teaching standards which ultimately reintroduced the theory of evolution as well as breathed life into the creation science...
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...1 Religion in Schools – Intelligent Design vs. Theory Stephanie C. Hansen Western International University April, 2006 Intelligent Design should be taught in schools, not only viewed as a religious theory. The debate continues on what roles the school should take on controversies regarding Theory of Evolution vs. Intelligent Design. Opponents insist that this is a “veiled way” of getting religion into the classroom, and that it should not be allowed. One of the main reasons to have Freedom of Speech is so “Truth” can emerge from vigorous debate on all sides of every important issue. Why then should we Americans ever want to suppress the free discussion of important issues in our public schools? (William McGinnis, 2006) Opponents would insist that Intelligent Design has no part in science. On the contrary, the more Intelligent Design is argued, the more scientific it proves to be. In the book Darwin’s Black Box (Behe) the author contends that “Darwin’s response is no longer adequate because of scientific advances that have occurred since Darwin’s death”. Thus, the Theory of Evolution deserves to be revisited. It wasn’t until after his (Darwin’s) death those life forms could be inspected on a molecular level. Therefore, it would also be “scientific” to re-evaluate the Intelligent Design concept on a scientific level since it has been determined “scientifically” that “even in their most basic forms, various organisms are so complex that they...
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...Curriculum in schools. A survey of high school science teachers was conducted to see if they taught creationism or evolution in their classroom. 17% of the teachers stated that they steer clear of this topic in general, where 60 % of the teachers allotted 1-5 hours for the topic. Many of these teachers stated that were advocates of creationism but limited the time they spent on this topic in fear of controversy and backlash form parents and staff. A Penn State report stated that American kids are lagging in the knowledge of evolution and creationism because teachers are unwilling or unprepared. Since this is such a big debate of whether creationism or evolution should be taught in school many teachers are opting to do the bare minimum to satisfy district standards. The current curriculum in many school districts in the United States allows for the discussion of both creationism and evolution. This has seemed to be the standard across the board. Since school districts do not want to push creationism as the main idea of human creation as it promotes or endorses a religion, but many parents are objecting to exclusive teachings of evolution on schools. The National Academic Council and National Academy of Science recommend that high school science teachers touch on evolution as a link between biology topics. In 2013 they released a report A Framework for K-12 Science Education. In the report they stated that Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every fact of...
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...Directions: Assume that you are on the school board of your school district and you are tasked with the job of strategic planning for issues facing your district. Complete the matrix below to determine the potential response of each of the religious groups in your community. Use the attached links to research the basic moral and ethical principles believed by each group. Then determine how you believe each group will react to the issue based on what you find. Provide a brief justification for your answer. After completing the matrix, write a 300- to 500-word summary of the significant similarities and differences among the different religious groups. |SCHOOL ISSUES | |Prayer in School |Creationism v. Evolution |Studying Women’s Rights in the Middle East |Saying the Pledge of Allegiance |Starting a Gay and Lesbian Support Group |Inter-Racial Dating | |COMMUNITY RELIGIOUS GROUPS |Pro/Con |Justify your answer |Pro/Con |Justify your answer |Pro/Con |Justify your answer |Pro/Con |Justify your answer |Pro/Con |Justify your answer |Pro/Con |Justify your answer | |Atheist |Con |Atheists are opposed to prayer in school. They find it to be of an offense. They do not believe in God, therefore they do not believe in praying to God. |Pro Evolution |Atheist doesn’t believe in the power...
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...taught in our public schools. Introduction The town of Dover, PA looks like any other small towns in central Pennsylvania, but in October 2004 when the local school board proposed a slight alteration to the high school biology curriculum a fault line erupted between those who think of intelligent design as science and something that should be taught alongside evolution, and those who think of it as religion disguised as science. As a science teacher myself, I was very interested in this subject, and how school districts nationwide are pushing initiatives recently to put intelligent design in their biology classes. These school districts are struggling with the dilemma of whether or not to teach creationism as an alternative view to evolution theory. If, as many scientific creationists believe, God's message is important in defining the content, aims, and conditions of educational practice, then creationism does belong in the classroom. However, those who propose that creationism is not science, and that "creation science" is a misnomer, are opposed to the intervention of religion into the public educational program; after all, public educational programs should be separate from concerns of the church. The Scientific Argument against Intelligent Design “Evolution has three core, defining...
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