Science in our public school systems

I just wanted to say I agree with what you have said and I am glad that you are thinking about this now while your child is 2. Have you been over to the homeschool section yet?

 

I’m not one to judge, but woe to the science teacher who drives a child from his belief that God is the creator of the heavens and earth and that He created man in His image.

Evolution doesn't drives children from a belief that God is the creator. Creationists make evolution out to do so, thus breaking the biblical command to refrain from gossip and rumors.

All science does is look at the evidence at hand and develop a model of who it happenned. It does not attempt to explain whodunnit. Creationists attemt to say that, since evolution doesn't address the creator, they must be against him, which is simply not the case.

 

uh-oh...

 

Honestly, I would not let this issue alone decide whether or not to send my children to public schools. Regardless of your position on creation vs evolution, we must accept that evolution is a valid arguement from a scientific perpspective. Does that mean you should believe it? NO! Does that mean your children should not be exposed to it? No as well....let them learn it, but be there for them to put it into context, and I believe they will be ok. I believe they need to know what others believe so that they can defend their position someday.

By the way, I know Christians that believe in evolution, and they are no less of a Christian for doing so.

My take on the whole debate is this: God did it, however He chose to do it, therefore it is settled with me. It's all about God!

Charles

 

My take on the whole debate is this: God did it, however He chose to do it, therefore it is settled with me. It's all about God!

AMEN to that

 

I agree with Charlesga and Johnv!

HCL is correct you should plan ahead for your child's education.

I do have a question about the following statement

Isn't this taught as a theory not as a fact?

I have read my granddaughter's essay giving her belief of the creation vs. evoluation on which she made an A and she is graduating from high school this year. (She believes in creation)

She is planning to take pre-med at Oklahoma Baptist University. Will she have to say, she believes in evolution as a fact to graduate....

I don't think so, but I would like to know.

 

This already happens. Most school cirriculums touch on varying theories on origins of species. But the bulk of the study is on the most generally accepted theories. Right now the most generally accepted theories (there are several) are all evolutionary in nature.

 

When my twins were in 2nd grade, they learned about dinosaurs . . . and of course the material they used plainly stated that the world is millions of years old. I promptly went to the school to inquire about this and was promptly told that it was indeed being taught as fact! I was blown away! No being taught that is is a theory! No being taught that there were possibly other options!

At our local high school, my sister had to take biology over during the summer because she refused to go against what she believed (creation) and write what she considered to be false answers (what she'd be taught about evolution) on her tests and assignments. The teacher for the class is an athiest and refused to ever even consider creation.

Julia

 

I applaud john6:63 for his stand. However it is not just science that is getting the treatment in public schools, but history and English as well.

However, I taught in both public and private venues for almost 30 years. Christian teachers are desperately needed in the public school system to help those Christian or curious kids see that there is an option in life. There ARE ways to teach science students to think for themselves, and that, really, is just about all it takes...

Evolution is not a religion -- it is a way of interpretating data which is BASED on a religion: the religion of secular humanism.

And yes, evolution IS taught as fact and there have already been teachers whose contracts have not been renewed simply because they presented material from evolution-oriented peer-reviewed journals which pointed out some problems which needed to be recognized in the area of evolution. So it is not only taught as fact, it is a sacred cow in public education.

This business of saying "I don't care how God did it," or "He could do it any way He wanted to" is to slip-slide around the fact that although, of course, both of those statements may be true, the fact is that He told us how He did it in Genesis -- and that book is referenced over and over again by other authors of the Bible books as well as by Jesus Himself. Always it is referenced as the plain historical truth, which is exactly how it presents itself.

So to teach children that something presented as fact in God's Word is actually 'parable', or 'mythology,' or 'allegorical,' is to teach them they cannot trust what they are reading in God's Word, but must make excuses for it in light of 'science' today. Baloney! The more I have learned, first as a teacher and now as a science editor, the more I am convinced that Genesis says exactly what it means and means exactly what it says. And we can count on God's ability not only to know the truth Himself, but to be able to communicate clearly and concisely to us human beings, with our incredibly finite minds and our bare scrapings of knowledge (when one considers all there is to be known).

Teach the child that God can be trusted to communicate correctly, and that our knowledge is slowly but surely starting to understand that.

It is very, very wise to teach your children the way you want them taught until they are old enough (some time in high school) to start thinking for themselves. Then, our choice was to put them in the public high school system and let them go through culture shock when they could return home everyday and talk out what was on their minds.

Lastly, I would have to say from personal experience with teaching that there is NOTHING which causes more doubt about Christianity and the Bible in a student's mind that continual brainwashing indoctrination concerning evolution. That is probably the single most damaging part of any subject taught in any school for Christian kids when it is taught year after year by the 'true believers' in it.

 

Helen, I agree with you completely. What scares me is that it seems that the secular humanists have taken over the public education of our children. I don't like to have evolution taught to my children, but I believe the damage can be undone with love, and by reaffirming what God's Word says.

What really scares me to death is the sex education that is being taught in the schools. They are teaching the mechanics, without the morals, and in many schools they are giving out free birth control devices to children. The schools are playing with fire, by doing this, but it seems to by expanding. It's really frightening.

Love in Christ,
Larry

 

Larry,

While our opinion differ regarding evolution, we certainly agree on sex education. I don't have a problem teaching basic sexual reproduction at an age appropriate level (jr high). But by the time high school rolls around, I believe it should be necessary to learn the dangers of extramarital sexual activity.

But, more than that, formal education should be topped off with proper home education. If we as parents are leaving all the instruction up to the schools (whether that school be private or public, whether they are doing a poor job or great job), then we usurp our biblical obligation of teaching our children.

 

Johnv said;

All science does is look at the evidence at hand and develop a model of who it happenned. It does not attempt to explain whodunnit. Creationists attemt to say that, since evolution doesn't address the creator, they must be against him, which is simply not the case.

Johnv, I wish this were the case, but it ain't even close. If all science did was "look at the evidence", the evidence of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, the law of Bio-genesis, and the laws of probability would rule out evolution without breaking a sweat.

Creationists attemt to say that, since evolution doesn't address the creator, they must be against him, which is simply not the case.


You haven't read any Asimov, Gould, Crick, or Dawkins stuff, have you.

In Him,
Jim

 

You mention the laws of thermodynamics as ruling out evolution. Authors of textbooks on thermodynamics do not agree. They think that creationists are mistaken with this argument. See the following web site:

http://www.ntanet.net/Thermo-Internet.htm

 

That arguement goes no where, since a six day creation violates the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, the law of Bio-genesis.

The law of probability is not a scientific law. It's a mathematical one.

 

>>>>>>>Here is a link to a professors website where he will not recommend a student if he/she believes in creation.

Now listen to this creationist’s evangelism Dr. Hovind's. He taught science for 15 years.<<<<<<<<

I suspect that the instances are rare in which anyone is denied a recommendation because of their disbelief in evolution. In regard to "Dr" Kent Hovind, you should know that he has a degree from a diploma mill, not in science, and that he is not qualified to teach science. He also has had a number of legal problems, with the IRS, which suggests that he ought not to be held up as an example of virtue.

 

The evolutionary philosophies that are pushed by the National Science Foundation are defiantly antichristian (see white paper @ http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~ecolevol/fulldoc.html ). Yet there are school districts that are not beholden to the NEA and various such “liberal” groups.

I won’t push a choice between home schooling and public schooling: each have pluses and minuses that need to be carefully added up before making a decision. My feeling is that once a commitment to one type of education is made, it should be followed through to the end. I have rarely seen instances of switching from one to the other that have worked successfully.

Learning the basic sciences in public school is a battle. It will teach your child to think and stand up for what is right.

Probe ministries has some interesting articles on some of the battlefields.
Here's one on teaching evoloution: http://www.probe.org/docs/cr-evol.html


Rob