Teaching creationism/intelligent design instead of evolution in schools. I don’t feel this is sensible.
It happened to a friend of mine who went to a parochial private school. When they got to that part of the natural sciences course on the origin of the universe, galaxy, solar system, earth, humans, they were taught from the Christian Bible. When the lesson was over, the teacher made an offhand comment to the effect, “Some people believe in evolution instead. If you are interested, you can look it up on your own time.” That was the full amount of coverage given to millennia of scientific thought and experimentation in this field, right or wrong.
But if you want to teach creationism in the public schools, I feel you have another problem entirely. Whose creation story will you teach? There are so many.
- In Norse mythology, the Aesir, led by Odin, lifted the earth from the sea and established order in the cosmos, later creating other races, creatures, and man.
- In Greek mythology, Gaia, the earth, bore Uranus without male assistance, then bred with him to produce the titans. From them came the gods who ruled the earth giving it light, love, music, and so many other things sunny and dark.
- Chinese Lao Tsu wrote, “The Way gave birth to unity, Unity gave birth to duality, Duality gave birth to trinity, Trinity gave birth to the myriad creatures. The myriad creatures bear yin on their back and embrace yang in their bosoms. They neutralize these vapors and thereby achieve harmony.”
- The Maya gods included Kukulkán and Tepeu. The two were referred to as the Creators, the Forefathers or the Makers. According to the story, the two gods decided to preserve their legacy by creating an Earth-bound species looking like them. The first attempt was man made from mud, but Tepeu and Kukulkán found that the mud crumbled. The two gods summoned the other gods, and together they decided to make man from wood. However, since these men had no soul and soon lost loyalty to the creators, the gods destroyed them by rain. Finally, man was constructed from Maize, the Mayans staple and sacred food.
- The Cherokee creation myth describes the earth as a great floating island surrounded by seawater. It hangs from the sky by cords attached at the four cardinal points. The story tells that the first earth came to be when Dâyuni’sï (Beaver’s Grandchild), the little Water beetle came from Gälûñ’lätï, the sky realm, to see what was below the water. He scurried over the surface of the water, but found no solid place to rest. He dived to the bottom of the water and brought up some soft mud. This mud expanded in every direction and became the earth.
- One version of the Raven creation story begins when Raven was taught by his father, Kit-ka’ositiyi-qa to be a creator, but Raven was unsatisfied with the product. Raven created the world but was unable to give it light or water. On hearing that light could be found hidden in a far off land, Raven decided he would travel there and steal it. When he discovered that dwelling in the house of light was a young woman who lived there with her father, he played the first of many tricks. He turned himself into a small speck of dirt and slipped into her drinking water and was swallowed. This made the daughter pregnant, and she gave birth to an unusual and fussy child who cried demanding to touch one of the bundles which had been stored hanging from the walls. The child was given one of the bags to quiet him, but when tired of playing with it he let it go, and it floated away from him and disappeared through the smoke hole. Once it reached the sky the bundle came undone and scattered stars across the sky. When the child cried to have it back again he was given the second bundle to play with, and he let it to float away through the hole in the ceiling, and it released the moon. This would happen again with the third and last bundle, which flew away and became sunlight. After Raven’s tricks succeeded in bringing all the light to the world, he flew away through the smoke hole.
- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share the creation story of Genesis, found in the Torah, Bible, and Qur’an with few differences. There are eight acts of creation over six days. In each of the first three days there is an act of division: day one divides the darkness from light, day two the “waters above” from the “waters below”, and day three the sea from the land. In each of the next three days these divisions are populated: day four populates the darkness and light with sun, moon and stars; day five populates seas and skies with fish and fowl; and finally land-based creatures and mankind populate the land.
- Several of the Native American Indian creation stories tell of travelling through three other worlds before arriving at this, the fourth world. Spider Woman or Coyote often figure prominently in these tales.
- In classical, pre-colonial Zulu myth, uNkulunkulu brought human beings and cattle from an area of reeds. He created everything, from land and water to man and the animals. He is considered the first man as well as the parent of all people. He taught the Zulu how to hunt, how to make fire, and how to grow food.
I realize that some of these are no longer practiced today, but many of them are. I also think this is the point that was trying to be made to the Kansas State Board of Education when the Flying Spaghetti Monster (may you be touched by his noodly appendage) first made his appearance. But the point is, you can’t pick one as the best, no matter how much you believe it is the one and only. You can’t say yours is more right than theirs just because your numbers are greater, either. That’s like saying thieves and drug dealers are better than law enforcement professionals just because there are more of them.
I had a pagan friend who told me once, “Any religion that teaches you to treat other people well is a good religion.” I agree. I also think unless the school is teaching a course on religion, religion should not be in public school and especially not in science class. Instead it should be shared with your specific religious community, not forced on others in your neighborhood/school/town.
I am one of those strange people who have absolutely no problem believing in the Christian creation story and evolution at the same time. But I do not think that every school child in the Texas or any other state should be taught “Intelligent Design” in science class.
I’m starting to wander a bit, I fear. Long rehearsal tonight, and it’s way past my bedtime. The internal jukebox is playing Laudamus Te from the Poulenc Gloria. Blessings on you all.