Creationism in science classrooms (an argument for)

There is a law. It is called the Establishment Clause. It is found in the Constitution. Look into it. And yet it is. Public schools are paid for with public tax money which places public schools under the Establishment Clause (as well as the 14th Ammendment which puts States under the same constitutional laws as the federal government). If we were talking about Idea Class you might have a point, but we aren't. We are talking about Science Class, and creationism is not science. On top of that, creationism as part of a science class has no secular purpose and excessively entangles the government in religious matters. This means that creationism fails the Lemon test.The whole point of the Establishment Clause is that it necessarily censors what the government can say. That is the whole point of the clause. Why not push creationism to scientists as a matter of science?

Creationism isn't science, that is for sure.On top of that, creationist organizations such as AiG clearly state that creationism is a belief that is unfalsifiable and based on a religious text. How is that not a religious dogma? Creationists state that they do know the origin of life, but that statement is based on religious dogma. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that it is correct, hence it is not appropriate for science class in public schools.

As it pertains to science, it is question of how you rule one IN, not out. What evidence do we have that points to a supernatural origin of life? If none, then what place does it have in a science class? There is no evidence that can falsify a religious dogma. That is what it is called a dogma. You are only making it more obvious that the source of creationism is religion, not evidence. Until creationism is capable of being scientific it has no place in science class. We are not talking about Possibility Class. We are talking about Science Class. It could be true that the Universe was magically poofed into being just last Thursday complete with a false history and false memories. Should we teach that too?Why do you feel it necessary to include a religious dogma in science class?

What secular purpose does this have? How does this improve a child's education in the sciences? Will they have to understand supernatural mechanisms in order to have a productive career in the sciences? No one is saying that they can not make up their own mind. Last I checked, no one is stopping these kids from entering places of worship and learning about the religious beliefs of others. However, it is unconstitutional for the government to push religious dogma as science using public money.

There are plenty of threads discussing this. This thread is meant to discuss the legitimacy of creationism in the science classroom.Once again we see the scientific inadequacy of creationism being hidden behind a tu quoque fallacy.

So if a religion teaches that strep throat is instead caused by the evil spirit Marklar are teachers no longer allowed to teach Germ Theory in science class? If we only taught scientific theories that did not conflict with previous religious beliefs we would have no theories to teach.It is not the fault of the government that religious believers accept dogma that conflicts with the empirical evidence. They are teaching about the accuracy of scientific theories as demonstrated by the empirical evidence. It has nothing to do with the bible. So you think that the state indoctrinating students into a literal interpretation of Genesis is not interfering with the religious freedoms of the students? Really? How is the banning of religious indoctrination in public schools an establishment of religion? If they ban drugs from the schools are they establishing drug use?Edited by Taq, : No reason given.

Scientists don't preach. You have a serious problem with projection.Science is tentative, as is taught from the very beginning of any science education. It would seem that your true problems lie in your own distortions of how science works instead of how science actually works.Edited by Taq, : No reason given.

We are not talking about Life Class. We are talking about Science Class. What secular purpose is there for teaching creationism in SCIENCE CLASS? How does teaching creationism improve a child's SCIENCE EDUCATION?

If YEC were true it would have an intrinsic secular use as a scientific theory. Therefore, it would be allowed in science class per the Lemon Test. The Supreme Court would disagree, and they have the final word on the matter. Then go for it. Start a movement to remove the Establishment Clause from the Constitution. It is doable through the Ammendment process. Care to back this up?

These are popular press books written for a general audience. They are NOT school text books. Again, we are talking about SCIENCE CLASS IN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS!!! Are they reading these books because they have been assigned by the teacher IN SCIENCE CLASS? I guess you are unaware of all the popular press creationist books?

Do any of these theories lend scientific credence to creationism? If not, then it is not related to the topic.Einstein showed that natural Newtonian gravity was inaccurate but this did not lend credence to invisible gravity fairies. In fact, Einstein demonstrated that gravity was a natural phenomena that was imperfectly modeled by Newton's laws. That is strange since creationists want to close science textbooks altogether.

No, they aren't. The Bible is never mentioned in science class. No one is banning the Bible. Children are still free to attend any church they want and read any book that they want.The only ban here is on the actions of the government, not the citizen. The founders clearly stated that state and religion are to be separate. Teaching that circulating thunderstorms produce lightning touches on belief that Zeus makes lightning. Should we ban this from science class as well?

The law does state that it is illegal for a public school teacher to push Genesis as an accurate scientific explanation as part of a public school science class. No such ban is in place for private schools. You have already stated that you do not want children taught facts that contradict your religious belief. I hardly think that "truthful discovery" is what you are after.

Genesis is not mentioned in science books. It is not the fault of the government that people choose to accept religious beliefs that conflict with scientific facts.Also, teaching evolution has a secular purpose. It is a necessary part of any education in the biological sciences. If these students go on to have a career in the biological sciences then they MUST understand the theory of evolution. If these students hope to understand the findings that biologists make then they too must understand the theory. This is not so for creationism. There is zero secular purpose for teaching creationism. It is nothing more than religious indoctrination, something the state is not allowed to participate in.

Another lie from Robert. Creationism is banned because it is not science and is pushed solely for religious purposes. If you disagree then start a new thread and show how creationism is science, including testable hypotheses and the experiments used to test them.