29% of UK teachers favor teaching creationism

Prior to joining this forum if I had been asked if I was a creationist I would have replied in the affirmative. I assumed that any theist would respond in the affirmative whether or not they accepted the accuracy of the evolutionary process.I suggest that for members of this forum creationism has a more narrow understanding than I think most people would have. My guess is that many of these teachers would assume that the only alternative to creationism is atheism, and that theistic evolution would qualify as creationism.

It's sure great having you back Faith.I understand what you're saying. I'm just pointing out what I think might have been in the minds of those who responded in the survey.On this forum I think we understand the different nuances of creationism.

Faith I think you should think a little more carefully on these things. In Canada we have a native population that now after years of colonization have largely been consigned to live on large tracts of land called reserves that were assigned to them by the Europeans who colonized the country. They were essentially bought off and marginalized. The conditions on many of the reserves today are appalling. Believe me, in most cases the natives of this country were better off before the Europeans arrived.In many ways your thinking is very western. It equates quality of life with the level of materialism achieved. Self esteem has far more to do with our quality of life than does a big screen TV.The British treated the indigenous people of India with great disdain even though they were often kind. The British have a history of class distinction and certainly the Indian people were very much at the bottom rung of the class system. Possibly the country is better off economically, ( a very open question by the way), but socially I don't believe it to be the case. I will allow that the British did introduce democracy but I don't believe that makes up for the psychological damage that colonization does to a nation.Incidentally, my ancestry is primarily English and my Grandfather, who I was extremely close to, immigrated from Kent England to Canada.

That’s all fine. The thing is that it should all be done without occupying and exploiting the country. The British made servants of the Indian people. As you point out, the point is that serving, which is the opposite of what they did. I read City of Joy twice actually. It was a very moving book. Mother Theresa did go as a servant not an occupier. Mother Theresa is more than a hero in my view. I’ve been to New Delhi a few times and it is a very vibrant city but there are numerous problems. However, there is also a quality of life that might surprise you. As I said, I believe that the western view confuses quality of life with materialism. The people there seem as happy as people here and in fact it seems to me in most cases happier and I attribute that to the fact that materialism will in the end always disappoint. Nice story. My grandfather also homesteaded in Alberta, not far from Calgary. My other grew up on the second ranch he had. He raised black angus cattle for years.

Here is the first thing on your link.

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In a sermon delivered at St. Agnes Church, in New York City,on Good Friday, 1989, Father George William Rutler reported that when Mother [Teresa] was asked ', What do you think is the worst problem in the world today?', she more than anyone could name a number of candidates: famine, plague, disease, the breakdown of the family, rebellion against God, the corruption of the media, world debt, nuclear threat, and so on. Yet, without pausing a second she said, 'Wherever I go in the world, the thing that makes me the saddest is watching people receive communion in the hand."

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This is a statement made without any other support. I looked on many sites to substantiate this and all of the sites refuted it. Her order itself made the statement that their own sisters could take communion either way.We will all believe what we want to I guess. By the way, I'm not Roman Catholic.

The quotes give nothing of the context.Here is another quote of hers.

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We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.

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She grew up relatively wealthy and gave up all that she had to go live in the slums of Calcutta. There is always going to be people around who are prepared to tear something like that down based on a possible unthoughtful comment.She was human and no doubt she wasn't perfect but she sure was prepared to sacrifice a million times more than I ever will. She was good enough for me to consider her heroic.

I think the point was, to the degree that she was able, to stop people from dying alone and unloved.