Wow, that is pretty creepy. I’m not sure if it makes me glad I’m not a science teacher (to avoid the pressures) or if it makes me wish I was a science teacher (to make sure kids get a balanced education).
Because in the minds of the folks in influential organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences, whose members are 90% materialists (and, therefore, atheists), there is a conflict. Speaking against the reigning orthodoxy of materialism is a heresy against the dominant religion of scientism, that school of thought that “relegates religious, theological, ethical and aesthetic knowledge to the realm of mere fanasty” (to quote John Paul II).
Well, I guess Christianity. This is a Christian forum and the pressure to oppose the teaching of evolution seems to be coming from some Christians.
oof… that’s a tough question for a layperson such as myself. I guess I think of evolution as the differentiation of species from a common ancestor. But apparently that is large-scale evolution and it is also helpful to consider small scale evolution: the changes in gene frequency in a population from one generation to the next.
There isn’t and I don’t believe too many think this. There is, however, a conflict between prevailing darwinian evolutionary thinkers and theology. The tendency among dominate thinkers regarding evolutionary theory (and subsequently text book creators and teachers of the subject) is to believe, assume, and make poblic theological conclusions that are contrary to Christianity AND to demand belief in aspects of evolutionary theory as factual that have a basis in presupposition but not in fact.
Well said. (I think someone has been reading the lastest article on the topic by Behe in First Things - a very fine thing to do!)
You may have confused the poor woman as you are me.I live in Kansas, the internationally renowned epicenter for this pointless argument.
A few years ago, the last time I ran and won a position as precinct committeeperson, sponsored by the KRA – the “conservative” faction of the Republican party here, I got a taste of a politically charged person on this issue. She was actually bringing me free yard signs for my campaign, and she was very anti-evolution. The things she was saying were beyond belief, but reflect the “thinking” of the creationism crowd – so I’m very reluctant to place the blame only on the anti-creationists. (Note: I use “anti-” for both terms, intentionally – that’s what they are is embodied hatred.)
I told her the my religion believes that scientific inquiries are worth pursuing, and sees that science and religion all seek truth but with different methods, approaches, and assumptions. OMG, she came unglued, evidently thinking I was a Mooney or something I guess – how could a good conservative Republican – much less an ostensible Christian – do anything by hate evolution theory?
These people are crazy here. They said it was I, but now I know better.
Alan
First Things is very nearly the only periodical worth reading.
The conflict between Darwinism and Christianity is this: Darwinism claims that evolution works by natural selection of random changes; Christianity holds that man was specifically created by God.
Can you provide your definition of materialism please? Your paragraph perplexes me, and I suspect I’m simply using a different definition.
She was not interested in freedom. She had an agenda and she was relentless in apply it. She was out to drive any mention of evolution out of the schools, because her religion took precedence. That’s not about freedom; that’s about religion suppression.
Materialism is the philosophical view that everything that exists is material or physical, that there are no such things as spiritual entities or realities. Philosophical materialism is necessarily atheistic.
Ok. But what you are describing is not the typical “creationist” way of going about things and it most certainly is not the “intelligent design” way of going about things either.
Perhaps among the rank and file that is true. Even here, those who have an opinion mostly don’t have a strong one. Recently a young woman sent a really great letter to the editor asking adults to quit being this way because most people aren’t so fanatic.Ok. But what you are describing is not the typical “creationist” way of going about things and it most certainly is not the “intelligent design” way of going about things either.
This is fairly isolated. Maybe such are all in Kansas.