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Anglican leader opposes creationism in schools
Jackson News-Tribune ^
| 21 March 2006
| Paul Majendie
Posted on 03/21/2006 8:10:55 AM PST by PatrickHenry
The spiritual leader of the worlds Anglicans does not believe that creationism -- the Bible-based account of the worlds origins -- should be taught in schools.
"I dont think it should, actually. No, No," said Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, reflecting on the bitter education debate over religion and science that has so divided the United States in particular.
Williams, head of a church which has no problem with the Darwinian theory of evolution, told the Guardian newspaper: "I think creationism is, in a sense, a kind of category mistake, as if the Bible were a theory, like other theories."
Asked if he was comfortable with the teaching of creationism in schools, the mild-mannered and usually cautious theologian said: "Not very. Not very."
In the battle to bring God into the classroom, Christian conservative supporters of creationism and intelligent design seek to deny or downgrade the importance of evolution.
Intelligent design proponents say that nature is so complex that it must have been the work of a creator rather than the result of random natural selection as outlined in Charles Darwins theory of evolution.
Williams stance echoes the position of the Roman Catholic Church, the worlds largest single Christian denomination, which has weighed into the debate by praising a U.S. court decision that rejected the intelligent design theory as non-scientific.
Catholicism, which has never rejected evolution, teaches that God created the world and the natural laws by which life developed.
British businessman Peter Vardy has funded schools in northern England that came under attack for teaching creationism in biology classes.
But the creationist movement has certainly not taken hold as strongly in Britain as it has in the United States.
"Religion has become politicized in America. That is not the case here. This is not a major issue," religious commentator and broadcaster Clifford Longley told Reuters.
"There is no intellectual credibility given to creationism in this country. There is no parallel between English evangelicals and American evangelicals.
"When I wrote an article saying there were no creationists in Britain, they both wrote to me."
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: crevolist; heretic; rowanwilliams; scienceeducation
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To: RoadTest
So many nominal Christians are getting suckered into anti-God cults like Evolution, and Reincarnation. By the time they find out the truth it will be too late for them. Do you mean that if somebody accepts evolution, he will go to Hell when he dies?
To: PatrickHenry
What about the Anglican primates?
To: Physicist
By Gad, I think you've got it.
To: Physicist
Well, I'll be there to greet you :-)
To: Gay State Conservative
It surely doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that today's "leaders" of many of the mainstream Christian (and,I suspect,Jewish) denominations are,in fact,atheists.
That's a hilarious statement...and it's ridiculous too. I'd like to see you try to substantiate this and name names.
25
posted on
03/21/2006 9:12:04 AM PST
by
ml1954
To: furball4paws
Becareful, the evil overlord Xenu may sue you!
26
posted on
03/21/2006 9:14:36 AM PST
by
doc30
(Democrats are to morals what and Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
To: PatrickHenry
"When I wrote an article saying there were no creationists in Britain, they both wrote to me." Actually, there are three, but one can't write.
27
posted on
03/21/2006 9:20:39 AM PST
by
VadeRetro
(I have the updated "Your brain on creationism" on my homepage.)
To: Gay State Conservative; Zeroisanumber
"Sorry,can't argue matters of religion with an atheist."If you watch the video linked to in this post, you'll see the exact same comment made by GSC in here, being made by a guy wearing a black hat.
Funny how religions stick together.
28
posted on
03/21/2006 9:23:53 AM PST
by
Luis Gonzalez
(Some people see the world as they would want it to be, effective people see the world as it is.)
To: Gay State Conservative
So, if you accept the scientific validity of evolution, you are, perforce, an atheist?
29
posted on
03/21/2006 9:24:34 AM PST
by
Junior
(Identical fecal matter, alternate diurnal period)
To: Gay State Conservative
"Sorry,can't argue matters of religion with an atheist."So your ministry addresses only those who need no ministering?
30
posted on
03/21/2006 9:25:53 AM PST
by
Luis Gonzalez
(Some people see the world as they would want it to be, effective people see the world as it is.)
To: Junior
So, if you accept the scientific validity of evolution, you are, perforce, an atheist?Nope,not necessarily.
To: PatrickHenry
But it's nonsensical.
It's a common position among liberal church pastors and leaders who, despite all the trappings, probably don't read the Bible.
Actually, I think this underscores how creationists associate evolutionists with liberals. Not even counting the number of libs pushing evolution as a way to discredit Christianity, evolution is generally something that a great number of 'Christians' who think they're Christians because they go to church on Sunday (but subsequently act like the devil Monday through Saturday) tend to support. Rowan Williams is a good example of this. He's involved in druidism and paganism, which suggests he doesn't really believe the things in the Bible, or more likely, he wants the Bible to say something else so he ignores the parts of it that are inconvenient for him.
Don't get me wrong. There are some on fire Christians who accept evolution. But there are very, very few athiestic church attenders who call themselves Christians that subscribe to creationism and almost all of these accept evolution. It's not a two-way correlation (can't remember the term for that; it's been a few years since prob & stat back in the dark ages when I was a freshman in college).
I tend to think your personal motives aren't political. But it is an objective fact that the left is using evolution as a club against the church. Combine that with the fact that evos won't allow discussion of anything that might suggest something other than evolution in a school. It really leaves evos looking like left-wing nanny staters. And in many cases, it's true.
32
posted on
03/21/2006 9:30:46 AM PST
by
JamesP81
To: Gay State Conservative
Sorry,can't argue matters of religion with an atheist.Other matters,sure....but not religion. Many of the fundamentalists here claim that atheism is a religion. If that is the case, shouldn't atheists be able to argue matters of religion?
33
posted on
03/21/2006 9:31:32 AM PST
by
Junior
(Identical fecal matter, alternate diurnal period)
To: Physicist
Do you mean that if somebody accepts evolution, he will go to Hell when he dies? Compared to spending eternity in a Heaven filled with gloating True Christians, it looks like another reason to Accept Darwin
34
posted on
03/21/2006 9:33:37 AM PST
by
Oztrich Boy
("If you go out there with an innocent heart, you're eaten." - David Attenborough)
To: Gay State Conservative
Then why did you make the comment you did?
35
posted on
03/21/2006 9:35:38 AM PST
by
Junior
(Identical fecal matter, alternate diurnal period)
To: JamesP81
"But it is an objective fact that the left is using evolution as a club against the church."
"Truth is great and will prevail if left to herself." -- Thomas Jefferson
"Combine that with the fact that evos won't allow discussion of anything that might suggest something other than evolution in a school."
Why on Earth would you want to give the School boards, the NEA, and secular teachers in general the ability to posit Biblical Creation as a theory, rather than a truth, to school children?
That's going backward.
36
posted on
03/21/2006 9:39:21 AM PST
by
Luis Gonzalez
(Some people see the world as they would want it to be, effective people see the world as it is.)
To: JamesP81
But it is an objective fact that the left is using evolution as a club against the church. Yeah: look at all the lawsuits the Darwinists have filed, clamoring to get Darwinism presented alongside the sermons at local churches.
37
posted on
03/21/2006 9:45:00 AM PST
by
blowfish
To: JamesP81
"Before you jump in with both feet, there's some things you need to know about Dr Rowan Williams. "He's a flaming left-winger. He supports the homosexual agenda. He favors palestinians more than Israelis. He's very pro-UN. There is not a liberal cause he's met that he didn't like.
"So know that you are associating yourself with a flaming liberal before you dig in too deep.
What does any of the above have to do with the issue at hand?
This is nothing but an attempt to 'poison the well'; not a very good argument.
38
posted on
03/21/2006 10:02:16 AM PST
by
b_sharp
(Unfortunately there is not enough room left here for a tagline.)
To: Junior
Bald is a hair color, too.
39
posted on
03/21/2006 10:12:55 AM PST
by
VadeRetro
(I have the updated "Your brain on creationism" on my homepage.)
To: b_sharp
This is nothing but an attempt to 'poison the well'; not a very good argument. Same old Creationists lies misstatements.
40
posted on
03/21/2006 10:14:00 AM PST
by
balrog666
(Irrational beliefs inspire irrational posts.)
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