Posted on 06/21/2006 8:33:46 AM PDT by PatrickHenry
In a veiled attack on creationism, the world's foremost academies of science on Wednesday called on parents and teachers to provide children with the facts about evolution and the origins of life on Earth.
A declaration signed by 67 national academies of science blasted the scriptural teaching of biology as a potential distortion of young minds.
"In various parts of the world, within science courses taught in certain public systems of education, scientific evidence, data and testable theories about the origins and evolution of life on Earth are being concealed, denied or confused with theories not testable by science," the declaration said.
"We urge decision-makers, teachers and parents to educate all children about the methods and discoveries of science and to foster an understanding of the science of nature.
"Knowledge of the natural world in which they live empowers people to meet human needs and protect the planet."
Citing "evidence-based facts" derived from observation, experiment and neutral assessment, the declaration points to findings that the Universe is between 11 and 15 billion years old, and the Earth was formed about 4.5 billion years ago.
Life on Earth appeared at least 2.5 billion years ago as a result of physical and chemical processes, and evolved into the species that live today.
"Commonalities in the structure of the genetic code of all organisms living today, including humans, clearly indicate their common primordial origin," it said.
The statement does not name any names or religions, nor does it explain why it fears the teaching of evolution or the scientific explanation for the origins of planetary life are being sidelined.
Signatories of the declaration include the US National Academy of Sciences, Britain's Royal Society, the French Academy of Sciences and their counterparts in Canada, China, Germany, Iran, Israel and Japan and elsewhere.
It comes, however, in the context of mounting concern among biologists about the perceived influence of creationism in the United States.
Evangelical Christians there are campaigning hard for schools to teach creationism or downgrade evolution to the status of one of a competing group of theories about the origins of life on Earth.
According to the website Christian Post (www.christianpost.com), an opinion poll conducted in May by Gallop found that 46 percent of Americans believe that God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years or so.
Scientists say hominids emerged around six million years ago and one of their offshoots developed into anatomically modern man, Homo sapiens, about 200,000 years ago, although the timings of both events are fiercely debated.
Nearly every religion offers an explanation as to how life began on Earth.
Fundamentalist Christians insist on a literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis in the Bible, in which God made the world in seven days, culminating in the creation of the first two humans, Adam and Eve.
A variation of this is called "intelligent design" which acknowledges evolution but claims that genetic mutations are guided by God's hand rather than by Charles Darwin's process of natural selection.
US President George W. Bush said last August that he believed in this concept and that he supported its teaching in American schools.
The academies' statement says that science does not seek to offer judgements of value or morality, and acknowledges limitations in current knowledge.
"Science is open-ended and subject to correction and expansion as new theoretical and empirical understanding emerges," it adds.
"I've felt God's presence and seen his impact on my life and that of others."
Good. The next time you are feeling God's presence, could you ask him if he could stop some poor 4 year old from being anally raped, and murdered with a brick up side the skull? I've always thought that if God talks to certain people every day, they could at least ask that he do something about some poor innocent child being hurt by some monster. Anyone who can ZAP the whole universe into existence in six days, or who can stop time so one Army can have the advantage to kill another Army, certainly has the power to stop the abuse of innocent children. A whole lot of people feel God's presence until something hideous happens to one of their family. Then you have to wonder....
I love those claims that evolution is a religion but ID is a science. Its rather sad when folks think they have to stretch the truth that way.
My friend, I did not write what you are responding to. That was quoted from another message. You're talking to the wrong guy.
It's rather sad they consider "religion" to be an epithet.
That's because ALL religions ARE bad.
Except one.
Mine.
"Which has little to do with evolution,"
Has a lot to do with evolution.
Evolutionist believe we are nothing but animals. But then they also believe we are so advanced that we are ruled entirely by reason and discussion.
And that's just here on these threads!
High School.
Our Jr Hi science in that day was pretty general.
Yes, my early text books referred to light bending in a prism. Turns out light doesn't bend in a prism. It slows down as it enters another medium. Darn, wrong explanation AGAIN! It doesn't slow down!
You can believe in God, and still believe the theory of evolution is correct. Lot's of people do; they're not mutually exclusive.
Of course you are only referring to the good, not the bad and the ugly, right?
So, those words may suffer from translation issues, but the word "day" couldn't have?
Where is the error?
"You can believe in God, and still believe the theory of evolution is correct. Lot's of people do; they're not mutually exclusive."
I used to believe that. Not anymore but its a detail and not as important as the first part.
"Of course you are only referring to the good, not the bad and the ugly, right?"
What has God done that is bad or ugly?
Dan Rather, are you posting here now?
The correct statement is that ID is theology in the closet.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.