Posted on 08/28/2012 3:39:34 AM PDT by rickmichaels
Scientist and children’s television personality Bill Nye, in a newly released online video, panned biblical creationism and implored American parents who reject the scientific theory of evolution not to teach their beliefs to their youngsters.
“I say to the grownups, ’If you want to deny evolution and live in your world that’s completely inconsistent with everything we’ve observed in the universe that’s fine. But don’t make your kids do it,’” said Nye, best known as host of the educational TV series “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
The video, titled “Creationism Is Not Appropriate for Children,” was posted on Thursday by the online knowledge forum Big Think to YouTube and had netted more than 1.3 million views as of Monday.
In it Nye said widespread public doubt in the scientific concept of evolution — which holds that human beings and all other forms of life developed from a process of random genetic mutation and natural selection — would hinder a country long renowned for its innovation, intellectual capital and a general grasp of science.
“When you have a portion of the population that doesn’t believe in (evolution) it holds everybody back, really,” he said.
According to a Gallup poll that surveyed 1,012 adults in May, 46 percent of Americans can be described as creationists for believing that God created humans in their present form at some point within the last 10,000 years.
Education advocates have argued for decades over what children should be taught in public schools in regard to the formation of the universe, life and humans.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that requiring biblical creation to be taught in public schools alongside evolution was unconstitutional as a violation of the First Amendment separation between church and state.
In April, a law was passed that protects teachers in Tennessee who wish to critique or analyze what they view as the scientific weaknesses of evolution, making it the second state, after Louisiana, to enable teachers to more easily espouse alternatives to evolution in the classroom.
Nye said that while many adults may believe in creationism, children should be taught evolution in order to understand science. Absent a grasp of evolution, he said, “You’re just not going to get the right answers.” And he called evolution the “fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology.”
Teaching children the building blocks of science is essential for the country’s future, he added, saying, “We need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future.”
Nye’s popular show, produced by Disney’s Buena Vista Television, aired from September 1993 to June 1998 on PBS and was also syndicated to local television stations.
So, we are to take child rearing advice from someone who has no kids, has never raised kids and can only stay married very briefly.... ok, that will work, NOT!
Yet so many scientists I have read over the many years I’ve been on this planet say that science reinforces their belief in creationism. Go figure!
I know of a life long school science teacher who started out as a militant atheist many years ago, but actually became a Christian as a result of trying to disprove God. He later made a life ministry out of apologetics work.
I don’t know what Nye is bitching about
Our govt schools and institutions are shrines to Darwinism
The Smithsonian Museum, our “national” natural history umusuem, is a one-sided exhibit to ape-ism
Raising children to be “scientifically literate taxpayers” sounds like good little robots, doesn’t it? What a rewarding life
Our govt schools and institutions are shrines to Darwinism
The Smithsonian Museum, our “national” natural history museum, is a one-sided exhibit to ape-ism
Raising children to be “scientifically literate taxpayers” sounds like good little robots, doesn't it? What a rewarding life
That pattern worked for him, right? He would not have the public voice that he has if he were to deny the Liberal gods.
The details are beyond all of us, and thus no one who is intellectually honest and sufficiently thoughtful would be smug about what we know, and what we understand scientifically. The fossil record is intriguing, and yes there were dinosaurs and human predecessors, but how does any of that answer the question ‘why do we or anything exist’?
To believe that the totality of the known universe ‘just happened’ and that there is no ‘meaning’ to anything is as intellectually vacuous as any position one could possibly hold. It is, in essence, more anti-intellectual than the most ardent opponent of evolution could ever be legitimately accused of, but it is nonetheless the position that many ‘intellectuals’ hold.
Bill, from someone who worked 14+ years in newborn ICU, every mutation I ever saw was bad. Guess how many fingers I’m holding up and which one.
In it Nye said widespread public doubt in the scientific concept of evolution — which holds that human beings and all other forms of life developed from a process of random genetic mutation and natural selection — would hinder a country long renowned for its innovation, intellectual capital and a general grasp of science.
Well Bill we (America) got to be the greatest Nation in the world with a steady belief in God and if we want to continue to be the best Nation, I think we had netter make sure out children understand how we got here.
Probably a rainbow soldier.
LLS
Actually, it holds that all life evolved from a universal common ancestor. A belief that has a mathematical possibility of roughly one in infinity (see Infinite Monkey Theorem)
I know of a life long school science teacher who started out as a militant atheist many years ago, but actually became a Christian as a result of trying to disprove God.
While I wouldn't characterize myself as a militant atheist or trying to disprove the existence of God, after completing a biology degree, it became obvious to me that there is A Creator.
Neversaw his show.
It’s amazing that people think they know better than the Bible.
The pride involved is one thing.
These people are usually remarkably boring.
We like Alton Brown’s “Good Eats” in our house. He puts science to good use and he is very amusing.
And he doesn’t seem to think his popularity is cause to announce his world view.
Mind your own business, turkey.
Galileo, the most profound philosopher of his age, when questioned by the Roman Inquisition as to his belief in the existence of God, replied, pointing to a straw on the floor of his dungeon, that from the structure of that object alone he would infer with certainty the existence of an intelligent Creator.
—Rev. Walter Baxendale, 1888
Dictionary of anecdote, incident, illustrative fact, Page 259
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Let's see, who should we believe..... Bill Nye or Galileo?
Bill needs to stay tending his veggie patch:
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/zap-billnyerestrainingorder,0,1210986.story
A lot of what passes for “science education” on PBS appears to me to be little more than indocrination of children to respect authority, which at its base, is the antithesis of science.
“The Universe is very, very old. We know this because very smart people say so.” Which conditions you to accept dogma about Wal*Mart and Obama from your teachers.
Also: Galileo got into a dust up with the Church. Galileo was no more correct scientifically than the church, but ignore that and claim he had The Truth, which Proves that Very Smart People (i.e., teachers) know more than religous leaders, about everything.
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