Obviously, that is part of the grand debate. And even more obviously, the matter will not be resolved on FreeRepublic. But as this poll indicates, there are two generally accepted theories about the origin and development of life on earth. Both remain unproven. Both, by definition remain theories. I would argue that it does not stretch the limits of academic consistency to teach both theories objectively in our schools and let our students decide which sounds more plausible to them.
I see the definition of theory became the focal point last night. If the question is what to include in Science class, shouldn’t “scientific” theory be the measure of inclusion?
What I posted from a recollection of 10th grade Biology looks incomplete. Wikipedia has a pretty succinct description of Scientific Theory under its Theory “ Characteristics” section.
There’s good information on that page under “Science” and “Types of Theories” but the explanations wander around a bit as if they were edited by a committee. (Imagine that from Wikipedia.)