As a homeschooling parent, I am on the PBS mailing list, and I received the "teaching" guide. I'll see if I can find it (might have thrown it away in a fit of anger) but from what I remember, it did have a short list of "inconvenient questions" and what teachers should tell any students bold enough to challenge this "forthright" presentation. I do recall one answer, it went something like this...
"Well you can believe your religion AND evolution at the same time, they are not exclusive of each other"
Hmmmm...Don't know what religion they were talking about, but my religion says that God created the earth in 7 days...that seems to exclude the possibility of evolution over "millions" of years, eh ?
What the presenters of this series don't seem to understand is...
Evolution IS a religion !
I would have done the same thing, but please try to find it. I'd love to see it.
We're homeschooling too. This is reason #26.
Genesis was created three or four thousand years ago for nomadic sheep hearders. It was spread by aural tradition for hundreds of years if not longer before it was eventually written down, reportedly by Moses (not being there at the time I assume thats true).
The purpose of Genesis was to establish that 1) the world was created, it didnt just happen, and 2) it was created by God. In doing so it laid out the sequence of creation and explained creation in a manner appropriate for nomadic tribes with no understanding of science.
Just as you wouldnt talk about quantum theory, valance electrons, and such when teaching a young child about electricity, you wouldnt go into the process of creation with nomadic sheepherders. They wouldnt understand and wouldnt care. The important part was who created the Universe, not how He did it.
Now you may believe that God created the Universe and everything in it in a literal six days. Fine. But Christianity is not harmed and the teaching of Christ and the Apostles are in no way invalidated by accepting certain forms of evolution as God's process of creation. God uses natural processes every day to maintain his universe, why wouldnt he use what appear to be natural processes to create it?
Is Evolution scientifically valid? Some parts seem valid such as within species. I, like you dont buy the theory that Man evolved from Monkeys. Science has never found the missing link to prove that relationship. Just as Genesis has man created separately from the birds, fish and other animals, its posible that man was a separate creation. What I dont buy and what few Americans buy these days is that God literally created the earth in six 24 hour days.
Correction: your denominational affiliation within the religion of Christianity interprets the Bible to indicate that God created the world in 7 24-hour days. Note that nowhere in the Bible is a 24-hour day indicated or defined.
There are many other denominational affiliations, and other ways of interpreting the Bible, particularly the Book of Genesis. Even if we disagree on those interpretations, we all still believe in Christ the Savior. Right?