In Cobb County, Ga., according to a Sept. 27 CNN.com article, the Board of Education instituted a policy that ostensibly adds creationism to the current curriculum. The policy, applauded by many residents and decried by others, is hailed as a victory for those who want an alternative to Darwinism taught in public schools. In reality, this is no more than the institutionalization of religious zealotry.
While it is important to teach all sides and theories to a scientific question, there is little that can be considered scientific about creationism. Furthermore, the addition of creationism creates inequity, as nothing has been said about advancing the creation theories of other religions such as Hinduism, or cultural beliefs, like those held by Native Americans.
This incident in suburban Georgia is the latest symptom of an epidemic that is infecting the country. The religious right is permeating local institutions, such as school boards, in order to spread biased viewpoints, and if they can get away with it, only their viewpoints.
Evolution and Darwinism are both theories, and there is no proof for either of them. The argument for creationism finds new roots in Darwinism's lack of proof. However, the problem with teaching about a supreme being is a constitutional one, not a factual one.
The First Amendment clearly prohibits Congress from making any law on religion. Since the 14th Amendment applies the Bill of Rights to the states, a school board in Georgia is well outside its right to mandate a theological concept from being taught in a school funded by public money.
Should the Cobb Co. school board want to "promote tolerance and acceptance of diversity and opinion," as their statement in the article would suggest, they should offer electives on the traditions and theologies of a variety of cultures and religious philosophies as it pertains to the origin of species, instead of giving equal time in science classrooms to creationism and evolution. This at least would give the schools the opportunity to keep the scientific theories and the religious theories in their own separate contexts. It also affords the students the right to choose whether they want to be exposed to religion in school.
While teaching different ideas and fostering an atmosphere of acceptance and exposure is a positive thing, the Cobb Co. Board of Education is going about this in the wrong way. Pushing religion on students without their consent is dangerous and subversive to the ideals upon which the Constitution is based. The simplicity of instituting creationism as the other option to evolution ignores the widening demographic of the American people.
Religion in public school has been an area of contention for the better part of the last century. Courts have interpreted the law to mean that religious proselytizing is prohibited in public school. If the parents and community members want their students to receive a religious-based education, they should send them to a religious school that teaches creationism.
To truly do justice to alternatives to Darwinism, a school must spend equal time on all the alternatives. It would be counterproductive, in a high school biology class, to spend more time on theology than on science.
Public education must remain independent of religious lobbyists, and in doing so maintain the integrity of the students and the state. Should officials insist on injecting creationism into public school curriculums, then equal attention must be given to theologies that are not as well represented as the Judeo-Christian model.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
