Minori Hime
I see what you're saying, and I even agree in many respects. You're very right. I would reject many of those hypothetical teachings you mentioned. Especially in the context of a science classroom. But I'm not suggesting that a teaching on creationism take place in a science classroom. I'm not in favor of such a thing. Nor am I in favor of creationism being put into any sort of curriculum.
What I am in favor of is allowing discussion to take place. Views on the origins of life of all sorts, even the one that Celeblin Galadeneryn said about Odin, should be allowed to be discussed.
I'm not asking anything different. However, I don't think this is viable (especially in a [non-elective] high school setting). I don't have serious issues with creationism (and other creation myths that are generally not banded about as being legitimate science) being discussed in a social-studies, humanities, or religious studies class, my only issue there is the (potential, and slight) possibility that they be taught as fact. There is also the issue of limited class time which I think could be better spent.
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If someone brings it up and asks about it, I don't see why not. I don't feel that the discussion should be about CREATION VS EVOLUTION, like a debate.
That...raises other issues. Especially in regards to what you say in a few sentences. I don't think it's possible to talk about creationism, at least not without stepping or some toes, and this is assuming the teacher knows enough about the subject to actually lead/moderate the discussion.
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I feel it should be objective (strictly about what it is) and not represented as fact or fiction. In the same way, if someone asks about alchemy in a class, I don't see why alchemy couldn't be talked about.
Let me put it like this; As a man whose primary career ambition is to teach High School history (and possibly humanities) the closest I can come to an 'objective' account of creationism is 'an intellectually bankrupt collection of long refuted pseudo-hypotheses based primarily, if not solely onChristian dogma that has shown itself to be in direct opposition to observed reality on each and every issue it makes involving empirical claims.' And that's probably going to get me fired.
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I don't see it as being any different from my school days, when an Muslim speaker came to tell us about Islam. I don't feel like speaking about those things makes them what you should believe or come to understand as fact. But speaking about them does create awareness and promote understanding.
I do. Inviting speakers from different cultures/religious backgrounds in to discuss and explain their beliefs is very different form inviting someone in to lecture on one aspect of their belief, who will almost assuredly state it as fact, and in a forum where no one is likely qualified to refute them. It's the difference between bringing in a Hindu speaker and a man who simply wants to lecture on how the universe is cyclical and hundreds of billions of years old.
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