Creationism is Inappropriate for Children

[morningstar2651]

So says Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Bill Nye: Creationism Is Not Appropriate For Children - YouTube

 

[Skaloop]

So says Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Bill Nye: Creationism Is Not Appropriate For Children - YouTube

I don't think it's necessarily inappropriate, anymore than entertaining the idea of Santa Claus for kids is inappropriate. It's false and wrong, but not inappropriate. Until it gets to the the point where kids are learning about real biology; then it's not just inappropriate, it's detrimental.

 

[vortigen84]

So says Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Creationism might be inappropriate for his children.

As for my or anyone else's children, he can shove it.

 

[Skaloop]

Creationism might be inappropriate for his children.

As for my or anyone else's children, he can shove it.

Yes, breeding ignorance is a virtue.

 

[vortigen84]

Yes, breeding ignorance is a virtue.

I could care less for whether it's a virtue, and care more for individual autonomy.

If Johnny doesn't want to go to school and would rather be homeschooled with fundamentalist dogma, and his parents are OK with that, then that should be his right.

 

[Skaloop]

I could care less for whether it's a virtue, and care more for individual autonomy.

If Johnny doesn't want to go to school and would rather be homeschooled with fundamentalist dogma, and his parents are OK with that, then that should be his right.

You can believe falsehoods all you want, but foisting that on your kids does nothing but damage them. It's certainly within your right, I guess, but all you're doing is handicapping your offspring.

Also, telling a renowned scientific teacher to shove it is uber classy.

 

[vortigen84]

You can believe falsehoods all you want, but foisting that on your kids does nothing but damage them. It's certainly within your right, I guess, but all you're doing is handicapping your offspring.

Also, telling a renowned scientific teacher to shove it is uber classy.

Good thing I don't care, then.

 

[Tnmusicman]

I could care less for whether it's a virtue, and care more for individual autonomy.

If Johnny doesn't want to go to school and would rather be homeschooled with fundamentalist dogma, and his parents are OK with that, then that should be his right.

 

[morningstar2651]

Don't feed the troll.

 

[Skaloop]

Good thing I don't care, then.

You don't care about the future welfare of your children (should you have any, now or in the future)?

 

[JustMeSee]

The Book of Genesis is religious text, not science.

One does not have to take it literally.

 

[Tnmusicman]

I could care less for whether it's a virtue, and care more for individual autonomy.

If Johnny doesn't want to go to school and would rather be homeschooled with fundamentalist dogma, and his parents are OK with that, then that should be his right.

 

[acropolis]

I could care less for whether it's a virtue, and care more for individual autonomy.

If Johnny doesn't want to go to school and would rather be homeschooled with fundamentalist dogma, and his parents are OK with that, then that should be his right.

It's never about what the kid wants, but what the parent wants. It's cruel to leave kids so ignorant of science and keep them isolated for ideological purposes.

 

[AceHero]

So says Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Creationism might be inappropriate for his children.

As for my or anyone else's children, he can shove it.

If I ever have a child, I'll teach him/her that God created the universe.

I'll also teach him/her that science is not something to be feared, and that there's no reason God couldn't have the capability to use evolution to bring about the universe.

If Johnny doesn't want to go to school and would rather be homeschooled with fundamentalist dogma, and his parents are OK with that, then that should be his right.

So you agree that creationism is fundamentalist dogma?

 

[Paradoxum]

"You know I get it if people are just looking for a way to fill the holes. But they want the holes. They wanna to live in the holes. And they go nuts when somebody else pours dirt in their holes. CLIMB OUT OF YOUR HOLES, PEOPLE!" ~ House

Just thought it was quite funny.

If Johnny doesn't want to go to school and would rather be homeschooled with fundamentalist dogma, and his parents are OK with that, then that should be his right.

If little Jonny just wants chocolate for dinner everyday and the parents are ok with that, then should that be their right? I call that child abuse.

 

[SithDoughnut]

If Johnny doesn't want to go to school and would rather be homeschooled with fundamentalist dogma, and his parents are OK with that, then that should be his right.

If Johnny wants to go out and try cocaine, and his parents are OK with that, then that should be his right?

Parenting is not a right, it is a responsibility that comes with certain privileges. Abuse the privileges, and you have no right to continue parenting your child. Denying a child a proper education is one of those situations.

 

[AceHero]

If Johnny doesn't want to go to school and would rather be homeschooled with fundamentalist dogma, and his parents are OK with that, then that should be his right.

If Johnny wants to go out and try cocaine, and his parents are OK with that, then that should be his right?

Parenting is not a right, it is a responsibility that comes with certain privileges. Abuse the privileges, and you have no right to continue parenting your child. Denying a child a proper education is one of those situations.

What do you think about homeschooling? The majority of homeschooled people I've known have been taught by very conservative parents who tend to be creationists. Evolution science is covered in the sense that it's taught as being untrue and without merit.

 

[morningstar2651]

What do you think about homeschooling? The majority of homeschooled people I've known have been taught by very conservative parents who tend to be creationists. Evolution science is covered in the sense that it's taught as being untrue and without merit.

Most parents that homeschool their children aren't qualified to teach.

 

[Ukrainia]

It's interesting that Bill Nye uses arguments for spreading evolution similar to those Christians use for their faith.

He approvingly quotes Sagan saying "when you're in love you want to tell the whole world" which isn't far off from what many Biblical authors were saying about why they were talking about Jesus.

He talks about evolution being the most simple of all the explanations for how life got here. Christians make the parellel argument that it's more simple to believe that a purposeful God created intelligent, emotionally complex humanity than it is to believe it came about through purposeless, random chance.

He also talks about how evolution isn't just scientific fact, but also the foundation of a worldview, one that if you don't hold it makes your own worldview "untenable." Christians like to claim that evolutionary thought leads to a nihilistic materialism where appeals to a common morality can no longer hold any actual force.

He also says "we need them" in reference to kids. Nye is speaking about evolution being relevent to voting issues and the formation of public policy and engineering. But this almost sounded a bit ad hoc to me, because evolution plays are small role in the formation of public policy, and I would be confident in suggesting that engineers really don't rely on evolutionary knowledge at all (except in biologically related engineering subfields). Christians too reference the importance of bringing the next generation up in the faith.

I'm a Christian. I believe in evolution. So somewhat I'm sympathetic towards Nye's point of view. However, I think if scientists - atheist, Christian and otherwise - want to spread evolutionary theory they shouldn't insist that accepting evolution means rejecting religious worldviews. Christians wouldn't be so adverse to accepting evolution if they weren't told by both Christians and atheists, that evolution isn't merely a scientific account for how life developed, but the antithesis to any view in which God is included. I think evolution is a means. The sun is a means God uses for light and heat to be shone on the earth. Plants are a means for many things, including human sustinance and oxygen avalability. And evolution was a means for God to create life. Yet for the atheists who don't believe that and have a say in scientific literacy, I'd ask them if it's more important for them to tie evolution to atheism, than it is for a more scientifically literate nation to flourish?

 

[Ukrainia]

Most parents that homeschool their parents aren't qualified to teach.

Not to mention the bizarre social dynamic that homeschooling one's own parents would involve - I'm just imagining little Jimmy grounding his mom and dad for failing to pay attention to his lecture of the competing merits of the newest video games.

(just a little bit of fun due to your typo)