I have to admit to being a bit conflicted on the issue of whether or not to discuss creationism/intelligent design in science classrooms.
If ID/creationism were given the treatment it deserves within the science classroom I don't think the fundamentalist christians would like it. Overall, I think it is best for public schools to just leave it alone. It is in the best interest of public schools to not give religious beliefs a thumping in science class.
Creationism/intelligent design isn't science but was a philosophical position that predated Darwin's theory of natural selection.
I think it would be fine to describe the historical framework that Darwin was working under. Simply saying that most people thought that species were immutable would probably be enough. There would be no need to go into the religious basis for that position.
In teaching evolution at the college level to students, starting off with what Darwin knew and believed at the time of his voyage is key to understanding just how significant his findings were if they caused not only him to shift his beliefs, but a complete paradigm shift globally too.
In the end, if someone wants to teach creationism/intelligent design as some theistically philosophical/religious alternative to evolution, it should be done in a religious studies classroom or a philosophies classroom and include the creation stories and proposed intelligent designers of other religions too.
I agree.
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