Evolution And Its Impact On Students ' Worldview

The Creationism/Evolution Continuum Personal Response Essay In her essay entitled “The Creation/Evolution Continuum,” Biological Anthropologist Dr. Eugenie Scott seeks to dispel the false dichotomy that is often posited between the proverbial “creationists” and “evolutionists” by differentiating the religious, philosophical, and scientific beliefs of several subgroups within this divide. The continuum, as illustrated in the essay, depicts a line separating “Creation” from “Evolution,” marked by eleven distinct viewpoints that are then individually outlined within the essay. The most dogmatic religious and scientific viewpoints occupy the poles of the continuum and represent an inverse relationship between belief in modern science and ancient

In the article “Why should students learn evolution” by Brian J. Alters and Sandra M. Alters, I learned that evolution not only unifies all the areas of science but also permeates into other disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, literature, and the arts. It has had an extensive and expensive impact on human thought. “Evolution explains the why of nature and has practical considerations that affects day-to-day life”( Brain J, 36). For example, we need evolution to understand bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

Through the 1920s, conflicts regarding the teachings of religious values versus Evolution, along with the increasing fight for women’s independence, caused a great deal of tension within America. Prior to the ‘20s schools taught the Bible and Christianity’s principles were stressed. It was in 1925 when Clarence Darrow defended John Scopes, a biology teacher, who was put on trial in the court for teaching the theory of Evolution (Doc C). This document illustrates the dialogue of

In this paper, I will discuss how three influential scholars in this order: Augustine, Aquinas, Galileo, delimit science or the bible and the ways their beliefs overlapped or didn’t.

In Science and Religion: Are They Compatible?, Alvin Plantinga argues that proponents of naturalism, like Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett, tell us that, according to the theory of evolution, neither God nor any other agent has designed or created the living world, and that evolution, therefore, clearly contradicts the central tenant of theistic religion (which Dennett labels “entirely gratuitous fantasy” ). If what these experts say is true and we must understand evolution only in the context of naturalistic, unguided evolution, “then evolutionary theory is deeply incompatible with theistic religion, whether Christian…or Jewish.” However, Plantinga stresses that evolution does not need to be interpreted in this way, and that, because of this, religion does not have to be held in such opposition to science at all. Christian and Jewish doctrines require only that “God intended to create creatures of a certain kind…planned that there be creatures of that kind…and acted in such a way as to accomplish this intention,” and such a claim is clearly consistent with evolutionary theory in that naturalism is not a necessary requirement of the theory itself. In this paper I will explore the positions of the Jewish faith with respect to the question of evolutionary theory, and, more explicitly, will draw comparisons between Judaism and Christianity to investigate whether popular religion is as staunchly opposed to evolutionary theory as Dawkins and Dennett propose. If the work of

On March 13, 1925 the state of Tennessee passed the Butler Act. This law prohibited teaching the Theory of Evolution in Tennessee public schools. Any teacher who taught a theory that denied the story of the Divine Creation would be punished by a fine. The American Civil Liberties Union offered legal defense to any Tennessee teacher who would break the law and fight it in court. John Thomas Scopes was a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, and he intentionally taught his class about the theory of evolution, which led to his arrest and trial.

The debate over teaching evolution in public schools is not new at all but the debate has been elevated through the media over the past few years. Conservative Christians and other conservatives serving on school boards (particularly in the South) have been insisting that if schools are going to buy textbooks that have evolution chapters then they should also have a place in that textbook near the evolution chapter for creationism. Progressives and scholars that understand the scientific basis for evolution argue that there's nothing wrong with putting creationism or "intelligent design" in textbooks but that subject is not science-based and therefore should be published in the "religion" chapter (if there is one). Should evolution be taught in public schools? The answer is yes, most certainly; to ignore evolution is to deprive public school students of some of the most important knowledge relating to our planet and our society. Scientific ignorance is unacceptable in a country that calls itself the "greatest nation on earth."

In L. Russ Bush’s Christian apologetic work, The Advancement: Keeping the Faith in an Evolutionary Age, he details the development and apparent fallacy associated with the modern naturalist worldview. Bush, a professor at Southeast Baptist Theological Seminary, focuses on the idea of inevitable progression within the modern worldview and provides an overview of this view’s promulgation within epistemology. Bush asserts

John Scopes was born on August 3, 1900, in Paducah, Kentucky. In 1924 he started to teach at Rhea County Central High School in Dayton, Tennessee. At that time there was a national debate about whether evolution should be taught in schools. It was then later decided that evolution would not be taught in publicly funded schools. The American Civil Liberties Union thought differently and wanted to challenge the Butler Act. John Scopes volunteered to be tried under this new law. He admitted to using a textbook that contained evolution while serving as a substitute biology teacher. He wanted to stand up for academic freedom. He once said, “What goes on in the classroom is up to the student and the teacher. Once you introduce the power of the state telling what you can and cannot do you’ve become involved in propaganda.” John Scopes was found guilty, but his conviction was later overturned.

Too much of the Christian worldview’s attention is focused on reconciling the Bible with science and archaeological discoveries when it should be focused on redemption. The theme of the Bible could be summarized into four categories Creation,

With the rise of modern science over the centuries came a vigorous attack on Christian theology; most universally recognized is Darwin’s theory of evolution. Although it has been taught throughout schools across the country since the 1960’s, recent legislature entitled “academic freedom” bills has encouraged skepticism of Darwin’s theory due to the inherent contradictions of it. Still, some people challenge Christianity on the basis of a lack of evidence, yet they’ll turn to theories of evolution which lack empirical support without enquiry.

Understanding the book requires a semi-vast knowledge of vocabulary and laws, and is clearly intended for an audience that has studied the subject of Christianity versus Evolution before.

During the Middle Ages, the relationship between science and religion was central to the ability of intellectuals to pursue the natural sciences. Without approval from their religious leaders, the great thinkers of the Middle Ages were unable to make any large strides in natural philosophy. However, this does not mean that the pervasiveness of religion prevented science from thriving. Rather, the nature of the relationship between science and religion was wholly dependent on the religion in question. In some cases, such as in Christianity, science was given a comparably more sympathetic environment in which to grow and develop. Due to the necessity of a class of men who were both theologians and natural philosophers in Christian societies,

Ted goes into both sides of the argument, speaking from a scientist point of view and also from a christian point of view. He said "Some Christians claim that to believe in the theory of evolution is un-Christian. Correspondingly, some scientists believe that to be religious is to be unscientific." Ted believes neither of those statements are true, he thinks you can accept and believe in both. You can believe that it was gods plan to use evolution to create life. He says the supporters of intelligent design are having conflict over what should be taught in public schools in terms of science. Teaching Darwinism in public schools is the standard, but supporters of intelligent design think, in order to be a Christian you have to oppose Darwinism.

Alfred White once said, “Every new idea is crazy at first.” This quote relates to my topic because evolution was once a crazy, new idea. I believe that evolution should be taught in schools. By introducing evolution, it shows that there is more than one opinion on how the earth came to be. Also, teaching evolution is not saying that humans come from monkeys, it's defined as a change over time. Lastly, many students are curious about evolution, and they want to learn more about it in depth.