Sixteen percent of all U.S. science teachers are creationists, according to a recent national survey.
In one of the most authoritative studies ever carried out, the results revealed that creationism – despite being challenged and dismissed by courts as an unconstitutional endorsement of religion – continues to be a staple in many science classrooms.
Michael Berkman, a political scientist at Pennsylvania State University in University Park and who conducted the survey with a group of colleagues, said that teachers, ultimately, held the final word when it comes to what is taught in the classroom.
"Ultimately, they are the ones who carry it out," Berkman explained to ABC News.
While a majority of the nearly 1,000 teachers surveyed in the poll said that they spent at least three to 10 hours of classroom hours covering evolution, a quarter of all teachers also said they covered creationism and intelligent design – about half of whom said that they believed it was a "valid, scientific alternative to Darwinian explanations for the origin of species.”
Two percent of all teachers said evolution was not covered at all in their classrooms.
An examination of the survey results also revealed that 16 percent of all U.S. science teachers said they believed God had created human beings and the earth within the last 10,000 years.
The release of the recent survey results comes at a time when evolution has been increasingly scrutinized, challenged, and debated throughout many schools.
Many public school teachers and students who share views contradicting or challenging the tenets of Darwinism in the classroom claim they have been marginalized, discriminated, or ostracized.
In response, Louisiana, Missouri, Alabama, and Michigan have been prompted to pass a series of “Academic Freedom” bills.
Lawmakers say that the bills would guarantee the freedom of teachers and students to examine and challenge the tenets of Darwinism in classrooms without fear of reprisal.
“What these bills seek to do is to restore Charles Darwin’s approach to teaching evolution – to teach it in a balanced, objective fashion,” explained Casey Luskin, an attorney with the pro-intelligent design Discovery Institute, in a statement.
Comments
viking, the story of Abraham is shared by Paul in allegory form, but it doesn't change the fact that Sarah had Isaac and that Hagar had Ishmael so how do you make that say we can't take the Creation story as presented in the Book of Genesis literally. Especially since both Paul and Christ refer to God as the Creator and no New Testament writer to include Christ ever questions the Creation story as presented in the Book of Genesis.
viking, the Old Testament contains the Law it is not only the Law. Paul was not negating the teaching or truths of the Old Testament he was dealing with those who were saying believers still had to adhere to the requirments of the Law that had been both fulfilled and were no longer necessary as a result of the work of Christ on Calvary. Christ and Paul constantly referred to both the teachings and truths of the Old Testament, neither of them ever did away with the Old Testament. Truth is truth and I and many other believers believe that the Bible both Old and New Testament alike is the inerrant, plenary, Word of God.
Sorry nbeliever post was a little long
5:5 For we, through the Spirit, by faith wait for the hope of righteousness. 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.
In humility I put forth that Paul himself that the Genesis presentation of Abraham's wives and children is given to us not as literal history but as allegory to help us understand spirtiual truth not the natural world. In fact this is how the vast majority of Christians Theologians from Augustine through Thomas Aquinas and up to the present day have understood Genesis.
Further we must understand the OT this way in order to accept the teachings of Christ when he refers to himself as the cornerstone rejected. An old testament literalist is required to believe that Christ was saying that he was a piece of rock.
I believe that the OT literalists of today are seeking to live under the "law" and thus they spend much of their time arguing over the OT rather than spreading the good news.
Believer thank you for your response,
As a brother in Christ I write. Let me address Paul last.
First I agree with you when you say.
"Christ did not speak to a lot of issues while on earth, His primary mission was to come and save us from our sins" and is not our Commission to live in conformance with Christs teachings and by our words and acts to spread the good news of redemption and liberty from sin and from the "Law". This is my point exactly. Should not we as Christians be focusing on our commission under the new covenant.
4:21 Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, don’t you listen to the law? 4:22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the free woman. 4:23 However, the son by the handmaid was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise. 4:24 These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. 4:25 For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. 4:26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 4:27 For it is written,
“Rejoice, you barren who don’t bear.
Break forth and shout, you that don’t travail.
For more are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband.”*
4:28 Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 4:29 But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 4:30 However what does the Scripture say? “Throw out the handmaid and her son, for the son of the handmaid will not inherit with the son of the free woman.”* 4:31 So then, brothers, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the free woman.
5:1 Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don’t be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 5:2 Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing. 5:3 Yes, I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 5:4 You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace. 5:5 For we, through the Spirit, by faith wait for the hope of righteousness. 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love. 5
Viking, in Mark 13:19 there should be a "not" between has and happened it was speaking to future tribulation that will be the most severe tribulation the world has ever experienced.
In fact if you'll read Romans 1:25, Paul writes "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, whi is blessed forever, Amen." You are 100% correct when you Christ said nothing about evolution, but what is your point because some could say since He didn't then it must not be true and especially since He says in Mark 13:19, "...the kind that has happened since the beginning of the world, which God created,...", Christ did not speak to a lot of issues while on earth, His primary mission was to come and save us from our sins and the other issues He dealt with were pertinent to that time in mainly Jewish history, culture, tradition, and religion His not talking to an issue doesn't either condone it or negate it, it simply means He did not speak to that issue it simply was not pertinent to His mission.
Viking, please enlighten us as how Paul in Galatians teaches that we are to interpret Genesis figuratively and not literally when it comes to the historic facts taught in Genesis. In Galatia a group of Judaizers was telling new believers that Christ alone wasn't sufficient for salvation must that they must also adhere to Jewish law and specifically for the men circumcision he told them that faith/trust in Christ alone was sufficient, that Christ had fulfilled the Law, and that no one who is saved Jew or Gentile is under the Law, but no where does he tell that church or any church to take the historic facts taught in Genesis figuratively and not literally. (cont,)
igh, as a brother in Christ I would not dispute your last two posts however I would ask how being a disciple of Christ charged with spreading the Good News of redemption from sin and living under grace in any way bears on the issue of sciences understanding of evolution. Again I find no teachings by Christ in any of the gospels on the subject of evolution. Further in direct repudiation of the idea that we are required as Christians to believe that the OT is literal physical truth rather than spiritual truth I would refer you to Paul's letter to the Gallatians in which he explicitly interprets Genesis Figuratively as allegory and chastises the church members for seeking to "live under the law" using the OT as authority to guide their lives rather than living in the liberation of God's grace through Christ.
all God's children should be keepers of the Truth because God lives in you. willing to defend the Faith With Scripture, Just like Jesus did. Truth against Lies. Truth always wins , when light shines the darkness runs! Satan and man make many accusations against God and his Son but Jesus fully manifested his Father on earth, left nothing out, so all can see the Father. All accusations have been proven false and not valid! God is Righteous and satan and mans attacks are worthless.
Despite extensive searching of the Gospels I am unable to find any teaching of Christ's on Darwin's origin of species. Also I found nothing in the gospels where Christ seeks to prove the existence of God. It seems to me that not only is the pursuit of "scientific" evidence for God (ID) a enormous waste of time and inherently doomed to failure (since Science by definition deals with NATURAL phenomena and NATURAL causes and God by definition is supernatural) it is also fully inconsistent with the manner and teachings of Christ. One even wonders seriously if this vanity is what Christ spoke of when he discusses the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit. Is it not the Spirit of god living within us as C.S. Lewis so well describes in "Miracles" which informs us of the truth of Christss revelation. Is not chasing after other "proofs" of god and his covenant a repudiation of this new spirit which is to live within us.
Jesus rocks the whole wide world baby!! :D
HEY SATAN, CANT TOUCH THIS!! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOO
wasnt 'inherit the wind' a documentary? LOL no way hosey!!! its typical of the evil-ution mindset to destroy the faith of many. While they do not enter into life and try to hinder as many as possible who are Saved from entering into eternal life. Typical satanic attacks. Lies, manipulations , distortions of the Holy Word for there own gain.
1Corinthians 1:25 For what seems to be God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God's weakness is stronger than human strength.
1Corinthians 1:26 Now remember what you were, my friends, when God called you. From the human point of view few of you were wise or powerful or of high social standing.
1Corinthians 1:27 God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise, and he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful.
1Corinthians 1:28 He chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important.
end, I agree that death for a Christian is good news not bad news because we are going home to be with God for the rest of eternity, but death was never God's idea or plan, death both physical and spiritual is the result of the sins of all mankind and that was the point I was trying to make to ifeelfine is that prior to the sin of Adam and Eve there was no death or destruction everything was perfect and when we get to heaven they will be perfect again.
Darwins theory is just that a theory. Why is it taught as truth? Lies taught as truth, that is brainwashing! They should teach it as it is, a theory. Also, sorry for all people who feel they are descendants of a monkey. I believe I'm created by God!
Re: Believer: Remember that with God there is no death. Man is subject to death of the physical body and God gets to decide who goes home and who stays. When God causes the physical death of his people, their mortal probation has ended. They come home! Earth wasn't our first home! What God doesn't like is when men decide to send people home prematurely that is why the command, "Thou shalt not kill". Those persons are separated from God for their choice. There is always consequences to choices. Whether those consequences are good or whether they are bad.
ifeelfine, my apologies. working from my phone w/o my Bible. I thought v19 was the one about despising what God said thru His prophets (like Moses) but skipped that one + backed up another verse. I try not to disabey either command. So what about v20? How does disregarding what God said thru Moses in favor of evolution square with 5:20?