Angela sits in her history class. Ms. Lockhart, the history teacher, begins talking about creationism. Ms. Lockhart states, “We are all here today because God created us.” Now, Angela grew up not believing in God, and hearing this upsets her. Angela’s mom asks, “How was your day at school?” “My teacher was telling us that God is the one who brought us into earth.” Angela’s mom becomes furious knowing that they had been teaching her daughter about God. Why did Angela’s mom get mad? One of the most controversial issues in the United States is the teaching of creationism and evolution in public schools.
What is the big deal about teaching evolution and or creationism in school? The Evolution Theory describes change in the properties of populations of organisms that transcend the lifetime of a single individual (Cline), while the Creationism Theory tells that the Earth was created in six days by God, as written in the Bible in the first book of Genesis(Linda). At Shawnee Mission Northwest High School in Shawnee, Kansas, a Gallup poll found that 68 percent of those surveyed favored teaching creationism along with evolution in public schools; 40 percent favored dropping evolution altogether and teaching children only the biblical version of creation. The teachers are taking an effort to teach both theories and let the students choose how they think the world was created (Davis).
The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…(Find)” The First Amendment separates church from state, but church and state always seem to collide. In the Epperson v. Arkansas (1968) court case, a 10th grade biology teacher taught students about evolution from a chapter from a school book, even though, in 1928, the State of Arkansas forbid teachings of mankind evolving from a lower form of animal in schools(Famous). The case ended with with the court deciding that, “The Court does not decide whether the statute is unconstitutionally vague, since, whether it is construed to prohibit explaining the Darwinian Theory or teaching that it is true, the law conflicts with the Establishment Clause" (Thomas). Should the issue of teaching creationism be this controversial? Should we just ban teaching of evolution and creationism from schools?
Some people think that evolution should be banned from school; others think creationism should be banned, and still others think, “Why not let the student choose what to believe?” Should a student have an opinion on what they are being taught in school? I took the initiative to ask students and teachers around Texas State University and John F. Kennedy High School, “What are your opinions on the teaching of evolution and creationism in public school?”
Alexandria Navejar, a freshman at Texas State University, responds to the question by saying, “As a Catholic, I do not have anything against the evolution theory, but it does not make logic sense. The majority of Americans are Christian/Catholic; it makes sense to teach Creationism.” Hallie Johnson, a senior at Texas State University, begs to differ. “I’m an Atheist, and I don’t understand why I have to be taught about the work of ‘God’ if I don’t even believe in one. The Evolution Theory keeps the school out of religion controversies and is based on the theory of science. Let’s just keep religion out of schools.” Ms. Stephanie Woollven, a 10th grade biology teacher at John F. Kennedy, has a different opinion. “I think the students should learn the Evolution and Creationism Theory along with the Big Bang Theory. The students should be exposed to all speculations on how the world may have been created. It is the choice of the student to choose which makes sense to them or goes along with their beliefs.” A Hindu student at John F. Kennedy, Dipen Bhakta, gave his opinion: “I’m Hindu and I don’t in ‘God’ and the whole thing on creationism. I have different beliefs. But to be honest, I do not mind the teaching of the Christian belief on creationism. It informs me on what other religions believe. I would only have a problem if teachers were saying 'This IS the way life was formed!' It amazes me how this topic is so controversial, since I am from a different religion and I don’t have a problem with it being taught in school.” Does the American society overreact on creationism and evolution?
So in the end, the question remains, should the Evolution Theory or Creationism Theory be taught in public schools? This controversial issue has not been resolved and will continue for years to come with the different beliefs in society. The Founding Fathers’ intentions were to separate Church from State, but it seems as though the two will always collide.
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