Creationism vs Evolution, Equal?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...nt/6549595.stm

For some a battle between science and religion is being fought for the soul of America. The Creationists argue God created the world in six days and want their beliefs given equal status to evolutionary science.

What do you all make of this? Should creationism be given the same status as Evolution? Obviously this goes into if schools should give equal time to creationism?

I have no problems with people believing creationism or it being taught in church but I think its arrogant to assume they should be taught along side evolution or given the same amount of status. Evolution has a lot of evidence and science behind it. Its not simply 'Darwins point of view' anymore, and even when it was it was a point of view backed up by science.

Also what on earth is this about:

"So do bears", says Ken. "But they eat nuts and berries! Remember, before the sin of Adam, the world was perfect. All creatures were vegetarian." One of the dinosaurs lets out a rather contradictory roar.

Dinosaurs were meet eaters and Its pretty clear dinosaurs came before Humans

So, should Creationism be given equal status? Does it belong in the teaching of science and evolution? Is the bible really proof of anything, its a belief but why should it be given the same status as science?

[Angua]

There again they have recently discovered that the nearest modern relatives of the T-Rex are chickens and ostriches

[downquark1]

This begs the question why did god design a vegetarian T-rex that's perfectly adapted for hunting and killing? Did he forsee original sin?

[Russ]

How many times have we had this discussion now?

[Delta Whiskey]

They can have equal status when both sides show equal physical evidence of their respective positions.

DW

Originally Posted by Russ B

How many times have we had this discussion now?

We've had Religion, Not so much about if they should be given equal status. Although we may have had the school one. Still better than the daily posting of why immigrants are cheating us topics.

[Mr Angry]

Originally Posted by downquark1

This begs the question why did god design a vegetarian T-rex that's perfectly adapted for hunting and killing? Did he forsee original sin?

It also begs the question that if he wanted us all to be vegetarians then why did he make all the animals out of meat?

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by Russ B

How many times have we had this discussion now?

[Xaccers]

Originally Posted by Russ B

How many times have we had this discussion now?

28.34 times I think.

[Ramrod]

I am a Pastafarian and a believer in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and I demand that my beliefs are given equal status alongside other unproven theories in schools!

Also, I am a believer in a small china teapot orbiting between Earth and Mars link

If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is an intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time.........The reason organized religion merits outright hostility is that, unlike belief in Russell's teapot, religion is powerful, influential, tax-exempt and systematically passed on to children too young to defend themselves. Children are not compelled to spend their formative years memorizing loony books about teapots. Government-subsidized schools don't exclude children whose parents prefer the wrong shape of teapot. Teapot-believers don't stone teapot-unbelievers, teapot-apostates, teapot-heretics and teapot-blasphemers to death. Mothers don't warn their sons off marrying teapot-shiksas whose parents believe in three teapots rather than one. People who put the milk in first don't kneecap those who put the tea in first.

.......and this is why, in our household, God is on an equal footing to Amon-Ra, Thoth, Thor, the bogeyman, Santa Clause and the tooth fairy.......Encyclopedia Mythica for further reading

Originally Posted by Xaccers

28.34 times I think.

I thought pi was 3.142 etc

These discussions can never achieve more than people describing their own 'take' on how we interpret 'suddenly' finding ourselves living here.

- i.e I wasn't born with any previous memory that I can detect, I was just here, so whether the universe we can see was created over billions of years, or the last 10 thousand, is purely down to how we interpret the data - and there are new data coming in all the time...

However, in order to form an opinion, it must be possible to access the interpretation of that data on both sides of the debate - so in that respect I believe both scenarios should be discussed in teaching the concept of 'where we come from' ?

However, imo, one should not be promoted over the other, let people make up their own minds, but not in a way that assumes any other opinion thus becomes 'wrong'.

Jedi Knight. This isn't the thread you are looking for..........

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by homealone

so whether the universe we can see was created over billions of years, or the last 10 thousand, is purely down to how we interpret the data - and there are new data coming in all the time...

Surely that depends on whether you are a true christian or muslim believer or not?

[BBKing]

Should creationism be given the same status as Evolution?

Nope. Should dog droppings be given the same status as gold bullion?*

These discussions can never achieve more than people describing their own 'take' on how we interpret 'suddenly' finding ourselves living here.

They also provide a useful clue as to whether people are capable of a degree of rational thought, of course. In the case of the UK, I'm not too worried, we always come high up the list of developed countries when it comes to accepting science over myth, as befits our status as a powerhouse of scientific excellence (I give you Charles Darwin as Exhibit A).

No prizes for guessing who came bottom, yes, Turkey (what, you expected the USA? They're second bottom. Rah, rah).

P.S. FSM rocks - *high five Ramrod*

* More sensibly, since creationism is an excellent religious belief but a lousy scientific theory (because it isn't one) and evolutionary biology is an excellent scientific theory but a lousy religious belief (because it's boringly material and tiresomely fact-based), the point of establishing any notional 'equality' between them is, at best, moot.

Originally Posted by homealone

I thought pi was 3.142 etc

These discussions can never achieve more than people describing their own 'take' on how we interpret 'suddenly' finding ourselves living here.

- i.e I wasn't born with any previous memory that I can detect, I was just here, so whether the universe we can see was created over billions of years, or the last 10 thousand, is purely down to how we interpret the data - and there are new data coming in all the time...

However, in order to form an opinion, it must be possible to access the interpretation of that data on both sides of the debate - so in that respect I believe both scenarios should be discussed in teaching the concept of 'where we come from' ?

However, imo, one should not be promoted over the other, let people make up their own minds, but not in a way that assumes any other opinion thus becomes 'wrong'.

One is science though, thats why its taught in schools. Why should schools appease a religion by teaching their version of events? I dont see why people are sensitive to this, religion is a belief and not a fact you cant teach people that. They can ever accept the bible/god or not. You cannot teach it as if it has a equal status to science.