I just read the absolute best blog post ever! It was written by Garry Hayes over at Geotripper and it pertains to the impact of certain groups rejecting evolutionary theory because of their religious belief. As a result, a recent poll in Texas revealed that an appalling amount of students were under the erroneous impression that dinosaurs and humans co-existed. In fact, there is a museum in Texas ran by creationists that actually claims a fossil they have is of human AND dinosaur footprints (together), so this poll does not surprise me. However, I firmly believe religion has no place in the classroom and I have covered this issue in previous posts.
What I love about Garry's post is how he brilliantly presents the issue by turning the tables and giving them what they [Creationists] want. The thought of the earth being 6000 years old has been so preposterous to me that I had never even considered what that actually would mean geologically if one were to entertain the idea. Garry paints a very colorful picture that opens up so many holes that had this creationist-based theory been presented by someone in anything other than a religious venue they would be made a laughingstock. How is it that religion can muddy the waters so much a reasonable person is wont to cry foul? This is why I think it should be taken out of the equation. I am all for anyone practicing whatever religion they see fit in the privacy of their own home, but when I send my child to school I want them to be very clear in the manner of which science is presented. There is no "other" side to the story as far as the science applies, and Garry demonstrates that aspect amazingly in his post. Kudos to you Garry!
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3 comments:
Thanks for the shout-out!
Thanks for the great post. I loved it so much I had to read it to husband as soon as he arrived home!
It's funny. I just returned from the east coast and, oddly, the Smithsonian. Mom's a docent there and has been for 25 years. While lounging in Docent lounge on Friday another one of them came in and got the opportunity to go on and on and on about visiting this Evolution(not) museum in Kentucky where she saw pictures of little girls playing with little dinosaurs. She was hilarious. She is also the one responsible for the new Evolution exhibit. I give the two of them grief by simply expressing how 5 years on a Beagle would drive anyone mad, much less crazy enough to write "Origin of the Species"
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