Re: Challenges to teaching biology

I entirely agree with David's comments about the absence of religious
neutrality in jurisprudence concerning the first amendment, and about how
this impacts the teaching of origins in our public schools. This is the
number one reason why, IMO, the origins issue is not going to disappear in
my lifetime, regardless of how hard we in the ASA and anyone else works to
help resolve the issues. Public education as we presently define it simply
cannot satisfy many parents--something that satisifes one group will
infuriate another, e.g.--and in a democracy (or a republic with democratic
principles) education has to be perceived as being responsive to parental
concerns. When received jurisprudence makes it impossible to be responsibe
to many parents, as with this issue, then something has to give. If the
courts won't give, and the ACLU won't give, then ultimately parents won't
give--that is, they won't give tax dollars to public education in the long
run. If we can't find a new box, the one we now have will be tossed aside
de facto as this issue continues to fester.

Religion *drives* this issue--including the secular religion of those who
mainly control the educational and scientific establishments. But the First
Amendment--more precisely, its received interpretation in terms of a
Jeffersonian "wall of separation between church and state" rather than a
Madisonian "disestablishment of religion"--is what *shapes* this issue.

We can deal with the issues substantially and effectively at places like
Messiah, where books like the one Keith edited can be and are being used in
classes. We cannot deal with it nearly as effectively in secular public
schools, since "secular" in that context means devoid of serious religious
conversations. We can perhaps deal effectively there with some aspects of
the history and philosophy of science that might help "demythologize"
science while at the same time disarming some creationist objections to
science, but that I'm afraid is as far as one can go in a public school.
It's no secret that Christian education (at least of the Messiah variety) is
superior to secular education, in terms of its breadth and depth, precisely
b/c of our freedom and ability to bring religion fully into the
conversation; but it's also no secret that without significant changes in
what counts as public education, it will continue to be limited to those who
can afford it. And it's getting more expensive all the time.

Ted
Received on Mon Apr 3 16:31:30 2006