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From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: Education of creationists' child
Message-ID: <1248@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Dec-84 17:29:48 EST
Article-I.D.: dciem.1248
Posted: Tue Dec  4 17:29:48 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Dec-84 20:44:25 EST
References: <1236@dciem.UUCP> 
Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 46
Summary: 


================
This whole discussion concerning the education of creationists' children is
absurd.  It is based upon a false premise: that creationists do not want their
children to hear about evolution.  On the contrary, creationists want their
children to hear *both sides*, feeling that students are intelligent enough
to make up their own minds in favor of which model fits the scientific facts
better.  Furthermore, as creationists obviously realize, evolutionary
philosophy dominates our society.  It would be stupid for creationists not to
want to prepare their children for future conficts which must inevitably arise.
To do that, one must know one's opponent.

I have challenged Martin (et al.) to document his slander concerning creation-
ists in net.origins (where this discussion belongs).  He is free to use any
published matterial from the Institute for Creation Research, the Creation
Research Society, the Bible Science Association, or Students for Origins
Research.  Since he has not done so, we can only conclude that his paranoid
fear springs from his own mind, and has no basis in reality.

A. Ray Miller
================
(a) I NEVER suggested that creationists didn't want their children
to learn about evolution, so I suggest that Miller is perhaps using
the same standards of truth in argument that he uses in his newsletters
in net.origins (where this debate does NOT belong). 

(b) I have as yet seen no challenge by Miller in net.origins (which
I do read), and so I couldn't have responded even if I wanted to.

The question of public education, labelled "of creationist's children"
is a political one, and has nothing to do with the creation-evolution
debate.  It is essentially the question raised by C.P.Snow, about
two cultures.  I think we all agree that children should be exposed
to the great literary and artistic heritage of Civilization (though
too few get much exposure).  My point was that they should also be
exposed to enough basic physics and other sciences that they would
not make the kinds of arguments that some creationists on net.origins
have been making.  Creationism is not served by such ignorance any
more than is science.  As for whether creationists all want their
children taught about evolution, I defer to Miller on this point,
and substitute "fundamentalists" for "creationists."
-- 

Martin Taylor
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