Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt 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 {allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt {uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsrgv!dciem!mmt