On the Origin of Dogma - May 03, 2005

Kansas is set to debate the teaching of evolution in their schools. No, this isn't the 19th century, nor are we back to the days of the Scopes monkey trial. It's still 2005, but some of us have yet to grow beyond our infancy. The Kansas Board of Education intends to conduct a "trial" during a four day hearing on whether Kansas schools should teach Christian creationism alongside evolution. The pundits will dress it up in a pretty cocktail dress and simply call it a hearing to discuss differences of opinion. But no amount of perfume can cover up the stench of dogma in the halls for the Kansas Board of Education these days. What we have here is a move to install religious beliefs into the public schools, and the public schools seem to be going along with it. One group's beliefs are another's nice fairytale. But that won't keep the religious nuts from cracking their shells open, and imposing their beliefs onto the rest of us.

The creationist bunch loves to point out that their argument is based upon truths, and that evolution is merely a theory that can't be proven. When scientists use the word theory they mean to say that they are as sure, as anyone can be, that their statement will explain a natural phenomena, or event. They don't mean to say that they are 100% sure. But, through trial, repeated testing, and continued modification, they are as sure as possible that their explanation is the best explanation possible.

Perhaps the creationists are right. Maybe it is time to let religious beliefs, such as creationism, enter our schools. But why stop at Christian creationism? If that idea is equally viable to evolution, then every other creationist belief, from every other religion, is just as viable, and should be taught as well. Day one a science teacher can teach evolution. The next day the teacher can teach Christian creationism, as set out in the bible. On the day after that the teacher could teach the Taoist belief that the universe started as a "cosmic egg." On the next day the Hindu belief can be taught, followed the next day by the Islamic belief, followed by the Hopi Indian belief. And don't forget the Mayan, or the Norse, or the Maori belief of how the universe was created. And so on, and so on, and so on. You see, if one creationist belief is going to be taught, then that validates every creationist belief system. Because, to teach only Christian based creationism is to sanction a specific belief over another. And that's not what this country is about.

The proponents of Christian creationism only want the schools to teach THEIR creationist beliefs, not the multitude of beliefs from around the world. If it doesn't conform to what they believe, then it shouldn't be taught. Ultimately they wish to squeeze out even evolutionist theory out of the public schools as well, because that also doesn't conform to their beliefs. If we allow one belief system to enter our schools then it is tantamount to validating one belief, one religion, over another. Our public schools are not institutions that need to concern themselves with religion. There are a multitude of churches, synagogues, temples, and shrines that have been founded for the express purpose of teaching specific religious beliefs. To now ask public schools to shift through the multitude of beliefs, and teach the ones "sanctioned" by the community is ludicrous.

Evolution doesn't pretend to have all the answers. Evolution has theories, tested through the years through empirical data, and experiments. It is not an absolute monolith of knowledge. It changes with new knowledge, and is flexible enough to change itself. It is much like what it wishes to explain, ever changing to the conditions of a given situation. Creationism is inflexible, never open to new ideas, new discoveries. Evolution is a science, creationism is a belief. But, if we are teaching beliefs in our public schools now, then all other beliefs should have equal weight. It's only fair.