To what extent can a Biology teacher teach us about evolution? Many schools get in trouble for even mentioning Darwin's theory, yet my text book in Biology has a whole chapter about Darwin and the like.

Slipknot1Justin:
To what extent can a Biology teach us about evolution? Many schools get in trouble for even mentioning Darwin's theory, yet my text book in Biology has a whole chapter about Darwin and the like.

What schools are you talking about? I've gone to private(christian) and public schools and both taught Darwin's theory.(Although the former obviously said it was false.)

Separation of church and state should include school. I, and the rest of the class, had to argue with a substitute teacher in middle school about evolution because he said it was a lie. Needless to say we got him fired.

Define many schools

Gxas:
Separation of church and state should include school. I, and the rest of the class, had to argue with a substitute teacher in middle school about evolution because he said it was a lie. Needless to say we got him fired.

"Separation of Church and State" is actually not in the United States constitution therefore making it unconstitutional. However; if you are from Russia, it's in there.

They have to teach you evolution theory, it is more religious teachings that get schools into trouble. Typically there may be a disclaimer explaining that there are other explanations (bible), but they cannot go any further than that. Evolution is Science, religion is not, therefore it has no place in your biology class.

We are taught evolution though my teacher insists that the shit theory that the earth is only 10,000 years old and that man came included in "Little Deities first galaxy starter kit"...Ugh!

I went to a catholic school and they did not teach darwins theory, i had a teacher that wanted to but said he could get fired

Sure intelligent design is based largely on faith, but evolution has huge holes in it. Darwin himself denounced evolution on his death bed because it got out of hand. Evolution originally was a theory that stated creatures adapted to their environments through natural selection. No new species are made through the process of evolution.

Kukul:
Negating the theory of evolution in the western world makes me scream "WHAT THE FUCK!?"

We are the people of reason, we built the LHC, sent a man into space, harnessed atomic energy, yet somehow we (or more like you, see later) let people tell our children bullshit in schools.

I live in an eastern european, so called "catholic country" and only a handful of nutjobs here deny evolution, while in the USA people still debate on the subject.

Seriously, what the fuck?

Anyone is entitled to what they believe. Evolution is not fact. It has yet to achieve the shiny title of law which is why it still goes by "THEORY of Evolution."

To some people, religion IS science and I think that it can't hurt to respect that. I don't think either evolutionary theory or absolute creationism tells the whole story. The most solid theory for me right now is that God used evolution and that Genesis is symbolic. As in, the six days weren't literal days.

But answering you... Um, I think at least all US schools are REQUIRED to teach Darwin's theory and quite a few prohibit intelligent design. So, maybe you're asking the wrong question?

darthzew:
To some people, religion IS science and I think that it can't hurt to respect that. I don't think either evolutionary theory or absolute creationism tells the whole story. The most solid theory for me right now is that God used evolution and that Genesis is symbolic. As in, the six days weren't literal days.

But answering you... Um, I think at least all US schools are REQUIRED to teach Darwin's theory and quite a few prohibit intelligent design. So, maybe you're asking the wrong question?

True, one of the common misconceptions is the belief that all christians think God created the universe in 6 literal days. A day is a measure of time created by man. God could have created the world in 1 second or over the span of billions of years.

Grand_Poohbah:
Darwin himself denounced evolution on his death bed because it got out of hand.

Thats not actually true. It was made up by pro-creationist Christians.

Grand_Poohbah:
Sure intelligent design is based largely on faith, but evolution has huge holes in it. Darwin himself denounced evolution on his death bed because it got out of hand. Evolution originally was a theory that stated creatures adapted to their environments through natural selection. No new species are made through the process of evolution.

We know. Anyone who actually studies evolution in school knows that. It's only the people who deny evolution that believe it's some "magical theory whereanimals instantly become better when there's a problem", which is actually as close to a direct quote to a denier I talked to as I can remember.

My school was a bit odd for this. They taught us the creationist theory in "religious studies" class. But the science syllabus completely ignored evolution. I had to educate myself on that, and many other things.

Grand_Poohbah:

Anyone is entitled to what they believe. Evolution is not fact. It has yet to achieve the shiny title of law which is why it still goes by "THEORY of Evolution."

Now, that last part is wrong. A Law is not more true than a Theory, it just explains a different thing. By the time something becomes a theory, it's damn near proven. Here's what I mean:

Law of Gravity: Things fall
Theory of Gravity: Things fall because...

EDIT: In other words, Laws describe what happens, theories describe why.

Grand_Poohbah:

Kukul:
Negating the theory of evolution in the western world makes me scream "WHAT THE FUCK!?"

We are the people of reason, we built the LHC, sent a man into space, harnessed atomic energy, yet somehow we (or more like you, see later) let people tell our children bullshit in schools.

I live in an eastern european, so called "catholic country" and only a handful of nutjobs here deny evolution, while in the USA people still debate on the subject.

Seriously, what the fuck?

Anyone is entitled to what they believe. Evolution is not fact. It has yet to achieve the shiny title of law which is why it still goes by "THEORY of Evolution."

Exactly. I can't believe athiests feel the need to downtalk something they don't believe in every chance they get. OP didn't ask for a debate on religion, he wanted to know about school policies.

I go to a private school, we had a whole chapter on evolutionary processes and were told that we were old enough to form our own beliefs without being forced to go one way or another

Grand_Poohbah:
Sure intelligent design is based largely on faith, but evolution has huge holes in it. Darwin himself denounced evolution on his death bed because it got out of hand. Evolution originally was a theory that stated creatures adapted to their environments through natural selection. No new species are made through the process of evolution.

That is absolutely false. Natural selection certainly creates new species by creating two distinct groups, from the same species, that can no longer breed between themselves. Why do you think there are so many different species of deer, cats, sharks etc? If they could all interbreed, there would not be so much diversity. And just so you know, Gravity is only a theory, so you are welcome to jump off a cliff and test that one out...

Grand_Poohbah:

Kukul:
Negating the theory of evolution in the western world makes me scream "WHAT THE FUCK!?"

We are the people of reason, we built the LHC, sent a man into space, harnessed atomic energy, yet somehow we (or more like you, see later) let people tell our children bullshit in schools.

I live in an eastern european, so called "catholic country" and only a handful of nutjobs here deny evolution, while in the USA people still debate on the subject.

Seriously, what the fuck?

Anyone is entitled to what they believe. Evolution is not fact. It has yet to achieve the shiny title of law which is why it still goes by "THEORY of Evolution."

Like the THEORY of Gravity?

In scientific usage, the term "theory" does not imply what you think it implies. In order to qualify as a theory rather than a hypothesis, it must meet a set of stringent requirements.

Wikipedia:
A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. Such fact-supported theories are not "guesses" but reliable accounts of the real world. The theory of biological evolution is more than "just a theory." It is as factual an explanation of the universe as the atomic theory of matter or the germ theory of disease. Our understanding of gravity is still a work in progress. But the phenomenon of gravity, like evolution, is an accepted fact.

Source

Say Anything:

Exactly. I can't believe athiests feel the need to downtalk something they don't believe in every chance they get. OP didn't ask for a debate on religion, he wanted to know about school policies.

I'm assuming that was in response the the "only a theory" thing? If so, please look at my post, directly above yours.

Kukul:

Grand_Poohbah:

Kukul:
Negating the theory of evolution in the western world makes me scream "WHAT THE FUCK!?"

We are the people of reason, we built the LHC, sent a man into space, harnessed atomic energy, yet somehow we (or more like you, see later) let people tell our children bullshit in schools.

I live in an eastern european, so called "catholic country" and only a handful of nutjobs here deny evolution, while in the USA people still debate on the subject.

Seriously, what the fuck?

Anyone is entitled to what they believe. Evolution is not fact. It has yet to achieve the shiny title of law which is why it still goes by "THEORY of Evolution."

It doesn't matter it's called a theory. It is proven and a lot of modern science relies on it. Denying the theory of evolution is like taking atoms away from chemistry.

Also sure anyone is entitled to what they believe, but nobody is entitled to teach bollocks and get paid from tax money.

Alright I suppose its title doesn't matter. It is not proven however; as it has never been observed. I realize no creations have been observed, but frankly I don't care. The fact that I believe what I believe on faith alone is no different from the fact that all who believe in evolution believe on faith alone.

I actually had a good laugh about this today. My buddies wife explained that the reason why Noah's Ark explains why we still have so many animals is because all the animals were babies, so if you divided the square footage of the ark up, there was plenty of room for all the worlds animals. Thank god he's leaving her ass.

This is my last post for this one, I have zero tolerance for people who do not understand the scientific method, so please, do me a favor, keep your untestable beliefs the hell away from my science.

orannis62:

Say Anything:

Exactly. I can't believe athiests feel the need to downtalk something they don't believe in every chance they get. OP didn't ask for a debate on religion, he wanted to know about school policies.

I'm assuming that was in response the the "only a theory" thing? If so, please look at my post, directly above yours.

Very off in assuming that, seeing as how I was talking about religion, but good try.

SkinnySlim:

Grand_Poohbah:
Sure intelligent design is based largely on faith, but evolution has huge holes in it. Darwin himself denounced evolution on his death bed because it got out of hand. Evolution originally was a theory that stated creatures adapted to their environments through natural selection. No new species are made through the process of evolution.

That is absolutely false. Natural selection certainly creates new species by creating two distinct groups, from the same species, that can no longer breed between themselves. Why do you think there are so many different species of deer, cats, sharks etc? If they could all interbreed, there would not be so much diversity. And just so you know, Gravity is only a theory, so you are welcome to jump off a cliff and test that one out...

http://physics.about.com/od/classicalmechanics/a/gravity.htm

Sorry it's a law bud =].

Oh by the Dread Cthulhu am I tired of people not understanding what a "theory" in a scientific context means. Like Orannis says theory and law are different, but they are both true or so damn close it doesn't matter. People mix up theory with hypothesis.

Remember kiddos:
Hypothesis: Essentially a guess that has yet to be proved
Theory: The way shit has been proven to work
Law: What bloody happens

Like Orranis's example

Law of Gravity: Stuff falls
Theory of Gravitational attraction between two bodys: Stuff falls due to the gravitational pull of a larger object on a smaller one (simplified but meh)

Also, notice how the people taking the offensive in this thread are all athiests. Just shut up and get on with your faithless lives? You people got way off subject.

Grand_Poohbah:

Alright I suppose its title doesn't matter. It is not proven however; as it has never been observed. I realize no creations have been observed, but frankly I don't care. The fact that I believe what I believe on faith alone is no different from the fact that all who believe in evolution believe on faith alone.

That's not true. This'll be my last argument, I don't want a flame war. Anyway, while evolution has not been observed as such, there's plenty of evidence. For example,take a cactus's spines. They aren't just there for decoratrion, they were developed due to predation as self defense over a long period of time. In other words, evolution.

SkinnySlim:
I have zero tolerance for people who do not understand the scientific method, so please, do me a favor, keep your untestable beliefs the hell away from my science.

I'm not trying to prove my beliefs to you. I'm trying to prove to you that your BELIEFS(evolution) are not testable, observable, and are not fact and actually faith.

Lunar Shadow:
Oh by the Dread Cthulhu am I tired of people not understanding what a "theory" in a scientific context means. Like Orannis says theory and law are different, but they are both true or so damn close it doesn't matter. People mix up theory with hypothesis.

Remember kiddos:
Hypothesis: Essentially a guess that has yet to be proved
Theory: The way shit has been proven to work
Law: What bloody happens

Like Orranis's example

Law of Gravity: Stuff falls
Theory of Gravitational attraction between two bodys: Stuff falls due to the gravitational pull of a larger object on a smaller one (simplified but meh)

Thanks for backing me up.

Say Anything:
Also, notice how the people taking the offensive in this thread are all athiests. Just shut up and get on with your faithless lives? You people got way off subject.

Who said I'm atheist? I'm a relatively-observant Jew.

Say Anything:
Also, notice how the people taking the offensive in this thread are all athiests. Just shut up and get on with your faithless lives? You people got way off subject.

Actually I would put money that alot of are getting pissy due to the general assumption that a theory in a scientific context is a wild ass guess.

Edit: And I am an atheist but that has no bearing on what I have said as I was just trying to clear up the general misconception of scientific terminology. Also believe me I am holding alot back to be civil as possible.