My Literature Review

Amy Johnson

Professor Kerley

English 102

4/23/2100

Literature Review

     Throughout history, it has been widely accepted that the earth and the life forms on it were created by some supernatural deity.  Many ancient cultures, from the ancient Romans to Native Americans, relied on Gods or Spirits to explain phenomena that they themselves could not logically explain.  Around 400 years ago the scientific revolution began, and scientists began to catalog the fossil record.  The fossil record began to change the way that people thought about the earth.  The deepest layers showed organisms that were unfamiliar, but newer layers contained animals that resembled living organisms.  These findings paved the way for naturalists such as Darwin to develop the theory of evolution (Thwaites).

     Evolution is not merely a theory about the origins of life.  It uses the phenomena of natural selection, mutations, and genetic drift to account for similarities and differences observed among species and across varying habitats.  Evolution has been observed and tested for centuries, and has been confirmed over and over by a wide range of professional fields. 

     Despite the overwhelming evidence, there is a movement among fundamentalist as well as mainstream Christians to discredit evolution and teach “creationism” instead.  Creationism is the belief that life on earth was created by God.  There are varying degrees of creationism, ranging from young earth creationists that believe the earth is 6,000 years old and was created in six days as illustrated in the bible, to intelligent design, which claims that life on earth is so complex that it must have been designed by a higher power.  The unifying theme in all sects of creationism is that God created the world, more specifically the God that is described in the Bible.  This theory is unabashedly religious in nature, and seeks to promote a Christian view of God.  It is for this reason that creationism should not be taught in public school science classes in America.

     The relatively new field of creation science seeks to promote creationism by using scientific methods to gain credibility.  Traditional science makes observations and then proposes logical explanations for them.  Creation science takes the opposite approach, as John Whitmore, a geologist from Cedarville University explains, “Instead, we think: ‘Here’s what the Bible says. Now let’s go to the rocks and see if we find the evidence for it.’” (Rosin).  This line of thinking is inconsistent with the accepted scientific method, but examples can be found in many scholarly articles.  An experiment on carbon dating made assumptions about the carbon levels found in varying levels underground, explaining that the great flood would have moved diamonds and fossils around and resulted in the rapid decomposition of organic material (Baumgardner).  One article used mathematical articles to recreate the velocities of the oceans if the continents were covered by water during Noah’s flood.  They used these conditions to explain that large amounts of sediments could have accumulated at once, accounting for the layers in the fossil record (Prabhu).  Creation scientists use gaps in evolutionary theory to attempt to prove that the theory itself is flawed and incorrect.  When the science doesn’t support their own theories, however, they use biblical events as if they were in fact a literal timeline in an attempt to explain away those inconsistencies. 

     It is for these reasons that creationism should not be taught as science in public schools.  With the exception of the scopes monkey trial in the 1920’s, nearly every recent court decision has upheld the teaching of evolution and struck down attempts to add creationism to curriculums.  In 1982, the Supreme Court struck down an Arkansas law that required the balanced teaching of evolution and creation science writing that creation science is designed to support a biblical account of the creation and origin of humans (Dowling-Sendor).  In the fall of 2005 during the Kitzmiller trial, Judge John E Jones III ruled that Intelligent Design could not be taught in public schools, as it was not a scientific theory but thinly disguised fundamental creationism.  He also decried the actions of the school board that rejected all advice from science teachers, outside scientific experts, complaints from parents, and their own lawyers in an attempt to promote their own religious beliefs (Padian).  The court system has repeatedly upheld these decisions that prohibit creation science from being taught in public schools.  Unfortunately the creationist movement is a grass roots movement, and laws are passed in school districts around the country that require equal time be given to evolution and creation.

     Several organizations such as the National Center for Science Education have formed to promote the teaching of evolution in schools.  An individuals religious belief must be harmful to the general population before it can be suppressed or sanctioned, so pitting science against religion is futile (Padian).  Concerned parents, educators, and taxpayers should instead focus on promoting the theory of evolution.  Continued education courses for science teachers may empower them to confidently teach this subject (Meyers).  The NCSE website offers tips on how to successfully petition a school board, and advice on writing an effective letter to the editor (NCSE.com).  Additionally, the focus of the argument can be shifted away from attacking religious beliefs to promoting religious fairness and the cost and expense to taxpayers (Padin).  These tactics, among others, can promote evolutionary theory, and clearly draw the line between science and religion.