research proposal

Amy Johnson

ENGL 102

Research Proposal

                In school districts around the country there is ongoing debate over the science curriculum.  The debate concerns whether to teach evolution or creationism as the prevalent theory of how the earth and life was created.  Although there is some controversy in Europe, this problem is mainly being seen in America.  In the famous Scope’s trial, a biology teacher was found guilty of  the state's Butler Act law. That legislation forbade the teaching of "any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." ("Tennessee vs. John Scopes: The 'Monkey Trial,' " at: http://www.law.umkc.edu/ ).  In the 1950’s the theory of evolution was widely taught in public schools as a reaction to the belief that America had fallen behind the Soviet Union in areas of math and science.  The creationist movement gained momentum in the 1960’s, however, with several creationist ministries founded during this time.  In the 1980’s both Arkansas and Louisiana passed laws requiring creationism to be taught in public schools.  Both laws were overturned by the Supreme Court. 

                More recently, creationists have tried to gain ground in public schools by insisting that equal time be spent teaching children about the inadequacies of the theory of evolution.  In some school districts, students are no longer tested on their knowledge of evolution, and teachers are less likely to teach a subject that they know will not be tested. 

                The science behind the theory of evolution is solid.  The pope has even acknowledged that the facts show that evolution is more than just a hypothesis.  The theory of creationism comes directly from a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis in the Bible, and therefore exclusively teaching it in public schools is a violation of the separation of church and state.  Theories of creationism should be banned from public school science curriculums, and rather saved for theology classes, Sunday school, or church sermons.

                Fossil records, carbon dating, and DNA testing have all proved that evolution within species occurs, and that the world is billions of years old.  Creationists largely ignored the field of geology until the 1960’s because a literal interpretation of the Bible was just too difficult to explain given the accepted age of the earth.  It was in 1961 that the theory of the ‘great flood’ was published, and all of the sudden it gave creationists an explanation for the fossils and geology of the earth as it is today.  Again, the “scientific” explanation that creationists use is nothing more than a story in the Bible.

                The theory and method of evolution should be taught in science curriculums throughout the country.  Creationism has a place in theological settings, but should not be taught as science in public schools.