Creationism and Science: Are They Compatible?

[Leah]

I just learned of the new museum being built in Kentucky whereby they are bringing the Bible story of Genesis into the Dinosaur era:

http://www.answersingenesis.org/museum/walkthrough/


My daughter came home the other day and she told me that a friend of hers told her that if you don't read the Bible and go to Church, that you will not go to heaven. I told her that is not true. Now this museum is opening to teach children that the Bible relates to Science. One museum = more museums. What will our children be learning in the future? That Adam and Eve lived with the Dinosaurs? Opinions please, if the Moderators allow it.

Leah

 

[Q_Goest]

Hey Leah, I have an 11 year old daughter and so far we've not hit any such snags in her education. Hopefully we won't but we're in a bible lovin' area so I suspect we will. I've always tried to teach her about science and insisted there was no "magic" to nature which is something easier for kids to understand. Sad, but Christianity has evolved from years of previous unsuccessful religeons and remained a prominant one because of its threat to our after life. "If you don't believe you'll go to hell," they exclaim. That's the one threat that seems to convert more than any, if only for "insurance" reasons. lol

Such things as "creation museums" are things we can't legally prevent from coming around but we can still maintain scientific reasoning in school curriculums. I guess we need to do our best to keep such ideas as ID out of our classes, but its not easy. Each time the fundies keep pushing.

 

[Smurf]

My daughter came home the other day and she told me that a friend of hers told her that if you don't read the Bible and go to Church, that you will not go to heaven. I told her that is not true.

Only "not true"? You didn't tell her that the bible was secretly written by satan to get good people indoctrinated into a cult run by evil italian demons with the sole purpose of perpetuating pain and suffering across her hometown in the good Heart of America?

I would've...

 

[meL]

this is heaven

see my other posts here

~~~

 

[droog]

If I lived in the US I'd be thinking of leaving after seeing that. Sorry, no offence meant but there's something chilling about what is taking place among the religious fundamentalists in your country these days. If some crackpot organization (e.g. the moonies) pulled this sort of stunt it wouldn't be a worry but there's something powerful at the heart of Christian Fundamentalism that seems to be taking over the minds of the majority of ordinary US citizens.

Might it be something to do with education? If science classes aren't conducted in the right way students can be forgiven for seeing the teachings as 'received wisdom'. This runs the danger of science being viewed on a par with any other form of received wisdom. If students are properly introduced into the history of discovery and are exposed to the scientific method in practical ways they can take away the concept that science is an objective practice not arbitrary and subjective.

 

[Wishbone]

I must say I find this schocking, Christianity isn't some cult, nor is their success because of ignorance. Your almost violent attitude to christians seems pretty ignorant. While you belittle christianity in front your daughter, your ignorance of religions like Catholicism will most likley hinder your daughter's intellectual growth, especially in the philisophical and theological areas. This is because your indoctrination, and proposition of the pathetic idea that science is absolute, and can explain things that are adressed by religion. I am by no means saying you should raise your daugther as a Christian, that is your buisness. However, if you plan on telling her that Christianity is founded on "magic" and is totally bogus, and has only be perpetuated by people who are scared, well then I think that's pretty bogus.

 

[rachmaninoff]

I sincerely hope this doesn't become a religious flamewar - those threads rapidly deteriorate to nothing.

On topic - I love this quote:

Giant bugs—marvels of God’s creation—buzz overhead in our themed gift shop and resource center! Find shelves crammed with the latest books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, videos and other resources that’ll strengthen your walk with the Creator and embolden your defense of His Word. Stock up and tell others what you’ve discovered!

Shameless marketing.

 

[Wishbone]

perhaps you people have visited some strange parts of the country, however I have done much traveling myself, and have seen Christians, and buddashists that teach physics and science courses. Scientists that dive deep into theology, and other examples of a companionship of between science and religion. In my opinion, I believe you are buying into this idea that you WANT to believe that science is at war with religion and that if you pick science you are acting as an intellectual, and thus are allowed to frown on some non scientific people. How childish.

 

[Evo]

I must say I find this schocking, Christianity isn't some cult, nor is their success because of ignorance. Your almost violent attitude to christians seems pretty ignorant. While you belittle christianity in front your daughter, your ignorance of religions like Catholicism will most likley hinder your daughter's intellectual growth, especially in the philisophical and theological areas. This is because your indoctrination, and proposition of the pathetic idea that science is absolute, and can explain things that are adressed by religion. I am by no means saying you should raise your daugther as a Christian, that is your buisness. However, if you plan on telling her that Christianity is founded on "magic" and is totally bogus, and has only be perpetuated by people who are scared, well then I think that's pretty bogus.

You are bordering on a personal insult, watch it. You are allowed to post your personal opinion of the topic, you are not allowed to voice your negative opinion of the poster.

 

[Evo]

In my opinion, I believe you are buying into this idea that you WANT to believe that science is at war with religion and that if you pick science you are acting as an intellectual, and thus are allowed to frown on some non scientific people. How childish.

No one stated that science is at war with religion. You will find that we frown on people making unsupported statements such as this in this forum.

 

[Jelfish]

I think that in places where science is very poorly taught, it can often seem like the conclusions derived by scientific theory are nothing more than an alternative (secular) version of creationism. If you don't know anything about genetics or biology, you might think that the idea that we "evolved" from monkeys to be just as absurd and arbitrary as some people in the scientific community think about creationism. It's too bad that so many people don't recognize the important defining difference between scientific theory and faith.

That said, I agree with Wishbone that Christianity has taken a bit of a blow these past few years with their culture more and more associated with fundamentalism and ignorance. I can attest that this is not the case as I went to a Catholic high school with very knowledgeable science teachers (who were religious). In fact, we even had the creationism vs evolution debate in biology class and we all came to the conclusion that evolution and creationism can co-exist when taken out of the prideful partisan context.

 

[moose]

If you don't know anything about genetics or biology, you might think that the idea that we "evolved" from monkeys to be just as absurd and arbitrary as some people in the scientific community think about creationism. It's too bad that so many people don't recognize the important defining difference between scientific theory and faith.
.

Yeah... we didn't evolve from monkeys. We evolved from the same species which monkeys evolved from. Just like you didn't come from your sister, but you both came from your parents. You have a good point though

 

[ray b]

I must say I find this schocking, Christianity isn't some cult, nor is their success because of ignorance. Your almost violent attitude to christians seems pretty ignorant. While you belittle christianity in front your daughter, your ignorance of religions like Catholicism will most likley hinder your daughter's intellectual growth, especially in the philisophical and theological areas. This is because your indoctrination, and proposition of the pathetic idea that science is absolute, and can explain things that are adressed by religion. I am by no means saying you should raise your daugther as a Christian, that is your buisness. However, if you plan on telling her that Christianity is founded on "magic" and is totally bogus, and has only be perpetuated by people who are scared, well then I think that's pretty bogus.

all religions are cults some are just bigger cults then others
if there was a "GOD" there would be a "true religion"
but as each cult makes up a different version of god and religion
to meet their needs they self prove they are all false
just by their very existence

science is not at war with religion
science is at war with LIES and trys to find TRUTH
and doesnot care who that offends

BUT many religions don't except TRUTH
esp if TRUTH conflicts with a part their fairytale
so religions try to kill the messenger
but that doesnot change the truth of the message
so religions hate truth and science

 

[Jelfish]

Yeah... we didn't evolve from monkeys. We evolved from the same species which monkeys evolved from. Just like you didn't come from your sister, but you both came from your parents. You have a good point though

That's exactly my point. And yet that's how a lot of people think about evolution.

 

[Evo]

That's exactly my point. And yet that's how a lot of people think about evolution.

Yes, unfortunately people tend to fear what they don't understand.

 

[mattmns]

I am perfectly fine with them making a "museum." As long as they get no funding from the government that other "real" museums should get.

I think of it as part of living in the US. Also, I believe I should be entitled to make the Porn Museum, and get the same treatment as the Creationism Museum. I do not expect the same treatment, of course, as the local Museum of Natural History, as that is a "real" museum.

 

[mattmns]

My goal was not to attack Christianity, I am perfectly fine with there being a museum all about Christianity, or any religion, or any topic for that matter. I was merely saying that a Creationism museum should not be given Government funding, unless all other museums are given this same funding (for example, a Porn Museum), or there is some sort of unique circumstance. Also, I said that a museum on Creationism is not "real" because of what it is based on. That may offend you, but can you prove that Creationism is the truth, or am I supposed to have "faith"?

 

[Math Is Hard]

The great irony is that Wishbone attacked the opinions of the original poster, when the OP, as far as I can tell from her other posts, is a theist of some denomination. I am a theist myself, but I am an intellectually honest theist. I cannot go along with someone slamming a person (who has a particular belief set -- or not) asking questions in an attempt to get at the truth. I have a great respect for Leah for being brave enough to post her questions.

 

[Moonbear]

Okay folks, it seems rather than discussing the museum and its relationship to science education, as was presented in the opening post, there have been a number of posts that have either insulted the religious or the non-religious (neither is acceptable here), which I've been having to delete. I'm closing this thread now because I have better things to do than babysit it.