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“Science is the organized knowledge of God’s creation.” Sr. Mary Matthew RSM ~a beloved science teacher from my grade school and high school years. |
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Teaching all these controversies wisely: Even though I put no scientific stock in evolution, I think it would be unwise to take the tack that many Christian life science books take of merely ridiculing the theory and presenting a caricature of it to the students, with a side-serving of some contrary evidence. If we set up straw men, and then knock them down for the kids, we do them a disservice. Eventually in college or somewhere later they will meet up with some pretty sophisticated looking evidence put forth by teachers, researchers, textbooks or other media. Combine that with the general situation that most college students have their faith challenged on many fronts anyway, and you a have a dangerous intellectual and spiritual state of affairs. I saw fervent evangelical and Catholic friends either lose their faith or have it badly corrupted both in college and in high school over believing the errors that science and theology were in contradiction. These errors can lead some to even allow their moral life to be affected. What students need most is a clear exposition of the facts of both evolution as it is now taught and defended, and the current, accurate research that exposes its problems. The “holes” in all current geologic theories should be exposed as well. Students also need to know that faith and science are not in opposition; that they never were; never will be; and why that is so. If we do this all this, then the ever present seductive, atheistic corollary of atheistic biological evolutionism is nullified. The claim that the bible and accepted research are at odds will not pose a threat to faith. Because students will know it is not a true claim. Just as some are too quick to bow to the current all the rage hypotheses/ theories, some are equally quick to subscribe uncritically to any creationist or young earth theory. There are creationist and young earth “hoaxes” out there as well as flakey “accepted theories”, wherein all the evidence is not taken into account. We hope to get the students to learn how to eye it all critically, logically, and thoughtfully. The students will see a standard version of geology and the big bank in the core text, and a spin on that given new hypothesis in many articles we will read as supplements. If you have any questions on any of this — email me! Mrs. Harrison Dept. Head |