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EVOLUTION and
CREATION SCIENCE:
NEWS DURING THE YEAR 2000
Sponsored link.
Major developments during 2000:
 | 2000-FEB-29: Arizona: AAANEWS reported that Karen Johnson
(R-Mesa) wants to introduce legislation that would require teachers to
"present scientific evidence that" both supports and
does not support "the theory of evolution." It is HB
2585. In an
interview with Associated Press, she asked "If you come from a
little bit of slime out of a pool, then what's so great about life?
I believe we are children of a heavenly father. I believe in
Adam and Eve -- all of that..." [Author's
note: We find this statement confusing. She claims to believe Genesis,
which states that Adam was made out of a little bit of mud. Yet mud is
not that much different from slime.] |
| 2000-FEB-29: Virginia: AAANEWS reported that Paul Prunty (D)
has introduced a bill which would mandate that schools "give
balanced treatment to creation science and evolution science, in
classroom lectures, in textbook materials, in library materials, and
in other educational materials in public schools to the extent that
the lectures, textbook materials, library materials and educational
programs deal in any way with the subject of the origin of man, life,
the earth or the universe..." It is currently before the
House Committee on Education. |
| 2000-JUN-19: Louisiana: Associated Press reported that the
U.S. Supreme Court voted 6 to 3 to uphold the decision of an appeals
court and declare a school board's disclaimer policy to be
unconstitutional. In 1994, the Tangipahoa Parish school board decided
to require its teachers to issue a disclaimer before teaching about
evolution. It said that evolution was just "presented to
inform students of the scientific concept and [was] not intended to
influence or dissuade the biblical version of creation or any other
concept...It is the basic right and privilege of each student to form
his-her own opinion or maintain beliefs taught by parents on this very
important matter...Students are urged to exercise critical thinking
and gather all information possible and closely examine each
alternative toward forming an opinion." |
| 2000-JUL-12: Kansas: Creationism - Evolution Drama: According
to People for the American Way: The John Scopes trial was
reenacted in a University of Kansas theatre. It was created and
sponsored by PFAW at a time when many states are passing laws
restricting the teaching of evolution. "The long-simmering
debate over evolution vs. creation now at a full boil in Kansas has
also been on the front burner recently with similar efforts in
Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, New
Mexico, and Texas. In Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana,
Kentucky, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee,
Washington, and West Virginia legislators introduced anti-evolution
bills, while Alabama mandated evolution disclaimers for biology
textbooks and Louisiana tried but failed to do the same."
1,2 |
| 2000-JUL-12: Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New
Mexico and West Virginia: According to People for the
American Way:
 | There are bills in the Arizona and Georgia
legislatures which would require teachers "to present
evidence that support and evidence that does not support the
theory of evolution." |
| Attempts by creationists to rewrite science standards or
introduce religiously-based textbooks into their science curricula
were defeated in Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico and West
Virginia |
| A publicly funded charter school in Michigan allegedly
teaches creationism as a scientific theory. A federal lawsuit has
been mounted; the case is pending in a court in Grand Rapids.
1,2 |
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| 2000-AUG-1: Kansas: According to AANEWS: Four Republican
candidates on the Kansas Board of Education who voted to remove
testing on evolution ran for re-election. Three were defeated in a
primary election. They were the Board chairperson Linda Holloway, who
had championed the creationist cause, Douglass Brown, and Brad Angell.
All three were defeated by moderate Republicans. The fourth, Roger
Rankin, won his primary. Spending in past elections had been on the
order of $500. Holloway raised nearly $90 thousand; her opponent, Sue
Gamble, raised $35 thousand. AANEWS reported that "Holloway
blamed her loss on 'propaganda' over the creation-evolution debate.
Gamble, though, saw her nomination victory as a rejection of the
board's tampering with science standards, and told reporters, 'I think
it's a validation of parents and other community people speaking for
their schools and quality education.' " 3 |
References:
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"Evolution and Creationism in public education: An
in-depth reading of public opinion," PFAW, at: http://www.pfaw.org/issues/education/creationism-poll.pdf
This is an Acrobat PDF file. You can obtain a free software to read this
type of file from Adobe.
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"75 years after Scopes' conviction,
creationism-evolution drama is recreated in Kansas Theatre," PFAW,
2000-JUL-12, at: http://www.pfaw.org/news/press//show.cgi?article=963441236
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"Evolution survives in Kansas as voters reject
extremist creationist candidates," AANEWS, 2000-AUG-2.
Copyright © 2000, by Ontario
Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Extracted from essay ev_school.htm on 2001-JAN-14
Latest update: 2002-JAN-27
Author: B.A. Robinson
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