| | There are a lot of ways to look at this, and none of them are very encouraging. It's hard to get anywhere with people who, if religious, can't get past the simple fact that evolution is not incompatible with all religion. The only thing it is incompatible with is if you are a literalist about the creation story, which, of course, is goofy. Religious fundamentalists will never give up on this, because they are either ignorant of exactly what the Bible is, or because they are too busy using it as a manipulative tool. It's the same old thing- getting caught in between the metaphor instead of experiencing its effect. These stories were evolved over a very long period of time and draw from many sources. These people never go outside their box- if they did, they'd find out things like the fact that there are hundreds of stories similar to the virgin birth, and the resurrection story, all over the world. It is about transformation.
All this is very interesting, but you study it when you take a world religion class, art classes, anthropology, and even psychology. You sure as shit don't introduce it into a science class.
A main problem, as I see it, is that philosophy is never taught as a primary, from the jump. How can kids learn about "stuff" when they don't know what their relationship to reality is? It would make too much sense to teach kids what the major belief systems are, with the understanding that they are free to choose their own. If parents object to display of available knowledge, and pluralistic freedom of thought in general, quite frankly they need to invest in parochial school, or be quiet.
The religious right is very organized and effective, much more effective than most special interest groups because they have a moldable flock to work with, a flock built from years of tradition. A flock that, if they do possess critical thinking skills, are very often willing to abandon them in these types of scenarios. Often, they can play off of general frustrations parents hold with their school systems- one reason charter schools were so well-accepted.
If you have ever seen one of these public board of ed hearings about bringing in ID into schools, it is very unsettling. The ignorance and disdain is very unsettling. It is also usually a shutout in favor of the religious right. Ignorance and fear triumph.
I understand why people appreciate ID. They will see the order of the fabric of the universe, and say "there is a plan to it". Well, yes. But it doesn't necessarily mean the universe isn't planning itself. ID is a way of looking at existence, and that's fine. It is not science. Evolution is science, and it is science that does not conflict with religion, unless you are very rigid, and ignorant.
|
|
