Now They Are Afraid of the Students — The Intellectual Anxiety of the Evolutionists

Now They Are Afraid of the Students — The Intellectual Anxiety of the Evolutionists

R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
April 3, 2006

Given the public bluster of the evolutionary establishment, one would think that these scientists and teachers of science would be up to any challenge to their cherished evolutionary orthodoxy. If they are so certain that their theory is correct and their worldview is superior, why are they so afraid to have the issues debated before the public?

Now, it appears that these teachers are even afraid of their students. The Los Angeles Times offers a report that, taken seriously, makes science teachers appear to be intimidated by a group of querulous adolescents.

From the article:

Two decades of political and legal maneuvering on evolution has spilled over into public schools, and biology teachers are struggling to respond. Loyal to the accounts they’ve learned in church, students are taking it upon themselves to wedge creationism into the classroom, sometimes with snide comments but also with sophisticated questions — and a fervent faith.  As sophomore Daniel Read put it: “I’m going to say as much about God as I can in school, even if the teachers can’t.” Such challenges have become so disruptive that some teachers dread the annual unit on evolution — or skip it altogether.  In response, the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science is distributing a 24-page guide to teaching the scientific principles behind evolution, starting in kindergarten. The group also has issued talking points for teachers flustered by demands to present “both sides.”

Ah, yes. Those pesky teenagers just won’t buy into the theory that they, and all their peers, are accidents produced by purely natural causes.

More:

About half of all Americans dismiss as preposterous the scientific consensus that life on Earth evolved from a common ancestor over millions of years. Some hold to a literal reading of Genesis: God created the universe about 6,000 years ago. Others accept an ancient cosmos but take the variety, complexity and beauty of Earth’s creatures as proof that life was crafted by an intelligent designer.  Religious accounts of life’s origins have generally been kept out of the science classroom, sometimes by court order. But polls show a majority of Americans are unhappy with the evolution-only approach.

So?

“We’re not going to roll over and take this,” said Alan I. Leshner, the executive publisher of the journal Science. “These teachers are facing phenomenal pressure. They need help.”

These evolutionists intend to ride to the defense of their compatriots. The circling of the wagons has begun.



R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

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