Even as a Christian I don't advocate teaching creationism as indisputable fact, or as 'science' - that's not what schools are there for. However, I would support it being taught in R.E. and being engaged with critically. Hear me out here...
In R.E. kids currently get fed the 5 pillars of Islam, the 5 k's of Sikhism, and a load of wishy-washy drivel about the sanctity of life rooted in nothing other than their own teachers' views. This leads to a large amount of ignorance and apathy towards religion, and a disdain for anybody with a religious belief.
Perhaps if the R.E. curriculum was changed so that people were taught what each religion believes about God and the world, we'd have a lot more understanding and a lot less mindless, reactionist debate like in this thread. Even if you don't agree with religious beliefs, or religion in general, I don't see how you can argue against the value of critical engagement with what other people in society think.
Back to the point...
Most people in this thread appear to have seen the word 'creationism', panicked, and hit the red button, despite at least one person admitting they don't actually know what it means. Not all Christians stand in opposition to evolution, and there are very few in this country who still follow the 'young earth' way of thinking. Also, notice that none of the schools in that article are advocating what people in this thread have suggested. I'm sure many of you will know that in the 1980s Said called this 'Orientalism' - where we construct a negative image of a group of people different to ourselves in order to assert our superiority over them.
Grindon Hall says it teaches evolution as "an established scientific principle, as far as it goes". However, the school's policy document adds: "We believe no scientific theory provides – or ever will provide – a satisfactory explanation of origins, ie why the world appeared, and how nothing became something in the first place."
Science explains what happens in our world, and how. Religious belief is almost entirely focused on the 'why'. Some crazy people in America, and a small minority in this country will reject all science in favour of their interpretation of Genesis 1 (which, incidentally, is a poem written to counteract mystic beliefs of the time, not a scientific document). Posting videos of such people in support of an argument shows a real disdain for religious people who take these issues seriously. One guy in my church is a professors of medical ethics, another a member of the Royal Society. Many more are doctors, scientific researchers, and graduates in the sciences from top universities. They're much smarter than I am, and a lot more knowledgable - are we going to write them off purely because they believe God created the world?
All I'm asking for is a bit of critical thought, and not a wild assumption that all people with religious beliefs are fundamentally stupid, ignorant, backward, and a threat to the progress of society. Oh, and a bit of mutual understanding and engagement.
I await your abuse.
