Black and white: Nearly 150 years after Darwin, creationists and evolution theorists hold tight to their arguments
(By Kelly McBride, Green Bay Press-Gazette, November 15, 2009)
For 150 years, Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species" has been the go-to text for understanding and teaching the principles of evolutionary biology.
Despite the book's age, Darwin's ideas continue to fuel debate about the relationship between faith and science. How that relationship should translate to the classroom remains a matter of contention.
Evolution theory holds that all life is related and descended from a common ancestor, with changes occurring in a population over time. Creationism says God created all life, and that the Earth is much younger than modern science suggests. Darwin's principles are used in public and private schools by theists and atheists. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that public school teaching of intelligent design, a form of creationism, violates the constitutional separation of church and state.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's position statement on the issue calls evolution "a fundamental and important unifying concept in science." It further states that incorporating creation in the teaching of science curriculum would raise "serious legal issues" because of the separation of church and state.
Yet there remains a sometimes-vocal segment of the population that wants to see creation and evolution taught side by side at school, an approach often favored by some home-schoolers.
"You can't teach creationism or intelligent design without getting into a little bit of trouble in the public schools, which is a shame," said former Green Bay East High School science teacher Jim Kraft of Allouez. "What's being promoted in the public schools is really atheism. … There's the (presumption) that the Earth is millions, billions of years old, and that is really a very subtle attack on the Bible, and on Christianity."
Kraft used to be an evolutionist, but later became a Christian and an adherent to creationist principles. He thinks public schools should teach creationism, and he isn't alone.
Although nearly half of Americans believe humans have evolved over time, more than half " 64 percent " support teaching creationism along with evolution in the public schools, according to a 2005 Pew Research Center study, the center's most recent on the topic. About a quarter of Americans opposed the idea.
For many scientists and teachers, suggesting that creationism should be taught alongside evolution is frustrating and even downright insulting.
"It's extremely frustrating," said Rich Krieg, who teaches biology at Green Bay East High School. "And right now, because of the anniversary of 'The Origin of Species,' there are a couple of groups totally coming out with a full-scale attack of the book.
"And once that stuff is out there, it's really tough for the scientific community to combat that, you know, with reasonable, logical arguments that take awhile to explain."
Rehna and Bob Bernhardt of Allouez have home-schooled their children, ages 9 to 23, teaching them tenets of both creationism and evolution.
Bob Bernhardt said he thinks scientific evidence exists that shows a great flood " much like that described in the biblical account of Noah's ark " and inconsistencies in evolution theory.
Formerly a self-described "theistic evolutionist," Bernhardt now believes science also backs up the creationism concept. His kids, he said, know about both theories.
"When they learn about creation," he said, "right alongside it, they're learning why we disagree with evolution. … We want them to be aware how to navigate in the marketplace of ideas. … When you teach your children about something that's debatable, like creation versus evolution, it's hard to teach one without at least having the contrast of the other."
Scientists, however, argue it's wrong to present both theories to students as equals.
Comparing evolution and creation in the same breath is simply comparing science with non-science, said Anindo Choudhury, associate professor of biology and environmental science at St. Norbert College.
"You are assuming the students have the tools to make up their mind," he said. "So when you present something as having two alternatives, that immediately sets up or presupposes that both alternatives are equally plausible, that they have equal merit. … I would have no problem presenting intelligent design if it were based on the scientific method and the principles. (But) when you say 'intelligent design,' it presupposes a designer."
Kraft doesn't think someone can be a Christian and an evolutionist.
"It really boils down to the authority of Scripture," he said. "Are you going to believe God, or are you going to believe man?"
But not every person of faith agrees with that black-and-white stance.
The Roman Catholic Church repeatedly has stated that it does not oppose evolution, provided it is treated strictly as science, said Tony Abts, president of Appleton's ACES Xavier Educational System and a former science teacher.
"Where the Catholic Church objects to evolution is if you take it out of the realm of science, and you put it into the realm of philosophy," he said, adding, "Science has a whole lot to say about how things happened, but very little to say about why, whereas the Bible tells us a whole lot about why things happened and doesn't tell us a whole lot about how."
At St. Norbert, a Catholic college, the subjects are kept in separate realms, Choudhury said. The school has a strong religious studies faculty to help students when it comes to questions of Scripture and religion, he said.
"A science class deals with trying to understand the world through natural processes," Choudhury said. "Those are the parameters. And the moment you go outside those parameters, you're no longer in the realm of science. … So the students need to be grounded in the fundamentals of the science. They can always explore those additional things once they have that grounding, but that's not the purview of the that class itself."
As science and religion enter the next 150 years post-"Origin," the debate will likely continue. Although for some, it's not a debate at all.
"If somebody says to me, 'Do you believe evolution or creation?'" Abts said, "I would say 'yes.'"
