Natl Council of Churches releases a faith perspective on teaching evolution in public school
1st April 2006
Excerpted from http://www.ncccusa.org/news/060330evolution.html
New York, March 27, 2006 – A National Council of Churches USA committee has released a resource on the teaching of evolution in public school science classes.
The brochure, the NCC Committee on Public Education and Literacy says, is “to assist people of faith who experience no conflict between science and religion as they consider the issues around the teaching of evolution.â€
“Often today we hear about the teaching of evolution in public schools framed as though it were a debate between people of faith and people of no faith,†the committee said in a statement released today.
“Many well informed and well educated people believe that the learnings of science and religion enrich each other,†and “embrace science as one way of appreciating the beauty and complexity of God’s creation,†the committee said.
The resource addresses four simple questions: What is science? What is religion? Is it possible to think that both religion and science are important? How is religious liberty, as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, relevant to a discussion about the teaching of evolution in public school science classes?
While many excellent resources about the teaching of evolution in public school science classes have been made available for public school teachers and the general public from the point of view of science, there has been a shortage of ready resources written from the point of view of religion, the committee said.
For the statement (PDF), visit:
http://www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/evolutionbrochurefinal.pdf
April 4th, 2006 at 10:06 am
I think that we should try to encourage major news outlets to carry stories like this. Creationists make much political progress by trying to link evolution with atheism, and it’s a strategy that often works.
Whether you are religious or not, much wind can be taken out of the creationist sails by helping the public understand that evolution is neutral with respect to religious faith, and that many persons find no conflict between their faith and biological evolution.
To this end, the more people that know about evolution-friendly statements from religious organizations, the better. So, if your favorite news outlet has not run a story on this, send them an email encouraging them to do so.