Education has been a great debate in this nation since its founding. Curriculum typically has consisted of arithmetic, social studies, and different forms of science. However both social studies and science have come under attack numerous times in regards to material. History can be perceived in different ways and in many cases biased ways. Culture, politics typically play major factor in what makes it into the textbooks and what doesn’t. A good example of this is the Boston Massacre in which numerous American colonists were ‘slaughtered’ by the British guards in Massachusetts. American history originally suggested that the British had antagonized the colonist who were unarmed and were not putting the lives of the British soldiers in immediate danger. In actual reality the British forces were being beaten with clubs and rocks were being pelted at them as an angry mob of Bostonians were protesting the Crown’s wrong doing. While the colonist were rebelling with fair reason; history has perceived the British for being savages firing upon citizens even though it can be considered act of self defense.
However an issue which persists today and continues to be an active subject for Right leaning political activist is the issue of Evolution v. Creationism. In 1925 a court case known as Tennessee v. Scopes brought a biology teacher against a law known as the Butler Act which fundamentally prohibited the teaching of evolution in the classroom. Debate spurred as to what should be taught my thoughts are simple.
First you must ask yourself is Science a religion or a faith or is it based on fact which has supported its claims with reasonable evidence which is tangible to the common citizen? Science to me is fact. Religion is a belief or faith in something that cannot fully be explained. It is a way of living not an answer to why the Earth spins or how humans became the way they are. Both occasional contradict each other and both should be open options either in unison or alone. The Pope of the Catholic Church has recognized that Science is a valid thing and that it does not mean that the word of God is any less true than it was when the Bible was first written. Professor Albert Einstein also recognized that there is no proof that God does not exist however the followers tend to clash often. I believe Science belongs in the classroom because people need to understand how things work. There is no Church or Temple to go to learn Science. However for Islam, Judaism, and Christianity there are clear houses of worship where you can learn about each faith. So in my mind to prevent bias towards any religion in a country with Separation of Church and State it is best that religious ideology be left to the individual to decide what they would like to learn and believe. So I’d take the side of Mr. Scopes. For the reason that Separation of Church and State prevent the teachings of any God in the classroom at least one that takes taxes from Atheists.
