HomeCreationim vs. Evolution....
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Creationim vs. Evolution....
by Christ is My Life! Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:52 pm
A good friend in Christ sent me this...I will post the entire email and the information.
Greetings All.....
As some of you will already know, the battle between
creationists and evolutionists has been waging for years,
not only in the USA, but in other nations as well, such as
in the European Union. Sadly, similar to the United States,
once-Christian Europe is slowly turning her back on God. In
fact, she has now backslidden so far, that some of her
leaders view Intelligent Design and Creationism as a valid
threat to their way of life, and their insistence in
teaching evolutionary theory. In fact, some of these wayward
leaders view Creationists as dangerous extremists and
fundamentalists who will undermine their plans to create a
godless state in Europe.
Following is the entire text, (in its current form), of the
Council of Europe's Resolution 1580, entitled "The Dangers
Of Creationism In Education".
Resolution 1580 (2007)1
1. The aim of this report is not
to question or to
fight a belief - the right to freedom of belief does not
permit that. The aim is to warn against certain tendencies
to pass off a belief as science. It is necessary to separate
belief from science. It is not a matter of antagonism.
Science and belief must be able to coexist. It is not a
matter of opposing belief and science, but it is necessary
to prevent belief from opposing science.
2. For some people the Creation,
as a matter of
religious belief, gives a meaning to life. Nevertheless, the
Parliamentary Assembly is worried about the possible
ill-effects of the spread of creationist ideas within our
education systems and about the consequences for our
democracies. If we are not careful, creationism could become
a threat to human rights which are a key concern of the
Council of Europe.
3. Creationism, born of the denial
of the evolution of
species through natural selection, was for a long time an
almost exclusively American phenomenon. Today creationist
ideas are tending to find their way into Europe and their
spread is affecting quite a few Council of Europe member
states.
4. The prime target of present-day
creationists, most
of whom are Christian or Muslim, is education. Creationists
are bent on ensuring that their ideas are included in the
school science syllabus. Creationism cannot, however, lay
claim to being a scientific discipline.
5. Creationists question the
scientific character of
certain items of knowledge and argue that the theory of
evolution is only one interpretation among others. They
accuse scientists of not providing enough evidence to
establish the theory of evolution as scientifically valid.
On the contrary, they defend their own statements as
scientific. None of this stands up to objective analysis.
6. We are witnessing a growth of
modes of thought
which challenge established knowledge about nature,
evolution, our origins and our place in the universe.
7. There is a real risk of a
serious confusion being
introduced into our children's minds between what has to do
with convictions, beliefs, ideals of all sorts and what has
to do with science. An "all things are equal" attitude may
seem appealing and tolerant, but is in fact dangerous.
8. Creationism has many
contradictory aspects. The
"intelligent design" idea, which is the latest, more refined
version of creationism, does not deny a certain degree of
evolution. However, intelligent design, presented in a more
subtle way, seeks to portray its approach as scientific, and
therein lies the danger.
9. The Assembly has constantly
insisted that science
is of fundamental importance. Science has made possible
considerable improvements in living and working conditions
and is a not insignificant factor in economic, technological
and social development. The theory of evolution has nothing
to do with divine revelation but is built on facts.
10. Creationism claims to be based
on scientific
rigour. In actual fact the methods employed by creationists
are of three types: purely dogmatic assertions; distorted
use of scientific quotations, sometimes illustrated with
magnificent photographs; and backing from more or less
well-known scientists, most of whom are not specialists in
these matters. By these means creationists seek to appeal to
non-specialists and sow doubt and confusion in their minds.
11. Evolution is not simply a
matter of the evolution
of humans and of populations. Denying it could have serious
consequences for the development of our societies. Advances
in medical research with the aim of effectively combating
infectious diseases such as AIDS are impossible if every
principle of evolution is denied. One cannot be fully aware
of the risks involved in the significant decline in
biodiversity and climate change if the mechanisms of
evolution are not understood.
12. Our modern world is based on a
long history, of
which the development of science and technology forms an
important part. However, the scientific approach is still
not well understood and this is liable to encourage the
development of all manner of fundamentalism and extremism.
The total rejection of science is definitely one of the most
serious threats to human rights and civic rights.
13. The war on the theory of
evolution and on its
proponents most often originates in forms of religious
extremism which are closely allied to extreme right-wing
political movements. The creationist movements possess real
political power. The fact of the matter, and this has been
exposed on several occasions, is that some advocates of
strict creationism are out to replace democracy by
theocracy.
14. All leading representatives of
the main
monotheistic religions have adopted a much more moderate
attitude. Pope Benedict XVI, for example, as his predecessor
Pope John-Paul II, today praises the role of the sciences in
the evolution of humanity and recognises that the theory of
evolution is "more than a hypothesis".
15. The teaching of all phenomena
concerning evolution
as a fundamental scientific theory is therefore crucial to
the future of our societies and our democracies. For that
reason it must occupy a central position in the curriculum,
and especially in the science syllabus, as long as, like any
other theory, it is able to stand up to thorough scientific
scrutiny. Evolution is present everywhere, from medical
overprescription of antibiotics that encourages the
emergence of resistant bacteria to agricultural overuse of
pesticides that causes insect mutations on which pesticides
no longer have any effect.
16. The Council of Europe has
highlighted the
importance of teaching about culture and religion. In the
name of freedom of expression and individual belief,
creationist ideas, as any other theological position, could
possibly be presented as an addition to cultural and
religious education, but they cannot claim scientific
respectability.
17. Science provides irreplaceable
training in
intellectual rigour. It seeks not to explain "why things
are" but to understand how they work.
18. Investigation of the
creationists' growing
influence shows that the arguments between creationism and
evolution go well beyond intellectual debate. If we are not
careful, the values that are the very essence of the Council
of Europe will be under direct threat from creationist
fundamentalists. It is part of the role of the Council's
parliamentarians to react before it is too late.
19. The Parliamentary Assembly
therefore urges the
member states, and especially their education authorities:
19.1. to defend and promote
scientific knowledge;
19.2. strengthen the teaching of
the foundations of
science, its history, its epistemology and its methods
alongside the teaching of objective scientific knowledge;
19.3. to make science more
comprehensible, more
attractive and closer to the realities of the contemporary
world;
19.4. to firmly oppose the
teaching of creationism as
a scientific discipline on an equal footing with the theory
of evolution and in general resist presentation of
creationist ideas in any discipline other than religion;
19.5. to promote the teaching of
evolution as a
fundamental scientific theory in the school curriculum.
20. The Assembly welcomes the fact
that 27 Academies
of Science of Council of Europe member states signed, in
June 2006, a declaration on the teaching of evolution and
calls on academies of science that have not yet done so to
sign the declaration.
1 Assembly debate on 4 October 2007 (35th Sitting) (see Doc.
11375, report of the Committee on Culture, Science and
Education, rapporteur: Mrs Brasseur). Text adopted by the
Assembly on 4 October 2007 (35th Sitting).
Greetings All.....
As some of you will already know, the battle between
creationists and evolutionists has been waging for years,
not only in the USA, but in other nations as well, such as
in the European Union. Sadly, similar to the United States,
once-Christian Europe is slowly turning her back on God. In
fact, she has now backslidden so far, that some of her
leaders view Intelligent Design and Creationism as a valid
threat to their way of life, and their insistence in
teaching evolutionary theory. In fact, some of these wayward
leaders view Creationists as dangerous extremists and
fundamentalists who will undermine their plans to create a
godless state in Europe.
Following is the entire text, (in its current form), of the
Council of Europe's Resolution 1580, entitled "The Dangers
Of Creationism In Education".
Resolution 1580 (2007)1
1. The aim of this report is not
to question or to
fight a belief - the right to freedom of belief does not
permit that. The aim is to warn against certain tendencies
to pass off a belief as science. It is necessary to separate
belief from science. It is not a matter of antagonism.
Science and belief must be able to coexist. It is not a
matter of opposing belief and science, but it is necessary
to prevent belief from opposing science.
2. For some people the Creation,
as a matter of
religious belief, gives a meaning to life. Nevertheless, the
Parliamentary Assembly is worried about the possible
ill-effects of the spread of creationist ideas within our
education systems and about the consequences for our
democracies. If we are not careful, creationism could become
a threat to human rights which are a key concern of the
Council of Europe.
3. Creationism, born of the denial
of the evolution of
species through natural selection, was for a long time an
almost exclusively American phenomenon. Today creationist
ideas are tending to find their way into Europe and their
spread is affecting quite a few Council of Europe member
states.
4. The prime target of present-day
creationists, most
of whom are Christian or Muslim, is education. Creationists
are bent on ensuring that their ideas are included in the
school science syllabus. Creationism cannot, however, lay
claim to being a scientific discipline.
5. Creationists question the
scientific character of
certain items of knowledge and argue that the theory of
evolution is only one interpretation among others. They
accuse scientists of not providing enough evidence to
establish the theory of evolution as scientifically valid.
On the contrary, they defend their own statements as
scientific. None of this stands up to objective analysis.
6. We are witnessing a growth of
modes of thought
which challenge established knowledge about nature,
evolution, our origins and our place in the universe.
7. There is a real risk of a
serious confusion being
introduced into our children's minds between what has to do
with convictions, beliefs, ideals of all sorts and what has
to do with science. An "all things are equal" attitude may
seem appealing and tolerant, but is in fact dangerous.
8. Creationism has many
contradictory aspects. The
"intelligent design" idea, which is the latest, more refined
version of creationism, does not deny a certain degree of
evolution. However, intelligent design, presented in a more
subtle way, seeks to portray its approach as scientific, and
therein lies the danger.
9. The Assembly has constantly
insisted that science
is of fundamental importance. Science has made possible
considerable improvements in living and working conditions
and is a not insignificant factor in economic, technological
and social development. The theory of evolution has nothing
to do with divine revelation but is built on facts.
10. Creationism claims to be based
on scientific
rigour. In actual fact the methods employed by creationists
are of three types: purely dogmatic assertions; distorted
use of scientific quotations, sometimes illustrated with
magnificent photographs; and backing from more or less
well-known scientists, most of whom are not specialists in
these matters. By these means creationists seek to appeal to
non-specialists and sow doubt and confusion in their minds.
11. Evolution is not simply a
matter of the evolution
of humans and of populations. Denying it could have serious
consequences for the development of our societies. Advances
in medical research with the aim of effectively combating
infectious diseases such as AIDS are impossible if every
principle of evolution is denied. One cannot be fully aware
of the risks involved in the significant decline in
biodiversity and climate change if the mechanisms of
evolution are not understood.
12. Our modern world is based on a
long history, of
which the development of science and technology forms an
important part. However, the scientific approach is still
not well understood and this is liable to encourage the
development of all manner of fundamentalism and extremism.
The total rejection of science is definitely one of the most
serious threats to human rights and civic rights.
13. The war on the theory of
evolution and on its
proponents most often originates in forms of religious
extremism which are closely allied to extreme right-wing
political movements. The creationist movements possess real
political power. The fact of the matter, and this has been
exposed on several occasions, is that some advocates of
strict creationism are out to replace democracy by
theocracy.
14. All leading representatives of
the main
monotheistic religions have adopted a much more moderate
attitude. Pope Benedict XVI, for example, as his predecessor
Pope John-Paul II, today praises the role of the sciences in
the evolution of humanity and recognises that the theory of
evolution is "more than a hypothesis".
15. The teaching of all phenomena
concerning evolution
as a fundamental scientific theory is therefore crucial to
the future of our societies and our democracies. For that
reason it must occupy a central position in the curriculum,
and especially in the science syllabus, as long as, like any
other theory, it is able to stand up to thorough scientific
scrutiny. Evolution is present everywhere, from medical
overprescription of antibiotics that encourages the
emergence of resistant bacteria to agricultural overuse of
pesticides that causes insect mutations on which pesticides
no longer have any effect.
16. The Council of Europe has
highlighted the
importance of teaching about culture and religion. In the
name of freedom of expression and individual belief,
creationist ideas, as any other theological position, could
possibly be presented as an addition to cultural and
religious education, but they cannot claim scientific
respectability.
17. Science provides irreplaceable
training in
intellectual rigour. It seeks not to explain "why things
are" but to understand how they work.
18. Investigation of the
creationists' growing
influence shows that the arguments between creationism and
evolution go well beyond intellectual debate. If we are not
careful, the values that are the very essence of the Council
of Europe will be under direct threat from creationist
fundamentalists. It is part of the role of the Council's
parliamentarians to react before it is too late.
19. The Parliamentary Assembly
therefore urges the
member states, and especially their education authorities:
19.1. to defend and promote
scientific knowledge;
19.2. strengthen the teaching of
the foundations of
science, its history, its epistemology and its methods
alongside the teaching of objective scientific knowledge;
19.3. to make science more
comprehensible, more
attractive and closer to the realities of the contemporary
world;
19.4. to firmly oppose the
teaching of creationism as
a scientific discipline on an equal footing with the theory
of evolution and in general resist presentation of
creationist ideas in any discipline other than religion;
19.5. to promote the teaching of
evolution as a
fundamental scientific theory in the school curriculum.
20. The Assembly welcomes the fact
that 27 Academies
of Science of Council of Europe member states signed, in
June 2006, a declaration on the teaching of evolution and
calls on academies of science that have not yet done so to
sign the declaration.
1 Assembly debate on 4 October 2007 (35th Sitting) (see Doc.
11375, report of the Committee on Culture, Science and
Education, rapporteur: Mrs Brasseur). Text adopted by the
Assembly on 4 October 2007 (35th Sitting).
Christ is My Life!- Administrator
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Number of posts : 895
Age : 54
Location : Somewhere between here and there...and praying.
Humor : yup, I have some!
Registration date : 2007-05-18 -
Re: Creationim vs. Evolution....
by MoNiCa4316 Sun Oct 28, 2007 1:02 pm
I think that's sad....
I've heard things like that before...
Personally I'm a creationist...I know many Christians who agree with evolution, but I have chosen to deny it. I've studied it in university...I just think they are misinterpreting the evidence. I don't think I'm "better" than Christians who believe in evolution..I'm just not convinced about it. And because of that, I'm frequently treated like a "mindless fundamentalist" and called stupid. Oh well.
What actually worries me is that if proposals such as this one will indeed come into effect, our faith would be taken less and less seriously along with creationism..."scientific" is already used as a term of approval, and all that is not so called "scientific" is beginning to be seen as dangerous to "progress" and thus to society. many profs and students at my university (along with the campus newspaper) treat Christianity as some old myth that brainwashed people are still holding on to. In fact there was an article in the newspaper saying exactly that...that we need to "move on" as a society and embrace science as the primary source of knowledge. *sigh* they say "belief and science must be able to coexist", but imply that we should change our beliefs to make that happen.
I've heard things like that before...Personally I'm a creationist...I know many Christians who agree with evolution, but I have chosen to deny it. I've studied it in university...I just think they are misinterpreting the evidence. I don't think I'm "better" than Christians who believe in evolution..I'm just not convinced about it. And because of that, I'm frequently treated like a "mindless fundamentalist" and called stupid. Oh well.
What actually worries me is that if proposals such as this one will indeed come into effect, our faith would be taken less and less seriously along with creationism..."scientific" is already used as a term of approval, and all that is not so called "scientific" is beginning to be seen as dangerous to "progress" and thus to society. many profs and students at my university (along with the campus newspaper) treat Christianity as some old myth that brainwashed people are still holding on to. In fact there was an article in the newspaper saying exactly that...that we need to "move on" as a society and embrace science as the primary source of knowledge. *sigh* they say "belief and science must be able to coexist", but imply that we should change our beliefs to make that happen.
MoNiCa4316- Number of posts : 13
Age : 37
Location : Canada
Registration date : 2007-10-25
Re: Creationim vs. Evolution....
by Christ is My Life! Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:35 pm
I am glad you stand firm in your faith!
Personally, I believe there is a serious agenda out there to fool everyone, especially Christians. The more Christians that fall for the agendas, the better the agenda makers feel.
Between evolutionism and many other "Wars" against biblical context and scientific evidences, I often see how Christians are always the ones to get flack for their beliefs. I figure the most persecuted religions, except for a few, are heavily persecuted because they are very close to the truth.....as I feel all religions are tampered with by infiltrators of high degrees. (I sound so positive, don't I? lol)
With saying that, It is the faith of the individual that must stand strong. Changing our beliefs so it can coincide with science is just pathetic. And the Christians who have the fire, the true fire for Christ will see past the lies and tricks and games. Move on as a society? Look what has become of society....it is a stinking joke! We did not come from Monkey's.....just look at a monkey...a gorilla....yes, they have evolved, but they are still here....monkey's of many species and gorillas...baboons etc....
I have heard the claim that the men and women who have extra dark hair on them and can move thier pinky toes independently from the rest of the toes. (Meaning, the other 4 do not move while the pinky toe moves) is proof in their genes. LMBO!!!!!!!!!
In simple terms, If you have extra hair and can move your little toe, you are living proof of evolution!!!
Personally, I believe there is a serious agenda out there to fool everyone, especially Christians. The more Christians that fall for the agendas, the better the agenda makers feel.
Between evolutionism and many other "Wars" against biblical context and scientific evidences, I often see how Christians are always the ones to get flack for their beliefs. I figure the most persecuted religions, except for a few, are heavily persecuted because they are very close to the truth.....as I feel all religions are tampered with by infiltrators of high degrees. (I sound so positive, don't I? lol)
With saying that, It is the faith of the individual that must stand strong. Changing our beliefs so it can coincide with science is just pathetic. And the Christians who have the fire, the true fire for Christ will see past the lies and tricks and games. Move on as a society? Look what has become of society....it is a stinking joke! We did not come from Monkey's.....just look at a monkey...a gorilla....yes, they have evolved, but they are still here....monkey's of many species and gorillas...baboons etc....
I have heard the claim that the men and women who have extra dark hair on them and can move thier pinky toes independently from the rest of the toes. (Meaning, the other 4 do not move while the pinky toe moves) is proof in their genes. LMBO!!!!!!!!!
In simple terms, If you have extra hair and can move your little toe, you are living proof of evolution!!!
Christ is My Life!- Administrator
- Number of posts : 895
Age : 54
Location : Somewhere between here and there...and praying.
Humor : yup, I have some!
Registration date : 2007-05-18 -
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