Public education

Public education or schools are those provided and regulated by governments.

Creation vs. evolution

 * Main Article: Anticreation in public schools

There is perhaps no other place where anticreation sentiment is more apparent than in the U.S. public school system. A country with a solid Christian heritage has reached a status where teachers have become fearful of exposing their faith in the workplace. Secular humanism is the prevailing teaching point of view in public schools, and some have gone far enough to say that it is the official religion of the United States public school system.

This movement is in no small part due to the activities of groups opposed to Christian values such as the American Civil Liberties Union, which quickly move to sue any school district where it is reported that a teacher is challenging Darwinism or introducing intelligent design concepts in the classroom. Numerous examples have also been documented where educators were discriminated against in academia simply because of their faith in God, even when their beliefs never made it into the classroom.

Progress has also been furthered by the National Academy of Sciences, which is predominated by atheism and advices U.S. policy makers regarding science education. To this end, the NAS strongly discourages the teaching of creationism and urges teachers to define science in terms of philosophical naturalism (See: Science, Evolution, and Creationism). Government policy is now also in place to discourage those who believe in God from receiving teaching certificates.

Evolution monopoly
Today, government-funded schools in Western societies teach that life originated in an indescribable biological ooze untold millions of years ago, that all life on the planet is related via macroevolution, and specifically that men and apes share a common ancestor. In America, these ideas directly contradict the religious and historical beliefs of 48% of the population who believe that God created humans in their present form. Yet the general theory of evolution is taught as fact in schools funded by taxes taken from people who disagree with these views.

Since the 1950s, evolutionists have had a virtual monopoly in public education. This is in part due to legislation and Supreme Court rulings. While there are no laws prohibiting the teaching of creationism in schools, Webster v. New Lenox School District ruled that a school district can ban a teacher from teaching creationism. Furthermore, as noted in Edwards v. Aguillard and John E. Peloza v. Capistrano Unified School District (1994), “the Supreme Court has held unequivocally that while the belief in a divine creator of the universe is a religious belief, the scientific theory that higher forms of life evolved from lower forms is not.” Nevertheless, the majority of cases to date in the United States have revolved around efforts by creationists to prohibit the teaching of evolution (in the Scopes Trial and others), and to require that creation science must at least be taught alongside evolution in government schools. These efforts were halted by the Supreme Court's interpretation of the first amendment Establishment Clause in Edwards vs. Aguillard. But none of these cases prohibited teachers from teaching creationism or intelligent design in schools.

Another contributing factor resulting in a monopoly by evolutionists in public schools is the high number of scientists who are atheists, and in particular those who advise US policy makers. Close to 60% of US scientists have professed disbelief in God according to survey spanning the last 100 years. A 1998 survey of the members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found that "disbelief is greater than ever; almost total". Biologists in the NAS were found to possess the lowest rate of belief of all the science disciplines, with only 5.5% believing in God. These number are perhaps most disturbing when it is considered that the NAS is a national government agency, which advises US policy makers about how science should be taught in public schools. A booklet published by the NAS in 1999 and updated in 2008 (Science, Evolution, and Creationism) states unequivocally that creationism has no place in any science curriculum at any level. As a result of such advise and empowerment by these greater scientists, elementary, high school, and university biology teachers and administrators teach an atheistic brand of science exclusively.

Historically, American creationists have sought to pass laws either banning evolution, requiring equal time for creation science, placing stickers in books disclaiming evolution, and requiring teachers to read one-minute statements mentioning the existence of intelligent design. None of these actions have been successful at breaking the aforementioned monopoly. As a result, a number of creationist organizations have questioned this tactic. Answers in Genesis, for instance, has said: "AiG is not a lobby group, and we oppose legislation for compulsion of creation teaching ... why would we want an atheist forced to teach creation and give a distorted view? But we would like legal protection for teachers who present scientific arguments against the sacred cow of evolution such as staged pictures of peppered moths and forged embryo diagrams ..."

Doubtless if there were high school biology teachers in government schools willing and able to teach ID adequately and sympathetically, such legal protections would be appropriate. At the moment, however, in the absence of such teachers, some advocates of creationism continue to attempt to require government school biology teachers who do not understand or accept creationism to teach it against their will.

Academic Freedom Petition
Across America, the freedom of scientists, teachers, and students to question Darwin is coming under increasing attack by self-appointed defenders of the theory of evolution who are waging a malicious campaign to demonize and blacklist anyone who disagrees with them.

You can help by signing the Academic Freedom Petition and stand up for free speech and free scientific inquiry.

“We, the undersigned American citizens, urge the adoption of policies by our nation's academic institutions to ensure teacher and student academic freedom to discuss the scientific strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution. Teachers should be protected from being fired, harassed, intimidated, or discriminated against for objectively presenting the scientific strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian theory. Students should be protected from being harassed, intimidated, or discriminated against for expressing their views about the scientific strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian theory in an appropriate manner.”

If you agree with this statement please sign the petition and join other Americans in supporting academic freedom. Petitions will be delivered to appropriate state and federal education officials and departments.