October 01, 2005

CHRISTIANS AND CREATIONISM

This Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Story, Schools' chief vows to keep "intelligent design" out of California, has caused me to go somewhere I had hoped to avoid while guest blogging.

LOS ANGELES - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell vowed Wednesday to keep "intelligent design" out of California's classrooms, which he believes are not a place for religious beliefs.

I am a Christian, but I oppose the teaching of “Creationism” in public schools for the same reasons I oppose prayer in public schools; even “a moment of quiet reflection” before class begins. I oppose them partly because of how I read the Establishment Clause. However, I also oppose “Creationist” instruction and prayer in public schools because I do not trust Fundamentalists to respect boundaries. I do not trust them to resist the temptation to indoctrinate children with their particular brand of Christianity. Things like a “moment of silence” before school and a “brief introduction into ‘other’ beliefs about the origins of the natural world” might work on paper, but my experience has taught me that it will not end there and there will be teachers who cross the line.