Minitrue

by Feòrag

United Kingdom: A group of creationists have set up a website to persuade parents to campaign for the teaching of astrology creationism instead of science in schools. And they were clearly inspired by George Orwell in the naming of their site: Truth in Science. Where 'truth' means 'lies', of course. The rhetoric is so familiar, it's surprising they managed to translate the spelling into British English.

The move is the latest attempt by opponents of Darwinian theory to 'teach the controversy’'by claiming equivalence for non-scientific theories of origins often derived from fundamentalist interpretations of Christian scripture.

Truth in Science asks, Are you aware of what your child is being taught, and have you ever discussed this with his or her science teacher? It says that a 'free resource pack' is being sent to school heads of science in September 2006.

I hope they've warned local councils to make an extra collection from paper recycling bins. Not all the resource pack is recyclable, so a correspondent for Ekklesia suggests some teachers may have already used the DVDs to scare birds from their vegetable patch.

Even though they have put together their proposal for the teaching of superstition at GCSE level, the Department of Education is unlikely to pay any attention:

But former UK schools minister Jacqui Smith has declared categorically that the government is against the teaching of creationism and ID in science lessons in British schools – a position reiterated by Alan Johnson.

The list of supporters includes a predictable collection of ministers of religion, but they also rank among the critics. Rev. Michael Roberts, an Anglican vicar and geologist, has been examining Truth in Science's site and is not impressed. Some of their directors are, well, a bit daft:

Another director is Steve Layfield, head of science at Emmanuel College, Gateshead, who fervently supports teaching creationism in schools, even suggesting that the Fall of Adam resulted in lunar craters and thus should be taught as science...

All the fifteen mentioned on the website are Young Earth Creationists, and connected variously with Biblical Creation Society, Answers in Genesis and other groups.

He did not have the space to demolish the website's claims in his short article for Ekklesia, so he provided a single example of the organisation mendacity:

There is an air of superficial plausibility about this, which is apparent in four lesson plans on Irreducible Complexity (Intelligent Design's catchphrase), the Fossil Record, Homology and Natural Selection. As a geologist I will only comment on the Fossil Record Lesson Plan, where Pupils are introduced to the three theories currently used to interpret the fossil record: Phyletic Gradualism, Punctuated Equilibrium and Phyletic Discontinuity. These three are, of course, Darwinian gradualism, PE and essentially Six Day Creation. Both scientists and theologians contend, with massive evidence that it is disingenuous to present the last as a scientific theory.

Roberts' concern is that the Church of England's inaction on this matter is making them look like idiots, and giving us excuses to take the piss:

The result will be to confuse students, to increase the antagonism of non-believers, and to raise opposition to faith schools of any kind...

Far too often the opponents of this pseudo-scientific nonsense are atheists, who then use this to ridicule faith. Will the church now wake up?

UK anti-evolutionists seek to lure parents with new website—Ekklesia, 25th September 2006; Creationism distorts truth in science, says vicar—Ekklesia, 25th September 2006.

Tags: creationism, education, pseudoscience, United Kingdom