The status of creation and evolution in public education can be the subject of substantial debate in legal, political, and religious circles. "Creationism" can also refer to Creation myths in general or to a concept about the origin of the soul. The history of creationism is tied to the History of religions The term Creationism in its broad sense covers a wide range of beliefs and interpretations Neo-creationism is a movement whose goal is to restate Creationism in terms more likely to be well received by the public policy makers educators and the Scientific community Young Earth creationism (YEC is the religious belief that Heaven, Earth, and Life on Earth were created by a direct act of God dating Old Earth creationism (OEC is an umbrella term for a number of types of Creationism, including Gap creationism and Progressive creationism. Day-Age creationism, a type of Old Earth creationism, is an interpretation of the creation accounts found in Genesis. Progressive creationism is the religious belief that God created new forms of life gradually over a period of hundreds of millions of years Gap creationism (also known as Ruin-Restoration creationism Restoration creationism or the "Gap Theory" is a form of Old Earth creationism that posits that Theistic evolution is the general opinion that classical religious teachings about God and creation are compatible with some or all of the modern scientific understanding Intelligent Hindu views on evolution include a range of viewpoints in regards to Evolution, Creationism, and the Origin of life within the diverse traditions of Islamic creationism is the belief that the Universe (including humanity) was directly created by God as explained in the Qur'an or Jewish views on evolution includes a continuum of views about Evolution, Creationism, and the Origin of life. Deism is the belief that a supreme God exists and created the physical universe and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason alone without dependence on revelation Pandeism or Pan-Deism ( Greek πάν, 'pan' = ' all ' and Latin Deus = God, in the sense of Deism Creation according to Genesis refers to the Hebrew narrative of the creation of the heavens and the earth as told in chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis An allegorical interpretation of Genesis is a symbolic rather than literal reading of the biblical Book of Genesis. This article focuses on the views of certain Christian commentators and theologians The omphalos hypothesis was named after the title of an 1857 book Omphalos by Philip Henry Gosse, in which Gosse argued that in order for the world to Creation science or scientific creationism is a movement within Creationism which attempts to use scientific means to disprove the accepted scientific theories on In Creation science, baraminology is a system for classifying life into groups having no common Ancestry, called "baramins" Flood geology (also creation geology or diluvial geology) is a prominent subset of beliefs under the umbrella of Creationism that assumes the literal Intelligent The creation-evolution controversy (also termed the creation vs The politics of creationism concerns efforts to change Public policy in favor of Creationism, currently primarily focusing on what should be taught as Science The Creation-evolution controversy has a long history beginning with challenges made by various naturalists to biblical accounts of creation Teach the Controversy is the name of a Discovery Institute intelligent design campaign to promote Intelligent design, a variant of traditional Creationism The following is a clearinghouse of articles which refer to terms often used in the context of the Creation-evolution controversy: Origins See also Creation myth Debate ( American English) or debating ( British English) is a formal method of interactive and position representational Argument. Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos The situation ranges from countries not permitting the teaching of the mainstream scientific theory of evolution at all, to teaching it normally like any other scientific discipline. eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008

While some religions do not have theological objections to Darwinian evolution as an explanation for life on Earth, there has been much conflict over this matter within the Abrahamic religions, some adherents of which are vigorously opposed to the consensus view of the scientific community. eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 Conflict with evolutionary explanations is greatest in literal interpretations of religious documents, and resistance to teaching evolution is thus related to the popularity of these more literalist views.

In Western countries, the inclusion of evolution in science courses has been mostly uncontroversial, with the exception of parts of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the There, the Supreme Court has ruled the teaching of creationism as science in public schools to be unconstitutional. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. "Creationism" can also refer to Creation myths in general or to a concept about the origin of the soul. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding The term public school has two distinct (and virtually opposite meanings depending on the location of usage in the United States, Australia and Intelligent design has been presented as an alternative explanation to evolution in recent decades, but it has also been ruled unconstitutional by a lower court. Intelligent The United States district courts are the general Trial courts of the United States federal court system.

Muslims have been particularly resistant to evolutionary thinking. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion ^[1] To give one such case, the matter is highly controversial in Turkey, and evolution's place in biology education can change with each government. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency

United States

In the United States, creationists and proponents of evolution are engaged in a long-standing battle over the legal status of creation and evolution in the public school science classroom. ^[2]

Early law

Until the late 19th century, creation was taught in nearly all schools in the United States, often from the position that the literal interpretation of the Bible is inerrant. Biblical literalism (also called Biblicism) is a primarily pejorative term referring to the adherence to an explicit and literal sense of the Bible. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Biblical inerrancy is the conservative evangelical doctrinal position that in its original form the Bible is totally without error and free from all contradiction With the widespread acceptance of the theory of evolution in the 1860s after being first introduced in 1859, and developments in other fields such as geology and astronomy, public schools began to teach science that was reconciled with Christianity by most people, but considered by a number of early fundamentalists to be directly at odds with the Bible. Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study The term public school has two distinct (and virtually opposite meanings depending on the location of usage in the United States, Australia and Theistic evolution is the general opinion that classical religious teachings about God and creation are compatible with some or all of the modern scientific understanding Fundamentalist Christianity, also known as Christian Fundamentalism or Fundamentalist Evangelicalism, is a movement that arose mainly within British and

In the aftermath of World War I, the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy brought a surge of opposition to the idea of evolution, and following the campaigning of William Jennings Bryan several states introduced legislation prohibiting the teaching of evolution. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy was a religious controversy in the 1920s and '30s within the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. For other persons of the same name see William Bryan and William Jennings. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government By 1925, such legislation was being considered in 15 states, and passed in some states, such as Tennessee. Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The American Civil Liberties Union offered to defend anyone who wanted to bring a test case against one of these laws. The American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU) consists of two separate Non-profit organizations the ACLU Foundation a 501(c(3 organization which focuses John T. Scopes accepted, and he taught his Tennessee class evolution in defiance of the Butler Act. John Thomas Scopes ( August 3, 1900 &ndash October 21, 1970) a Teacher in Dayton Tennessee, was charged on May Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. Provisions of the law The law "AN ACT prohibiting the teaching of the Evolution Theory in all the Universities Normals and all other public schools of Tennessee which The textbook in question was Hunter's Civic Biology (1914).

The trial was widely publicized by H. L. Mencken among others, and is commonly referred to as the Scopes Monkey Trial. The " Scopes Trial " ( Scopes v State 152 Tenn 424 278 S

Scopes was convicted; however, the widespread publicity galvanized proponents of evolution.

When the case was appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court, the Court overturned the decision on a technicality (the judge had assessed the fine when the jury had been required to). Although it overturned the conviction, the Court decided that the law was not in violation of the First Amendment. The Court held,

"We are not able to see how the prohibition of teaching the theory that man has descended from a lower order of animals gives preference to any religious establishment or mode of worship. So far as we know, there is no religious establishment or organized body that has in its creed or confession of faith any article denying or affirming such a theory. " Scopes v. State 289 S. W. 363, 367 (Tenn. 1927).

The interpretation of the Establishment clause up to that time was that Congress could not establish a particular religion as the State religion. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment refers to the first of several pronouncements in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, stating that " Consequently, the Court held that the ban on the teaching of evolution did not violate the Establishment clause, because it did not establish one religion as the "State religion. " As a result of the holding, the teaching of evolution remained illegal in Tennessee, and continued campaigning succeeded in removing evolution from school textbooks throughout the United States. ^[3][4][5]

Modern legal cases

The Supreme Court of the United States has made several rulings regarding evolution in public education.

In 1967, the Tennessee public schools were threatened with another lawsuit over the Butler Act's constitutionality, and, fearing public reprisal, Tennessee's legislature repealed the Butler Act. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. In the following year, 1968, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Epperson v. Arkansas that Arkansas's law prohibiting the teaching of evolution was in violation of the First Amendment. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. Epperson v Arkansas, 393 US 97 ( 1968) was a United States Supreme Court case that invalidated an Arkansas statute that prohibited The Supreme Court held that the Establishment Clause prohibits the state from advancing any religion, and determined that the Arkansas law which allowed the teaching of creation while disallowing the teaching of evolution advanced a religion, and was therefore in violation of the 1st amendment Establishment clause. This holding reflected a broader understanding of the Establishment Clause: instead of just prohibiting laws that established a state religion, the Clause was interpreted to prohibit laws that furthered religion. Opponents, pointing to the previous decision, argued that this amounted to judicial activism. Judicial activism is a pejorative term for the misuse of judicial power and is a neologism for the older classical term " board judicial review.

In reaction to the Epperson case, creationists in Louisiana passed a law requiring that public schools should give "equal time" to "alternative theories" of origin. The Supreme Court ruled in Edwards v. Aguillard that the Louisiana statute, which required creation to be taught alongside evolution every time evolution was taught, was unconstitutional. Edwards v Aguillard, was a case heard by the Supreme Court of the United States.

The Court laid out its rule as follows:

"The Establishment Clause forbids the enactment of any law 'respecting an establishment of religion. ' The Court has applied a three-pronged test to determine whether legislation comports with the Establishment Clause. First, the legislature must have adopted the law with a secular purpose. Second, the statute's principal or primary effect must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion. Third, the statute must not result in an excessive entanglement of government with religion. Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U. Lemon v Kurtzman, 403 US 602 ( 1971) was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Pennsylvania 's S. 602, 612-613, 91 S. Ct. 2105, 2111, 29 L. Ed. 2d 745 (1971). State action violates the Establishment Clause if it fails to satisfy any of these prongs. " Edwards v. Aguillard 482 U. S. 578, *582-583, 107 S. Ct. 2573, 2577 (U. S. La. ,1987).

The Court held that the law was not adopted with a secular purpose, because its purported purpose of "protecting academic freedom" was not furthered by limiting the freedom of teachers to teach what they thought appropriate; ruled that the act was discriminatory because it provided certain resources and guarantees to "creation scientists" which were not provided to those who taught evolution; and ruled that the law was intended to advance a particular religion because several state senators that had supported the bill stated that their support for the bill stemmed from their religious beliefs.

While the Court held that creationism is an inherently religious belief, it did not hold that every mention of creationism in a public school is unconstitutional:

"We do not imply that a legislature could never require that scientific critiques of prevailing scientific theories be taught. Indeed, the Court acknowledged in Stone that its decision forbidding the posting of the Ten Commandments did not mean that no use could ever be made of the Ten Commandments, or that the Ten Commandments played an exclusively religious role in the history of Western Civilization. 449 U. S. , at 42, 101 S. Ct. , at 194. In a similar way, teaching a variety of scientific theories about the origins of humankind to schoolchildren might be validly done with the clear secular intent of enhancing the effectiveness of science instruction. But because the primary purpose of the Creationism Act is to endorse a particular religious doctrine, the Act furthers religion in violation of the Establishment Clause. " Edwards v. Aguillard 482 U. S. 578, 593-594, 107 S. Ct. 2573, 2583 (U. S. La. ,1987)

Just as it is permissible to discuss the crucial role of religion in medieval European history, creationism may be discussed in a civics, current affairs, philosophy, or comparative religions class where the intent is to factually educate students about the diverse range of human political and religious beliefs. The line is crossed only when creationism is taught as science, just as it would be if a teacher were to proselytize a particular religious belief.

Movements to teach creationism in schools

Richard Dawkins is a strong opponent of teaching intelligent design. Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941 is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and Popular science

There continue to be numerous efforts to introduce creationism in US classrooms. One strategy is to declare that evolution is a religion, and therefore it should not be taught in the classroom either, or that if evolution is a religion, then surely creationism as well can be taught in the classroom. ^[6]

In the 1980s Phillip E. Johnson began reading the scientific literature on evolution. Phillip E Johnson (born 1940 is a retired UC Berkeley Law professor and author This led to the writing of Darwin on Trial, which examined the evidence for evolution from religious point of view and challenged the assumption that the only reasonable explanation for the origin of species must be a naturalistic one, though science is defined by searching for natural explanations for phenomena. Darwin on Trial is a controversial 1991 book by the University of California Berkeley law professor Phillip E Philosophical naturalism has been described in various ways In its broadest and strongest sense naturalism is the metaphysical position that "nature is all there is Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding This book, and his subsequent efforts to encourage and coordinate creationists with more credentials was the start of the "Intelligent design" movement. Intelligent Intelligent design asserts that there is evidence that life was created by an "intelligent designer" (mainly that the physical properties of an object are so complex that they must have been "designed"). Proponents claim that ID takes "all available facts" into account rather than just those available through naturalism. Opponents assert that ID is a pseudoscience because its claims cannot be tested by experiment (see falsifiability) and do not propose any new hypotheses. Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the In scientific inquiry an experiment ( Latin: Ex- periri, "to try out" is a method of investigating particular types of research questions or Falsifiability (or "refutability" is the logical possibility that an assertion can be shown false by an observation or a physical experiment A hypothesis (from Greek) consists either of a suggested explanation for a phenomenon (an event that is observable or of a reasoned proposal suggesting a possible

Many proponents of the ID movement support requiring that it be taught in the public schools. For example, the Discovery Institute and Phillip E. The Discovery Institute is a conservative public policy US Think tank based in Seattle Washington, best known for its advocacy of Intelligent Johnson, support the policy of "Teach the Controversy", which entails presenting to students evidence for and against evolution, and then encouraging students to evaluate that evidence themselves. Teach the Controversy is the name of a Discovery Institute intelligent design campaign to promote Intelligent design, a variant of traditional Creationism

While many proponents of ID believe that it should be taught in schools, other creationists believe that legislation is not appropriate. Answers in Genesis has said:

"AiG is not a lobby group, and we oppose legislation for compulsion of creation teaching . Answers in Genesis ( AiG) is a Non-profit Christian Apologetics ministry with a particular focus on Young Earth creationism and . . 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 . . . "^[7]

Opponents point out that there is no scientific controversy, but only a political and religious one, therefore "teaching the controversy" would only be appropriate in a social studies, religion, or philosophy class. Many, such as Richard Dawkins, compare teaching intelligent design in schools to teaching flat earthism, since the scientific consensus regarding these issues is identical. Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941 is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and Popular science The idea of a flat Earth is the idea that the surface of the Earth is flat (a plane) rather than the view that it is a very close approximation of Scientific consensus is the collective judgement position and Opinion of the community of Scientists in a particular field of Science at a particular Dawkins has stated that teaching creationism to children is akin to child abuse. Child abuse is the physical, psychological or sexual maltreatment of children ^[8]

In June of 2007 the Council of Europe's "Committee on Culture, Science and Education" issued a report, The dangers of creationism in education, which states "Creationism in any of its forms, such as 'intelligent design', is not based on facts, does not use any scientific reasoning and its contents are pathetically inadequate for science classes. The Council of Europe (Conseil de l'Europe is the oldest International organisation working towards European integration, being founded in 1949 "^[9] In describing the dangers posed to education by teaching creationism, it described intelligent design as "anti-science" and involving "blatant scientific fraud" and "intellectual deception" that "blurs the nature, objectives and limits of science" and links it and other forms of creationism to denialism. Denialism is the term used to describe the position of governments political parties, business groups interest groups or individuals who reject propositions on which a

Recent developments in state education programs

See also: Academic Freedom bills

Alabama

In 1996, the Alabama State Board of Education adopted a textbook sticker that was a disclaimer about evolution. Academic Freedom bills are a series of anti-evolution bills introduced in State legislatures in the United States between 2004 and 2008 Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) The Alabama State Board of Education is a nine-member body which authorizes the education policy for the state of Alabama. It has since been revised and moderated. ^[10]

Kansas

On August 11, 1999, by a 6–4 vote the Kansas State Board of Education changed their science education standards to remove any mention of "biological macroevolution, the age of the Earth, or the origin and early development of the Universe", so that evolutionary theory no longer appeared in state-wide standardized tests and "it was left to the 305 local school districts in Kansas whether or not to teach it. Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " Science education is the field concerned with sharing Science Content and Process with individuals not traditionally considered part of the scientific community "^[11] This decision was hailed by creationists, and sparked a statewide and nationwide controversy with scientists condemning the change. ^[12] Challengers in the state's Republican primary who made opposition to the anti-evolution standards their focus were voted in on August 1, 2000, so on February 14, 2001, the Board voted 7–3 to reinstate the teaching of biological evolution and the origin of the earth into the state's science education standards. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. ^[11]

In 2004 Kansas Board of Education elections gave religious conservatives a majority and, influenced by the Discovery Institute, they arranged the Kansas evolution hearings. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Discovery Institute is a conservative public policy US Think tank based in Seattle Washington, best known for its advocacy of Intelligent The Kansas Evolution Hearings were a series of hearings held in Topeka, Kansas May 5 to May 12 2005 by the Republican-dominated Kansas State Board of Education On August 9, 2005, the Kansas State Board of Education drafted new "science standards that require critical analysis of evolution – including scientific evidence refuting the theory,"^[13] which opponents analyzed as effectively stating that intelligent design should be taught. Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[14] The new standards also provide a definition of science that does not preclude supernatural explanations, and were approved by a 6-4 vote on November 8, 2005 – the same day, interestingly, on which the Dover school board members were voted out (see above). Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

In Kansas' state Republican primary elections on August 1, 2006, moderate Republicans took control away from the anti-evolution conservatives,^[15] leading to an expectation that science standards which effectively embraced intelligent design and cast doubt on Darwinian evolution would now be changed. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[16]

On February 13, 2007, the Kansas State Board of Education approved a new curriculum which removed any reference to Intelligent Design as part of science. Events 1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. In the words of Dr Bill Wagnon, the board chairman, "Today the Kansas Board of Education returned its curriculum standards to mainstream science". The new curriculum, as well as a document outlining the differences with the previous curriculum, has been posted on the Kansas State Department of Education's website. ^[17]

Kentucky

In October 1999, the Kentucky Department of Education replaced the word "evolution" with "change over time" in state school standards. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. ^[18]

Ohio

In 2002, proponents of intelligent design asked the Ohio Board of Education to adopt intelligent design as part of its standard biology curriculum, in line with the guidelines of the Edwards v. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads Aguillard holding. In December 2002, the Board adopted a proposal that permitted, but did not require, the teaching of intelligent design. December 2002: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August -

Georgia

In 2002, six parents in Cobb County, Georgia in the case Selman v. Cobb County School District sued to have the following sticker removed from public school textbooks: "This textbook contains material on evolution. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Cobb County is a County located in the US state of Georgia. Its County seat and largest city is Marietta, located in the center The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule Selman v Cobb County School District was a 2005 American court case in Cobb County, Georgia involving a sticker placed in Biology Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered. " Selman v. Cobb County School District, No. 1:02CV2325 (N. D. Ga. filed August 21, 2002). Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Defense attorney Gunn said, "The only thing the school board did is acknowledge there is a potential conflict [between evolution and creationism] and there is a potential infringement on people's beliefs if you present it in a dogmatic way. We're going to do it in a respectful way. " Gerald R. Weber, legal director of the ACLU of Georgia, said "The progress of church-state cases has been that the [U. The American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU) consists of two separate Non-profit organizations the ACLU Foundation a 501(c(3 organization which focuses S. ] Supreme Court sets a line, then government entities do what they can to skirt that line. . . . Here the Supreme Court has said you can't teach creationism in the public schools. You can't have an equal-time provision for evolution and creationism. These disclaimers are a new effort to skirt the line. " Jefferey Selman, who brought the lawsuit, claims "It singles out evolution from all the scientific theories out there. Why single out evolution? It has to be coming from a religious basis, and that violates the separation of church and state. " The School Board said it adopted the sticker "to foster critical thinking among students, to allow academic freedom consistent with legal requirements, to promote tolerance and acceptance of diversity of opinion and to ensure a posture of neutrality toward religion. "

On December 20, 2006, the Cobb County Board of Education abandoned all of its legal activities and will no longer mandate that biology texts contain a sticker stating "evolution is a theory, not a fact. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Cobb County is a County located in the US state of Georgia. Its County seat and largest city is Marietta, located in the center " Their decision was a result of compromise negotiated with a group of parents, represented by the ACLU, that were opposed to the sticker. The American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU) consists of two separate Non-profit organizations the ACLU Foundation a 501(c(3 organization which focuses The parents agreed, as their part of the compromise, to withdraw their legal actions against the board. ^[19]

On January 14, 2005, a federal judge in Atlanta ruled that the stickers should be removed as they violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Events 1129 - Formal approval of the Order of the Templar at the Council of Troyes. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment refers to the first of several pronouncements in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, stating that " ^[20] The school board subsequently decided to appeal the decision. ^[21][22] In comments on December 15, 2005 in advance of releasing its decision, the appeal court panel appeared critical of the lower court ruling and a judge indicated that he did not understand the difference between evolution and abiogenesis. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the Natural sciences, Abiogenesis, or origin of life, is the study of how Life on Earth emerged from Inanimate Organic ^[23]

Pennsylvania

In 2004 the Dover, Pennsylvania School Board voted that a statement must be read to students of 9th grade biology mentioning Intelligent Design. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Dover is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. This resulted in a firestorm of criticism from scientists and science teachers and caused a group of parents to begin legal proceedings (sometimes referred to as the Dover panda trial) to challenge the decision, based on their interpretation of the Aguillard precedent. Background Certain members of the Dover Board of Education expressed concern about the teaching of Evolution. Edwards v Aguillard, was a case heard by the Supreme Court of the United States. Supporters of the school board's position noted that the Aguillard holding explicitly allowed for a variety of what they consider "scientific theories" of origins for the secular purpose of improving scientific education. Others have argued that Intelligent Design should not be allowed to use this "loophole. "^[24] On November 8, 2005, the members of the school board in Dover were voted out and replaced by evolutionary theory supporters. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This had no bearing on the case. ^[25] On December 20, 2005 federal judge John E. Jones III ruled that the Dover School Board had violated the Constitution when they set their policy on teaching intelligent design, and stated that "In making this determination, we have addressed the seminal question of whether ID is science. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. John Edward Jones III (born June 13 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist from the U We have concluded that it is not, and moreover that ID cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents. "

Virginia

Despite proponents urging that intelligent design should be included in the school system's science curriculum the school board of Chesterfield County Public Schools in Virginia decided on May 23, 2007, to approve science textbooks for middle and high schools which do not include the idea of intelligent design. Chesterfield County Public Schools is the School system of Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. However, during the board meeting a statement was made that their aim was self-directed learning which "occurs only when alternative views are explored and discussed", and directed that professionals supporting curriculum development and implementation are to be required "to investigate and develop processes that encompass a comprehensive approach to the teaching and learning" of the theory of evolution, "along with all other topics that raise differences of thought and opinion. " During the week before the meeting, one of the intelligent design proponents claimed that "Students are being excluded from scientific debate. It's time to bring this debate into the classroom", and presented "A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism". A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism (or Dissent From Darwinism) is a petition whose signatories attest to a statement which expresses skepticism about the ^[26][27]

Texas

On November 7, 2007 the Texas Education Agency director of science curriculum Christine Comer was forced to resign over an e-mail she had sent announcing a talk given by an anti-Intelligent Design author. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Texas Education Agency ( TEA, each letter pronounced separately is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States. Christine Castillo Comer is the former Director of Science in the curriculum division of the Texas Education Agency (TEA In a memo obtained under the Texas Freedom of Information act, TEA officials wrote "Ms. Comer's e-mail implies endorsement of the speaker and implies that TEA endorses the speaker's position on a subject on which the agency must remain neutral. ". ^[28] In response over 100 biology professors from Texas universities signed a letter to the state education commissioner denouncing the requirement to be neutral on the subject of Intelligent Design. ^[29]

Florida

On February 19, 2008, the Florida State Board of Education adopted new science standards in a 4-3 vote. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The new science curriculum standards explicitly require the teaching of the "scientific theory of evolution",^[30] whereas the previous standards only referenced evolution using the words "change over time. "^[31]

Recent polls

In 2000, a People for the American Way poll among Americans found that:

• 29% believe public schools should teach evolution in science class but can discuss creationism there as a belief;
• 20% believe public schools should teach evolution only;
• 17% believe public schools should teach evolution in science class and religious theories elsewhere;
• 16% believe public schools should teach creation only;
• 13% believe public schools should teach both evolution and creationism in science class;
• 4% believe public schools should teach both but are not sure how. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. People For the American Way (People For is a progressive, politically liberal Advocacy organization in the United States. "Creationism" can also refer to Creation myths in general or to a concept about the origin of the soul.

(1% had no opinion)^[32]

In 2006, a poll taken over the telephone by Zogby International commissioned by the Discovery Institute found that more than three to one of voters surveyed chose the option that biology teachers should teach Darwin's theory of evolution, but also "the scientific evidence against it". Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. John Zogby (born 1948) is an American political pollster and first senior fellow at The Catholic University of America 's Life Cycle Institute The Discovery Institute is a conservative public policy US Think tank based in Seattle Washington, best known for its advocacy of Intelligent Approximately seven in ten (69%) sided with this view. In contrast, one in five (21%) chose the other option given, that biology teachers should teach only Darwin's theory of evolution and the scientific evidence that supports it. One in ten was not sure. The poll's results are often regarded as worthless however, because the wording of the poll question implies that significant "scientific evidence" against evolution actually exists to be taught (see push polling) - a proposition with which less than 0. A push poll is a Political campaign technique in which an individual or organization attempts to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a 15% of scientists with relevant expertise would agree. ^[33]

Consequences

Over the past few years, there have been several attempts to undermine the teaching of evolution in public schools. Tactics include claims that evolution is "merely a theory", which conflates the general use of the word theory with the scientific usage, and thus insinuates that evolution does not have widespread acceptance amongst scientists; promoting the teaching of alternative pseudosciences such as intelligent design; and completely ignoring evolution in biology classes. Evolution is both Theory and Fact. This statement or something similar is frequently seen in biological literature The word theory has many distinct meanings in different fields of Knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. The word theory has many distinct meanings in different fields of Knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the Intelligent eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 In general, these controversies, at the local school district level, have resulted in Federal and State court actions (usually by parents who are opposed to teaching of religion in school). There has been a number of consequences of these activities:

• The teaching of religious doctrines, such as Creation Science and Intelligent Design, relies upon an understanding of and belief in the supernatural. Creation science or scientific creationism is a movement within Creationism which attempts to use scientific means to disprove the accepted scientific theories on Intelligent This is in direct opposition to the principle that science can only use natural, reproducible, testable forces to explain phenomena. This could lead to the disabling of students' abilities to develop the critical thinking skills necessary for all scientists.
• The costs to school districts to defend their actions in imposing religious teaching over the science of evolution are high, diverting funds that the districts could use for the education of their students. ^[34][35]
• The lack of proper science education will have a long-term effect of eroding the technological leadership of the US. ^[36]
• Most biology and medical research institutions assume a well-grounded undergraduate education in biology, which includes the study of evolution. Since modern medical research has focused on the cellular and biochemical levels, the knowledge that all of these processes have evolved from a common ancestor and the processes are remarkably similar between diverse species will be critical in designing experiments to test novel treatments for disease. ^[37]
• Christine Comer, the Director of Science Curriculum for Texas, resigned after being placed on admistrative leave for a breach of Texas Education Agency policy, which requires a neutral stance regarding ID and evolution. Christine Castillo Comer is the former Director of Science in the curriculum division of the Texas Education Agency (TEA Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The Texas Education Agency ( TEA, each letter pronounced separately is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States. Ms. Comer had forwarded an email containing details of an upcoming talk by Barbara Forrest, an expert on the history of the ID movement who had been an expert witness on that subject in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, and a prominent critic of ID. Barbara Carroll Forrest, PhD is a professor of Philosophy at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond Louisiana Background Certain members of the Dover Board of Education expressed concern about the teaching of Evolution. Lizzette Reynolds, formerly of the U.S. Department of Education and also deputy legislative director for to former Governor, now United States President George W. Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds is Statewide Policy and Programs Deputy Commissioner Education Agency State of Texas The United States Department of Education (also referred to as ED, for Education Department is a Cabinet -level department of the United States Bush, emailed Comer's supervisor: "This is highly inappropriate," Reynolds said. "I believe this is an offense that calls for termination or, at the very least, reassignment of responsibilities. ^[38]

U. S. legal quotations

Judge John E. Jones III made a landmark ruling in Kitzmiller v. John Edward Jones III (born June 13 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist from the U Dover Area School District

The Supreme Court, Epperson v. Arkansas (1968):

“. Epperson v Arkansas, 393 US 97 ( 1968) was a United States Supreme Court case that invalidated an Arkansas statute that prohibited . . the First Amendment does not permit the state to require that teaching and learning must be tailored to the principles or prohibitions of any religious sect or dogma. . . the state has no legitimate interest in protecting any or all religions from views distasteful to them. ”

McLean v. Arkansas case (1982), the judge wrote that creation scientists:

“. McLean v Arkansas Board of Education, 529 F Supp 1255 1258-1264 (ED Ark . . cannot properly describe the methodology used as scientific, if they start with a conclusion and refuse to change it regardless of the evidence developed during the course of the investigation. ”

The Supreme Court, Edwards v. Aguillard (1987):

“. Edwards v Aguillard, was a case heard by the Supreme Court of the United States. . . Because the primary purpose of the Creationism Act is to advance a particular religious belief, the Act endorses religion in violation of the First Amendment. ”

In Webster v. New Lenox School District (1990), the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals stated:

“If a teacher in a public school uses religion and teaches religious beliefs or espouses theories clearly based on religious underpinnings, the principles of the separation of church and state are violated as clearly as if a statute ordered the teacher to teach religious theories such as the statutes in Edwards did. Webster v New Lenox School District was a 1990 court case in New Lenox, Illinois, in which a social studies teacher Ray Webster sued his school district ”

The 9th Circuit Federal Appeals Court wrote in a California case (Peloza v. Capistrano School District, 1994):

“The Supreme Court has held unequivocally that while belief in a Divine Creator of the universe is a religious belief, the scientific theory that higher forms of life evolved from lower ones is not. Peloza v Capistrano Unified School District 37 F3d 517 (9th Cir ”

United States District Court Judge John E. Jones III stated thus in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, 2005:

"We have concluded that Intelligent Design is not science, and moreover that I. Background Certain members of the Dover Board of Education expressed concern about the teaching of Evolution. D. cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious antecedents. "

From evolution. berkeley. edu^[39]

Europe

Council of Europe's resolution 1580

October 4 2007, The Council of Europe released the 'Provisional edition' of resolution 1580: The dangers of creationism in education. The Council of Europe (Conseil de l'Europe is the oldest International organisation working towards European integration, being founded in 1949 The resolution rejects that creationism in any form, including "intelligent design", can be considered scientific (Article 4), though recommends its inclusion in religion and cultural classes (Article 16). The resolution concludes that teaching creationism in school as a scientific theory may threaten civil rights (Articles 13 and 18). The resolution summarizes itself in Article 19:^[40]

The Parliamentary Assembly therefore urges the member states, and especially their education authorities to:

1. defend and promote scientific knowledge;
2. strengthen the teaching of the foundations of science, its history, its epistemology and its methods alongside the teaching of objective scientific knowledge;
3. make science more comprehensible, more attractive and closer to the realities of the contemporary world;
4. firmly oppose the teaching of creationism as a scientific discipline on an equal footing with the theory of evolution and in general the presentation of creationist ideas in any discipline other than religion;
5. promote the teaching of evolution as a fundamental scientific theory in the school curriculula.

United Kingdom

In each of the countries of the United Kingdom, there is an agreed syllabus for religious education with the right of parents to withdraw their children from these lessons. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In Secular usage religious education is the Teaching of a particular Religion (although in England the term religious instruction would refer The religious education syllabus does not involve teaching creationism, but rather teaching the central tenets of major world faiths. ^[41] At the same time, the teaching of evolution is compulsory in publicly funded schools. For instance, the National Curriculum for England requires that students at Key Stage 4 (14-16) be taught:

1. that the fossil record is evidence for evolution
2. how variation and selection may lead to evolution or to extinction.

Similar requirements exist in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of

In 2003 the Emmanuel Schools Foundation (previously the Vardy Foundation after its founder, Sir Peter Vardy) sponsored a number of "faith-based" academies where evolution and creationist ideas would be taught side-by-side in science classes. The Emmanuel Schools Foundation (ESF (previously the Vardy Foundation after its founder Sir Peter Vardy) intends to set up a total of seven specialist independent schools in Sir Peter Vardy is a successful British businessman from Durham specialising in the automotive retail business This caused a considerable amount of controversy.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, leader of the Church of England, has expressed his view that creationism should not be taught in schools. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Rowan Douglas Williams, PC, DD, DCL, FBA, (born 14 June 1950 in Swansea, Wales) is an Anglican The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican ^[42][43]

An organisation calling itself Truth in Science has distributed teaching packs of creationist information to schools, and claims that fifty-nine schools are using the packs as "a useful classroom resource". Truth in Science is a United Kingdom -based organization which promotes the " Teach the Controversy " campaign ^[44] The government has stated that "Neither intelligent design nor creationism are recognised scientific theories and they are not included in the science curriculum. The Truth in Science information pack is therefore not an appropriate resource to support the science curriculum. " It is arranging to communicate this message directly to schools. ^[45]

The efforts to introduce creationism and intelligent design into schools in the UK is being opposed by an organization called the British Center for Science Education. The British Centre for Science Education (BCSE is a volunteer-run organization in the United Kingdom that has the goal of "countering creationism within the UK" and The BCSE has been involved in government lobbying and has a website which presents information on the relevant issues. ^[46][47][48]

Netherlands

In the Netherlands some factions teach creationism in their own schools. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands In May 2005, Delft University of Technology physicist and author of a book on Intelligent Design Cees Dekker convinced education minister Maria van der Hoeven that debate about Intelligent Design may encourage discourse between the country's various religious parties. Cornelis "Cees" Dekker, born in Haren in 1959 is a scientist known for his research on Carbon nanotubes and Molecular biophysics. Maria van der Hoeven (born September 13 1949 in Meerssen) is the Dutch minister of Economic Affairs in the Fourth Balkenende She then sought to "stimulate an academic debate" on the subject. Following strong objection from the nation's scientists,^[49] she dropped plans of holding a conference on the matter. ^[50] After the 2007 elections, she was succeeded by Ronald Plasterk, described as a "molecular geneticist, staunch atheist and opponent of intelligent design". The 2006 Dutch general elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday November 22, 2006, and followed the call for new elections after Ronald Hans Anton Plasterk (born on April 12, 1957 in The Hague) is a Dutch biologist, columnist, and politician ^[51]

Denmark

During 2007, Turkish creationist Harun Yahya sent his book The Atlas of Creation to a large number of European, including Danish, schools. Adnan Oktar aka Adnan Hoca (born Ankara, 1956 also known by his pen name Harun Yahya, is a prominent advocate of Islamic creationism The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe

On April 25 2007, Member of Parliament Martin Henriksen (Danish People's Party) asked Minister of Education Bertel Haarder (The Liberal Party) for information about how many educational institutions had received The Atlas of Creation. ^[52] The minister responded that the Ministry of Education was not in possession of information about the number of educational institutions that had received the book, that choice of educational material was not up to the ministry, and that it is an objective of the discipline biology in primary school that the education must enable the pupils to relate to values and conflicts of interest connected with issues with a biological content. ^[53]

On November 11 2007, following the October 4 release of the Council of Europe's resolution 1580, Danish member of ISKCON and leading ID-proponent Leif Asmark Jensen published a letter on his website. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness ( ISKCON) also known as 'the Hare Krishna ' movement is one of several Vaishnava groups The letter is addressed to "Danish politicians" and is a clarification why Asmark and other ID-proponents consider the resolution "so problematic that the Danish Parliament ought to ignore the resolution and maintain the Danish tradition for openness in school education. "^[54]

In interview sessions during 2002, less than 10% of the interviewed Danes declared the theory of evolution false. ^[55]

Poland

Poland saw a major controversy over creationism in 2006 when the deputy education minister, Mirosław Orzechowski, denounced evolution as "one of many lies" taught in Polish schools. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Mirosław Orzechowski (mʲiˈrɔswaf ɔʒɛˈxɔfskʲi born September 28, 1957 in Łódź) is a Polish politician His superior, Minister of Education Roman Giertych, has stated that the theory of evolution would continue to be taught in Polish schools, "as long as most scientists in our country say that it is the right theory. Roman Jacek Giertych, (ˈrɔman ˈgʲɛrtɨx born 27 February 1971 in Śrem, Poland) is a Polish politician Deputy Prime Minister and " Giertych's father, Member of the European Parliament Maciej Giertych, has however opposed the teaching of evolution and has claimed that dinosaurs and humans co-existed. A Member of the European Parliament ( English abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union 's legislative body the European Parliament. Maciej Marian Giertych (born March 24 1936 in Warsaw) is a Polish social conservative politician of the League of Polish Families ^[56]

Serbia

In Eastern Europe, Serbia suspended the teaching of evolution for one week in 2004, under education minister Ljiljana Čolić, only allowing schools to reintroduce evolution into the curriculum if they also taught creationism. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Doctor Ljiljana Čolić ( Serbian Cyrillic: Љиљана Чолић (born 1956 Zemun, Belgrade, Yugoslavia) is a former Minister for Education ^[57] "After a deluge of protest from scientists, teachers and opposition parties" says the BBC report, Čolić's deputy made the statement, "I have come here to confirm Charles Darwin is still alive" and announced that the decision was reversed. ^[58] Čolić resigned after the government said that she had caused "problems that had started to reflect on the work of the entire government. "^[59]

Turkey

In Turkey, a mostly Islamic country, evolution is often a controversial subject. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Evolution was added to the school curriculum shortly after the Turkish Revolution of the 1920s and 30s. ^[1] There was some resistance to this, such as that of Said Nursî and his followers, but opposition was not particularly powerful. Said Nursî (1878 village of Nurs Bitlis Province – March 23, 1960, Urfa) was an Islamic thinker from Turkey of ^[1] In the 1980s, conservatives came into power, and used the ideas of scientific creationists in the US as a method of discrediting evolution (notwithstanding material on the age of the earth, which Islamic creationism is less specific about). Creation science or scientific creationism is a movement within Creationism which attempts to use scientific means to disprove the accepted scientific theories on Modern geologists and Geophysicists consider the age of Earth to be around 4 Islamic creationism is the belief that the Universe (including humanity) was directly created by God as explained in the Qur'an or

One anti-evolutionist group in Turkey is the Istanbul based Bilim Arastirma Vakfi (BAV), or "Science Research Foundation", which was founded by Adnan Oktar. Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey Adnan Oktar aka Adnan Hoca (born Ankara, 1956 also known by his pen name Harun Yahya, is a prominent advocate of Islamic creationism Its activities include campaigns against the teaching of evolution. It has been described as one of the world's strongest anti-evolution movements outside of North America. ^[60] US based creationist organizations such as the Institute for Creation Research have worked alongside them. The Institute for Creation Research (ICR is a Christian institution in Dallas, Texas that specializes in education research and media promotion of Creation Some scientists have protested that anti-evolution books published by this group (such as The Evolution Deceit) have become more influential than real biology textbooks. The teaching of evolution in high schools has been fought by Ali Gören, a member of parliament and professor of medicine, who believes such education has negative effects.

The situation is very fragile, and the status of evolution in education varies from one government to the next. For example, in 1985 Education Minister Vehbi Dincerier had scientific creationism added to high school texts, and also had the discredited Lamarckism presented alongside Darwinism. Lamarckism (or Lamarckian evolution) is the once widely accepted idea that an organism can pass on characteristics that it acquired during its lifetime to its offspring (also Only in 1998 was this changed somewhat, with texts presenting a more balanced view, though still mentioning creationism and Lamarckism. ^[60] At present the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party, which is sympathetic to creationist views,^[1] holds power. The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AK Parti, or AKP) is the incumbent Turkish Political party, which describes It was elected in 2002 and again with a greater majority in 2007.

In general, material that conflicts with religious beliefs is highly controversial in Turkey. For example, in November 2007 a prosecutor launched a probe into whether biologist Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion is "an attack on religious values". The God Delusion is a 2006 bestselling non-fiction book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding Its publisher could face trial and up to one year in prison if the prosecutor concludes that the book "incites religious hatred" and insults religious values. ^[61]

Turkish academics who have defended evolutionary theory have received death threats, for instance biologist Aykut Kence received an email telling him to enjoy his "final days". A death threat is a threat, often made anonymously, against a person to kill him or her ^[60] Kence helped establish the Evolution Group, whose aim is to improve public understanding of evolution. However, opposition to creationism is not very powerful; Umit Sayin, a neurologist, describes academics and universities as "slow and sluggish" in their response. Kence maintains that "if knowledgeable people keep quiet, it only helps those who spread nonsense. "^[60]

Russia

In December 2006, a schoolgirl in St. Petersburg, Russia and her father decided to take the teaching of Darwinism in Russian schools to court. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The position of the Russian Ministry of Education supports the theory of evolution. Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation oversees scientific institutions education and School accreditation in the Russian Federation. The suit has been backed by representatives of Russian Orthodox Church. ^[62][63]

Pakistan

As of 2005, evolution was not taught in Pakistani universities. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and ^[50] In 2006, the Pakistan Academy of Sciences became a signatory of the InterAcademy Panel Statement on "The teaching of evolution". Pakistan Academy of Sciences was established in 1953. It is a non-governmental and non-political Think tank of distinguished Scientists in Pakistan The InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP is a global network representing over 90 national science academies. ^[64] Many of the contemporary titles on the creation-evolution controversy, such as those by Richard Dawkins, have been translated into Urdu. The creation-evolution controversy (also termed the creation vs Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941 is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and Popular science Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised ^[65]

Brazil

In 2004, teaching of creationism in religious education classes by Rio de Janeiro's education department sparked protest from Brazilian scientists. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld ^[50]

See also

• A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism and A Scientific Support for Darwinism
• Clergy Letter Project, a signed statement by over 11,000 Christian clergy members rejecting Creationism. A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism (or Dissent From Darwinism) is a petition whose signatories attest to a statement which expresses skepticism about the A Scientific Support for Darwinism ( And For Public Schools Not To Teach "Intelligent Design" As Science) was a four day Word-of-mouth petition of scientists The Clergy Letter Project is an organization that has created and maintains a statement signed by American Christian clergy of different denominations rejecting
• Creation-evolution controversy
• Flying Spaghetti Monster
• Homeschooling
• Intelligent design in politics
• Level of support for evolution
• "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution"
• Parochial school
• Project Steve
• Religion and children

References

External links

• National Center for Science Education
• List of articles (mostly from Answers in Genesis) on creation education, including many on recent American and other attempts at legislation
• Science, Evolution, and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences by the Steering Committee on Science and Creationism, National Academy of Sciences, addressing the issue of teaching intelligent design and creationism as science.
• Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science by the National Academy of Sciences.
• Kristi L. Bowman, Seeing Government Purpose through the Objective Observer's Eyes: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Debates, 29 Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy 417 (2006)
• Jim Chen, Legal Mythmaking in a Time of Mass Extinctions: Reconciling Stories of Origins with Human Destiny, 29 Harvard Environmental Law Review 279 (2005)
• Wired Magazine's Article on Creationism and Intelligent Design
• A conservative Christian service that rates school textbooks on suitability, including amount of evolution in the book, etc.
• Islamic Creationism in Turkey