Smoke – Creationism – And Mirrors.

It has now become fashionable to claim that creationism is not being taught in British schools. In the first table are the denials, in the second the confirmations. Here is your chance to examine the evidence & then make your own mind up.

Denials

Peter Vardy: “I haven’t introduced creationism, it is an absolute fallacy”.
Interviewer: “I understand it happened at Emmanuel College”.
Peter Vardy: “No it did not”.
Barry Sheerman, Chairman of the Education Select Committee: “I can agree with Peter, I’ve been there, we’ve talked about this – that’s a Daily Mail story”.
BBC Radio 4 Today (17 Mar 05)

There is concern that creationism is taught in one or two Anglican schools. The Select Committee visited one Anglican school, and although the ethos is different, we did not find evidence that creationism was being taught as a science subject in the curriculum. We understand that creationism was discussed in liberal studies as something that can be evaluated along with other theories. I do not go along with the tabloid scare stories. Barry Sheerman - Academies

Martin Winter, mayor of Doncaster, who is backing the city academy proposal, said the foundation had assured him that the media had "sensationalised" its teaching of creation theories. The Guardian

'It was all blown out of proportion - you would think we were part of the Ku Klux Klan the things people say about us," he says. "If anyone is indoctrinated it is them outside," he waves dismissively, "they're walking around like robots. We really have been attacked unmercifully and unjustly. It is demoralising, when I'm trying to do the best for the children and make a difference, and I'm getting pilloried by the Press." Peter Vardy - From The Northern Echo

JEREMY PAXMAN: Is it appropriate, as a matter of principle, that Creationism be taught in schools? TONY BLAIR: But I am not sure that it is and therefore I don't know that it's a relevant question JEREMY PAXMAN: With respect, that's not the question. TONY BLAIR: Well, it is, in the sense that there is no point in asking me a completely hypothetical question. Newsnight Interview

Dr. Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park): Is the Prime Minister happy - [Hon. Members: "Yes."] Is the Prime Minister happy to allow the teaching of creationism alongside Darwin's theory of evolution in state schools? The Prime Minister: First, I am very happy. Secondly, I know that the hon. Lady is referring to a school in the north-east, and I think that certain reports about what it has been teaching are somewhat exaggerated. - Learning Together

When parents asked Burn about creationism, he appeared baffled ("He just said, 'I don't know what you mean by creationism.' He asked us what it was"). What a Creation

But principal Nigel McQuoid said referring to the teaching of creationism at Emmanuel College this was "maybe one lesson in year nine" and that children were also taught about evolution. - CADPAG

We are not aware that creationism is being taught in schools. Lord Filkin
Lords Hansard

Confirmations

A recent Channel 4 documentary showed former students at Emmanuel College saying that although they were taught the theory of evolution, teachers made no attempt to hide their bias towards creationism. Pupils 'confused by science lessons in creationism'

Every Monday they banged away at them about Christianity being literally true. The principal is always very careful to say, “now you may not believe this but I am going to meet my maker & I am going to be judged”. It is the one-sidedness that is troubling & the absolutism. It is a kind of old-fashioned Christianity. It is critical of feminism & homosexuality is an absolute sin you know. You’ve got Christian teachers who have been brought in, not because of their experience, not because of their expertise but because of their religion. - Teacher. The New Fundamentalists

In 2002 the media placed the college at the centre of national attention by claiming that creationism was taught exclusively at Emmanuel. The reality is that college is one of the few schools in the country to keep the National Curriculum which requires the teaching of both sides of the creation vs. evolution debate. Ian Brew – Principal of Trinity Academy, Thorne. An Opportunity for a new style of Christian Teacher Training.

". . . there are a range of creationist views, not just one. Nor is there only one view at Emmanuel College. But all are united in saying "No!" to atheistic doctrinaire macro-evolutionism, which is the standard fare in many schools." Rev David Holloway, letter in Church Times, 5/4/02

In a lecture co-authored by Mr Burn and Mr McQuoid, they observe: "Clearly schools are required to teach evolutionary theory. We agree that they should teach evolution as a theory and faith position... Clearly also schools should teach the creation theory as literally depicted in Genesis. Ultimately, both creation and evolution are faith positions." Guardian Archive

Undeterred by that row, John Burn, the foundation's chief academic adviser and former head of the Gateshead school, repeated last week his old assertion that the "competing accounts" of creation (six days by God or billions of years by evolution) were both based on faith. They would both be presented to pupils, who would "be left to take a view of it themselves". Fact v faith

"A group of folk have contacted the press saying it's not legitimate to have a school consider the scientific case for creation. I think that's fascist.” Nigel McQuoid. Guardian Archive

"As Christian teachers it is essential that we are able to counter the anti-creationist position... It must be our duty as Christian teachers to counter these false doctrines with well-founded insights." Gary Wiecek Guardian Archive

In another talk, Paul Yeulett, senior assessment co-ordinator and maths teacher, says that evolutionists have "a faith which is blind and vain by comparison with the faith of the Christian... A Christian teacher of biology will not (or should not) regard the theory of evolution as axiomatic, but will oppose it while teaching it alongside creation." Guardian Archive

A spokesman for Middlesbrough council said: "On the evidence we have, the situation [at Emmanuel] is that evolution is taught there and children are made aware - as we anticipate them being [in Middlesbrough] - of alternative theories." Guardian Archive

"This....is what happens sometimes when liberalism takes over The national curriculum insists children are confronted with the controversial issues of evolution”.Nigel McQuoid – Independent

However, though much ground has been lost over the past 200 years or so, it is heartening to read in the latest revision of the National Curriculum that Scientific Enquiry should at Key Stage 4, include reference to the controversial character of the Darwinian Theory of Evolution and the limitations of scientific knowledge in certain inaccessible contexts. Steven Layfield - The Teaching of Science A Biblical Perspective

“They haven’t proved it yet, so it’s still a theory. The scientists are changing their minds on it all the time,” he said. “In science lessons, we teach what the national curriculum requires, which is that children are expected to examine conflicting theories. What we encourage is to have people thinking about creation.” David Vardy Sunday Herald

“it's a leap of faith to believe in evolution, just as it's a leap of faith to believe in God.” Nigel McQuoid - The Northern Echo

Then it seemed right to mention the National Curriculum that requires the teaching of what it calls Scientific Enquiry. "I don't know how many people realize this but 'Pupils should be taught how scientific controversies can arise from different ways of interpreting empirical evidence (for example, Darwin's theory of evolution)'." So Emmanuel was simply keeping to the Law. "As I understand it from the headmaster, and I've discussed it with him, he believes that it's right that every position should be taught." David Holloway - Intelligent Design and the New Thought Police

PV: We do teach creationism alongside evolution [interruption] - we present both - one is a theory, the other is a faith position and it's up to the children. Peter Vardy Today Interview

PV: Well, we are presenting evolution and creation alongside each other. Peter Vardy Today Interview

"It is very narrow minded to teach evolution and not creation, and it is very narrow minded to teach creation and not evolution. Here, they get both." Peter Vardy The Northern Echo

Vardy insists that there is scientific evidence questioning the theory of evolution and that it is "an open debate". He says: "At the college, we teach both theories so that young people can make their own minds up." David Vardy Charity comes clean over appeal

“Of course, those that have a 'Christian foundation' will encourage teachers to critique the theories and, while doing absolutely no violence to the factual data, consider the various weaknesses in the supporting evidence.” Creation vs. evolution in school COMMENT

"My view is that creationism and Darwinism are not incompatible, and it is possible to put to children a variety of theories of Creation. That is good education," he said. The Rt Rev Michael Turnbull, Bishop of Durham. The Telegraph

Mr McQuoid insisted that his pupils were not being force-fed religion. They were presented with both sides of the argument on evolution and left to make informed decisions.

Comment: What both sides? The only other ones that Nigel McQuoid knows, are his totally irrelevant religious beliefs, which are not science.

"I want the science to be examined and for the science to speak for itself. I want those to have a face, to ask themselves 'Does my faith have any scientific evidence?"'

Comment:

(1) Scientists have been examining evolution for 150 years & it has withstood every challenge thrown at it, so it clearly does speak for itself.

(2) Science, especially evolution, is belief based on evidence. Faith is belief without evidence or even worse, in spite of it. It is therefore obvious to anyone with an IQ greater than a dead cabbage that evolution is not a faith-based belief.

(3) The evidence for evolution is enormous. The idea that anyone would want to suggest otherwise to impressionable schoolchildren, is just incredible.

It was not damaging for pupils to be involved in controversy, and science was always better "when it continues to tell us we must ask ourselves if we have it right".

Comment: However, it is damaging to suggest to pupils that evolution is controversial when amongst scientists (who unlike Nigel McQuoid, know what they are talking about) it most certainly is not. It is a common tactic for creationists to assert that evolution is controversial or demand that it is examined critically (under the guise of improved understanding as used above). The reason they do this is to attempt to undermine evolution in the mind of a pupil to make way for the creationist’s religious beliefs that are better accepted by people who are ignorant (or in this case, rendered ignorant) of science. So well known are these strategies that they even go under the name of, “teach the controversy”, & “critical thinking”. These strategies are clearly identified with the creationist movement & anyone referencing them in a biology class IS TEACHING CREATIONISM. The Telegraph

NIGEL McQUOID: Well the national curriculum in science actually asks us to look at the whole controversy around the theory of evolution... BBC BREAKFAST WITH FROST INTERVIEW

Emmanuel is allowed to teach creationism because of the national curriculum's guidelines which state that, although evolutionary theory should be taught as the dominant explanation for our origins, students should be made aware of "how scientific controversies can result from different ways of interpreting empirical data". Begotten, not created?

Intelligent design theory could be discussed in schools, but only in the context of being one of a range of views on evolution that students might consider and evaluate against the evidence. Lord Filkin – Lords Hansard

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her policy is on the teaching of creationism as a subject in schools; and if she will make a statement. [49613] (27 Feb 06) Jacqui Smith: Neither creationism nor intelligent design is taught as a subject in schools. The national curriculum programme of study for science at key stage 4 covers evolution. It sets out that pupils should be taught "that the fossil record is evidence for evolution" and also "how variation and selection may lead to evolution or extinction". Pupils should however be taught about "how scientific controversies can arise from different ways of interpreting empirical evidence". Also, the biblical view of creation can be taught in RE lessons, where pupils are taught to consider opposing theories and come to their own, reasoned conclusions. Therefore, although creationism and intelligent design are not part of the national curriculum, they could be covered in these contexts.

Comment: It is bad enough having the creationists wilfully misinterpreting the NC key stage 4 science to support their idiotic claim that creationism/intelligent design should be taught in science classes, without the government jumping on the bandwagon as well. Creationism & intelligent design are NOT theories; the former is a religious belief & the latter a religious based conjecture. Both have had their claims to be rivals to the theory of evolution comprehensibly refuted by the scientific community & it is totally wrong to suggest to impressionable schoolchildren that they are considered to be alternative explanations to evolution. In fact, to do so is to teach creationism. The theory of evolution is not considered by the experts in the field to be controversial & to teach otherwise is again teaching the beliefs of creationists. Here we are, 150 years after the publication of, The Origins of Species, nearly 40 years after the first moon landing, the human genome has been sequenced & a gigabyte of memory fits on a key ring. Yet the government of one of the most technologically advanced nations on earth believes it is okay to teach the discredited tenets of creationism to impressionable schoolchildren who it seems are going to be left to make up their own minds somehow, about two contradictory worldviews – one of which just happened to go out of fashion in the dark ages.

Jacqui Smith Forced to Back Down

Adam French (Former Emmanuel College pupil (6 Mar 06): “we were reading from a text book & one of the teachers told us all a story about the big bang & how dinosaurs were born & how man eventually evolved from there. He told us all this & then all of a sudden he whipped out the Bible & read the first passage in the Bible: & in the beginning God created the heaven & the Earth, blab la bla. And he said he believed the Bible version, although he did strictly tell us that in an exam we should write the textbook version & not the Bible version.”

Edmiston points out that while creationism may be on the agenda, so will Darwin, religious studies and teachings on other faiths. Driven by faith