Welsh children should not be taught religion in a science class
IN WALES a state school can legally teach children that creationism (AKA, God did it) is a legitimate alternative to evolution.
This is not the case in England. Across the border it is illegal for a school to present creationism as science.
This situation probably won’t even change when the Welsh Government’s new curriculum comes in.
Dozens of educators and scientists, including Sir David Attenborough, have signed a letter calling on the Welsh Government to ban the practice.
The issue of religion is an emotive one for both sides of the debate.
If you are truly devoutly religious it is pretty likely your identity is closely linked to your faith so you will naturally be quite defensive of it.
If you do not subscribe to any particular faith then you will quite naturally find it absurd that other people put such stock in these (apparently mostly male) deities.
I think because of the tensions it is best to approach issues around this as calmly as possible.
This is not a personal attack and I am not trying to offend but issues like education should be discussed without regard to sensitivities.
I have therefore decided to use this column to outline why I truly believe it is wrong to teach creationism as an “alternative” to evolution.
But please believe me when I say offence is not intended.
If you have faith in any deity that is absolutely fine. It is not for anyone to dictate what a person believes.
However, we all need to agree that faith is just that – faith.
Faith by definition is belief in something in the absence of fact. If you have a faith, you are choosing to believe something despite a lack of evidence.
This can be for a whole host of reasons and it is absolutely fine and you’re within your rights to do so.
Scientific fact is different. In science, everything can be disproved and opinions can be changed.
Take evolution. If evolution could be proved not to be true then it would no longer be fact. Scientists literally go out of their way to try to prove each other wrong all the time.
Imagine how famous a scientist could be if they managed to disprove Charles Darwin!
As yet, they have utterly failed to do so as the evidence is so strong.
The very fact that all scientific theories are falsifiable adds to their strength.
Faith instead is the denial of observation so that faith can be preserved.
There is a religious school in Cardiff which presents creationism (a literal interpretation of scripture) as a valid alternative to evolution. As though they are two equal sides.
This is incredibly dangerous. Look at the outbreaks of measles due to the lie that the MMR jab caused autism.
There was overwhelming evidence to the contrary but both sides were portrayed as equal.
This meant children were not immunised and got sick.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that children should not learn about religions. They should. Learning reduces ignorance.
However, they should not be taught religions as an alternative to rational thought and certainly not in a science class, especially at the expense of the state.
The issue goes beyond science. The skills in science are transferable to life. Assessing evidence, weighing it up, calculating likelihood/risk, critical thinking are applicable to everything. Apply these skills to buying a house or having kids and you will have a better life.
We should be equipping our young people with these skills so they can make their own decisions. No child is born Christian, Muslim or Hindu. It is taught.
If we give our children these critical thinking skills and a young person then decides to follow a religion, its faith will be all the stronger for having got there themselves.
To finish with Sir David’s quote to the Welsh Government: “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution. It is a fundamental concept that describes and explains the development of the diversity of life on the planet.
“Pupils should be introduced to it early – certainly at primary level – as it underpins so much else.
“What’s more, without an explicit ban on teaching creationism, intelligent design, and other pseudoscientific theories as evidence-based, such teaching may begin to creep into the school curriculum, when it is vital children in Wales are not exposed to pseudoscientific doctrines masquerading as science.”
Faith by definition is belief in something in the absence of fact. If you have a faith, you are choosing to believe something despite a lack of evidence