Federal court makes right call on evolution in school

Frontiersman editorial board

The battle between evolution and Creation reached another flash point in federal court Thursday. Prior to the court's ruling, schools in Georgia's Cobb County were labeling some science books with stickers that proclaimed evolution to be "a theory, not a fact." The court ordered the school district to remove the stickers and not to use them again.

A group of scientists, teachers and parents celebrated the ruling. But parents, teachers and religious leaders who oppose the teaching of evolution as fact were disheartened by a ruling they see as yet another blow to freedom of religious choice and equal treatment for religious teaching. For many years, some evolution opponents have called for a compromise that allows for the teaching of what they consider to be both competing theories - evolution and Creation.

One of the stumbling points in the debate has been the inability to agree upon definitions. To many of the creationists, the word "theory" represents a guess or a supposition. To scientists, however, theory can mean a number of things, and in the case of evolution, it describes a large body of evidence supporting a general principle. What many creationists describe as a theory would be better described as a hypothesis in scientific language.

Conversely, when creationists describe Creation as a competing "theory," scientists are quick to point out the lack of supporting evidence. Scientists would likely define Creation as a myth, rather than either a theory or a hypothesis. There is no way to apply the scientific method to the concept of Creation, and therefore it seems erroneous to define it in scientific terms. This disconnect of definitions fuels an impassioned debate between two groups struggling to find a common language.

The difference, and the reason why evolution works in public education and Creation does not, is that evolution is a product of the scientific method. It is true that science is sometimes less then 100 percent correct, but it applies a logical process to arrive at conclusions based upon evidence. Much of science is correct, and that correctness is part of an evolving process - as more evidence is gained, theories and principles are adapted to the new information.

Creation, on the other hand, is based upon the sacred texts of one religion. It cannot ever be unequivocally proved or disproved. Creation is a religious matter for personal consumption, and is safer when taught at home or Sunday school. The federal court's decision was the correct one.