European Creationism Controversy

10/11/2007

European Creationism Controversy

Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe last week condemned efforts to teach creationism in schools. The International Herald Tribune (October 5, 2007) reported that members of the assembly, a human rights watchdog, approved by a vote of 48 to 25 a report that attacked advocates of creationism for seeking “to impose religious dogma” and to promote “a radical return to the past” at the expense of children’s education.

According to the Tribune, “The vote highlighted the growth of Christian creationism, promoted by socially conservative parties in Eastern Europe, and of a Muslim variant pioneered in Turkey, but spreading to other countries. It also underlined the growing polarization in Europe over moral and religious issues such as abortion, single-sex marriage, and genetic engineering.

“The report said that creationism, which denies or qualifies the theory of evolution, was ‘an almost exclusively American phenomenon’, but that such ideas were tending to find their way into Europe...’. It added that denying pupils knowledge of theories like evolution was ‘totally against children’s educational interests’ and that creationists supported ‘a radical return to the past which could prove particularly harmful in the long term for all societies.’”

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