Teachers at a UK school have caused a storm of controversy by saying evolutionary science should be taught as an alternative 鈥渇aith position鈥� to the story of creation depicted in the Bible. The row reached the Prime Minister and the House of Commons on Wednesday.
The statements by teachers at Emmanuel City Technology College in Tyne and Wear have angered scientists who accuse them of denying the scientific evidence for biological evolution and a very ancient Universe. Even theologians say the teachers鈥� views are at odds with the official position promoted by the Christian church.
Nigel McQuiod, headmaster of Emmanuel City Technology College in Tyne and Wear, recently co-authored a lecture with his predecessor John Burn that recommended teaching evolutionary science as a comparable 鈥渇aith position鈥� to the biblical story of creation.
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In another lecture at the college in 2001, vice principal Gary Wiecek said of evolutionary theory: 鈥淚t must be our duty as Christian teachers to counter these false doctrines with well-founded insights.鈥�
This has outraged many of the UK鈥檚 most prominent scientists. Richard Dawkins, Oxford University鈥檚 Professor of the Public Understanding of Science, said: 鈥淐reation as literally depicted in Genesis is indeed supported by faith and needs to be, since it is not supported by anything else.鈥�
鈥淓volution, on the other hand, is supported by evidence,鈥� he wrote in an editorial in The Guardian newspaper.
Human soul
Even church officials and theologians say that neither the Catholic nor the Anglican Church endorses undermining evolutionary ideas. The Bishop of Durham, Michael Turnbull, told 快猫短视频: 鈥淚 would hope they would be teaching modern scientific theories along side any sort or biblical approach to creation.鈥�
Andrew Beards, a Catholic theologian at Ushaw College in Durham, adds: 鈥淭he Catholic church remains open to [evolutionism]. The Church is essentially indifferent as long as these views don鈥檛 deny the existence of God or a human soul.鈥�
No one at the school was available for comment but a statement on the school鈥檚 website defends its position saying: 鈥淎t Emmanuel College, a belief in God is promoted, however, pupils are never encouraged to believe for the sake of it, and are by no means indoctrinated.鈥�
Under the UK鈥檚 current national curriculum, schools are required to teach evolutionary theory but not restricted from teaching creationism.
Intelligent design
On Wednesday, the row reached the House of Commons, when Prime Minister Tony Blair was asked if he was concerned about the school鈥檚 teaching. He sidestepped the question, stressing the school鈥檚 good academic record and the importance of 鈥渁 diverse school system鈥�.
The argument between creationism and science has not surfaced in the UK for many years but has always been current in the US. A recent survey suggests that 45 per cent of Americans believe God created the world in the past 10,000 years. Dating based on the radioactive decay of elements gives an age for the Earth of 4.6 billion years.
A local education board panel in Ohio is currently considering the inclusion of the theory of 鈥渋ntelligent design鈥� in school curriculums. This idea suggests some intelligent force must have been involved in the creation of the Universe and the life in it.
And, in February 2001, the newly-elected members of the Kansas State Board of Education overturned the previous boards鈥� 1999 decision to excise all references to evolution and the big bang from school curriculums.