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The European Creationism Problem

Posted by RPM on November 24, 2006
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Remember Maciej Giertych? He’s the Polish representative to the European Parliament who wants creationism taught in schools alongside evolution. And he’s got a degree in tree physiology, but he claims to be a population geneticist. Anyway, his letter to Nature made it seem like Poland has this big problem with creationism. Boy was I mislead.

It turns out the problem isn’t just localized to Poland; it’s spread throughout Europe. Nature reports that creationists in Great Britain, using the name Truth in Science, are trying to undermine the teaching of evolution. And Letizia Moratti, the former education minister in Italy, removed the teaching of evolution from the nation’s middle schools. And the ARCTUR Research Geological Lab in Moscow, Russia is trying to find geological evidence for creationism. That should keep them busy for a while eternity.

The Nature article argues that the European creationism movement is more diverse than the American version. They claim that American creationism is mostly limited to evangelical Protestants, whereas European creationists may be Protestant (England), Catholic (Poland, Italy), or Muslim (England, France, and the capital of European creationism, Turkey).

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Comments

  1. #1 L
    November 24, 2006

    First, Serbia or another country from ex-Yugoslavia should also be added, thought the article in Nature doesn’t mention it (another minister who tried to change classes content just as in Italy a few years ago).

    Second, while you’re right about Turkey, it is technically not part of Europe yet, even if it might be a good thing for Europe to integrate it (thought not based on its creationistic tendency -we may add nevertheless the Turkish gouvernment is completely “laic” -Oh gosh, how does this concept translate into American words??).

    Third, you do not seem aware that European creationism is only an American export (the arguments are not their owns but are just the BS exported from USA into Europe, usually only and badly translated into the local language).

    This is a reminder I wished I had read in the Nature text but didn’t. That’s also why scientists in Europe should now join American researchers to help them keep creationism the bad joke it should stay being…

  2. #2 Mahl Wagner
    November 25, 2006

    Does anyone have more details on the Nature article: Such as author, exact title, pages, etc. I would like to access the text of the entire article at a university library.
    Thanks

  3. #3 RPM
    November 25, 2006

    Mahl, that information can be found here.

  4. #4 Roman Werpachowski
    November 25, 2006

    “Anyway, his letter to Nature made it seem like Poland has this big problem with creationism. Boy was I mislead.”

    Well, it has. It’s not about Giertych, though. Polish deputy minister of education called the theory of evolution “a lie” (he also said “we can do without tolerance, who needs it?”). Pure Taliban.

  5. #5 RPM
    November 25, 2006

    Roman, what I meant was that I thought the problem was isolated in Poland (and Turkey).

  6. #6 Melbatross7
    November 25, 2006

    As with most major discoveries that impact our belief systems, they are assessed and presented without full understanding. Darwin saw a pattern of development along with a religious culture that saw nothing before Adam and Eve. He presented a hypothesis that seemed plausible to people opposed to religious superstition. The religious sector saw developing science as a threat to their limited beliefs. The ignorance on both sides directed each to battle with intra/extrapolations that were no more than their own short sighted assumptions. We still deal with that rift. We need not see a conflict between science and the Bible. Science is a good method of discovery by use of the five senses, totally void of assumption or superstition. It becomes physical tangable fact. Religion needs to consider that God gave us the history of humanity from the point of “mans’” development where we were fit to recieve His Spirit. This made us different from the animal kingdom, a new creation. Still creaturely yet now possesing God’s Spirit.
    Creationism needs to be taught , so does the apparent development of the natural world. We don’t have the complete picture yet. Do we need to have one side think of the other as an enemy until we do ?

  7. #7 Paul A
    November 27, 2006

    Just thought you’d ;like to know that there are a number of us already fighting the good fight against Truth In Science in the UK. See The British Centre for Science Education for details.

    Recently TiS tried sending out a pack of creationist teaching materials to every school in the country but thankfully they were largely ignored/ridiculed (my wife is a teacher, still trying to get her to grab me a copy!). Also an Early Day Motion in the House Of Commons raised the issue and the Government’s official position is that creationism/ID has no place in science classrooms as it’s not a recognised scientific theory. I’d rather they stated that they weren’t scientific theories at all, rather than just unrecognised, but it’s a damn good start…

  8. #8 Paul A
    November 27, 2006

    Oops, looks like I messed up closing a tag there, sorry!