Features
12
June
Religion and science in school, a topic for debate
C abqlyn C ruze _______ _
For thousands of years,
people have studied and
contemplated the reason of
our existence and whether
humankind was created by
an unforeseen power with a
purpose. These mind-boggling
questions are inescapable
when tested against scientific
findings. Though every
person has his or her own way
of handling faith and science,
there is an undeniable struggle
to combine these ideals. With
the advancement in scientific
technology and the discussion
of enviommental and political
issues, the combination of
religion and science will
continue to be hotly debated.
On Feb. 18, the scientific
community met at the
annual seminar held by the
American Association for
the Advancement of Science
where a symposium titled,
"Evangelicals, Science, and
Policy: Toward a Constructive
Engagement," discussed this
controversy.
"Advances in neurobiology
and psychology continue to
challenge our conceptions
of self, mind, and free
will," William Newsome,
neuroscientist and National
Academy of Sciences member
from Stanford University,
said. "And these advances
Vtave im portant ethical
implications."
Due to these ethical
implications, religious
groups often shun certain
scientific information,
such as information on
the greenhouse effect and
climate change. According to
Newsome, although religious
views need to be upheld, the
question of our existence,
some scientists believe that the
human mind created a god in
order to create a false sense of
security.
"The concepts of a
benevolent shepherd, a
universal plan, an afterlife,
modem philosophy, was a
Roman Catholic who created
his system by asking what
could be known if all else
were doubted, which supports
the famous quote: "I think
therefore I am."
On the other hand, in order
advancement and the benefits
of understanding scientific
data need to be accepted as
well.
"If science proves some
belief of Buddhism wrong,
then Buddhism will have to
change," Tenzin Gyatso, Dalai
Lama, said. "In my view,
science and Buddhism share
a search for the tmth and for
understanding reality. By
learning from science about
aspects of reality where its
understanding may be more
advanced, I believe that
or just deserts, ease the pain
of being a human; these
comforting thoughts make
us feel better," Steven Pinker,
Harvard professor, said.
"There's an element of tmth to
this, but it is not a legitimate
adaptation is explanation,
because it begs the question
of why the mind should find
comfort in beliefs that are
false."
Contrary to the skeptics,
scientists have successfully
combined science and religion
in the past. Basing his entire
Buddhism enriches its ow n
w orldview ."
scientific m ethodology on
God, Rene Descartes, also
to maintain their scientific
and religious perspectives,
some scientists believe that
science and religion need to be
separated because they each
require different mindsets.
"Science and religion are
two windows that people look
through trying to understand
the big universe outside,
trying to understand why we
are here. The two windows
give different views, but both
look out at the same universe,"
Freeman Dyson, physicist,
said. "Both views are one
sided, neither is complete.
Both leave out essential
features of the real world. And
Delving deeper into the
known as the father of
B est A nswers on T he B log
Q: What do you think of our
new banner?
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A: "The face freaks me
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—Amanda Rucker, senior
Q: How did you like the outcome of
the Civil War?
A: "It would have been better if we
let the confederate rebels be, but I
suppose we needed the
cotton."—Alexander
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Q: How do you prepare for
the holiday season?
A: "Christmas music is all it
takes. The second those songs
hit the radio everyone's mode
changes and the spirit of
Christmas surrounds people."
—Kaitlin Andrus, junior
both are worthy of respect,".
Although every person
deals with religion differently,
this struggle has created
tension in state school
systems. After Arkansas and
Louisiana passed state laws
requiring creationism to
be taught in public schools
instead of evolution, the
Supreme Court ruled these
laws unconstitutional in the
1987 Edwards vs Aguillard
case, declaring that public
schools could not teach
creationism because it
specifically advanced one
religion. Flowever, teachers
may define evolution as an
unproven theory.
Regardless, some parents
don't want their children
learning about evolution
because they do not believe
that evolution is real. Despite
the national ruling, parents
still contact schools about
this topic and express their
concerns with evolution.
According to a 2005 poll
conducted by the ADL, 56
percent of Americans want
to see creationism taught
alongside evolution.
According to Oregon State
Law, "schools may not refuse
to teach evolutionary theory
in order to avoid giving
offense to religion nor may
they circumvent these rules by
labeling as science an article of
religious faith." Flowever, the
controversy between teaching
creationsim and evolution in
public schools still remains.
Now the real question is, will
this opposition change public
curriculum or not.
Helping out the
environment
proves helpful
and rewarding
continued from page 7
7) Reduce waste by
cutting back on the use of
disposables. It's easy to use
throw away cups, plates,
wrappers and utensils, but
it only creates more waste
in the landfills. We can save
more trees by using less
paper products, and we
can keep more plastics and
styrofoam out of the landfills
by using less throwaway
items.
8) Pay attention to what
you recycle or throw away.
Going green is a lifestyle.
Paying attention to what you
can reduce, reuse and recycle
is a simple way to make the
most of our products from
cradle to grave.
9) Find ways to recycle.
Nearly everything can be
recycled, check out Metro's
website, http:/ /www.
oregonmetro.gov/ for more
details on recycling programs
in your area and more
information on recycling.