re: #670 drcordell

Where are you gleaning that anyone is trying to force these groups into abandoning their beliefs? The problem is that these radical Christian theocrats are attempting to force their beliefs on the rest of the population.

Then what are you suggesting?

The theory of evolution is not a belief. It is based on empirical facts. Creationism is a religious belief. It is based not on empirical fact, but on faith. If you do not wish you have your child educated with regard to evolution, I have no problem with that. But attempting to place a religious belief inside the classroom, simply because it is offered as an alternative to science is absolutely absurd.

But I don’t see the harm in either being taught.

With regard to England, I think you are confusing a school teaching religious beliefs with a school teaching about religion. Religion is an unavoidable part of any society. Teaching schoolchildren about the various world belief systems in an educational manner is a great thing, and one that should be encouraged in my opinion. Teaching religious dogma to children veiled as a counter-theory to evolution is insane. There is a huge difference between the two.

My wife is an English School Teacher so I sort of have an inside scoop. The problems they are having with the Muslims are testing this openness. She thinks we (Americans) are nuts over our revulsion to having religion discussed publicly.