Kind courtesy Ms Carol Smith of the Atheist Alliance.
Mehul Kamdar
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
- The Riddle of Epicurus
A scientist's view
Richard Dawkins
Guardian
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,664595,00.html
Saturday March 9, 2002
The Rome-deniers, let's imagine, are a well-organised
group of nutters, implacably convinced that the Roman
empire never existed. The Latin language, for all its
rich literature and its romance language
grandchildren, is a Victorian fabrication.
The Rome-deniers are, no doubt, harmless wingnuts,
more harmless than the Holocaust-deniers whom they
resemble. Smile and be tolerant. But your tolerance
might wear thin if you are a scholar and teacher of
Roman history or literature.
And what if Rome-deniers manage to infiltrate the
teaching staff of an otherwise reputable school, and
energetically promote their inanities to a susceptible
new generation? A normally tolerant person could be
forgiven for wanting to see those teachers fired.
Well, that's approximately where I stand with respect
to the clique of Genesis creationists who have moved
in on Emmanuel College, Gateshead. What they deny is
the unassailable evidence for biological evolution.
The present head of the school, Nigel McQuoid, with
his predecessor John Burn, wrote the following: "We
agree that [schools] should teach evolution as a
theory and faith position... Clearly also schools
should teach the creation theory as literally depicted
in Genesis. Both creation and evolution provide ways
of explaining the past that are beyond direct
scientific examination and verification. Ultimately,
both creation and evolution are faith positions."
The vice-principal, head of science, senior assessment
coordinator and maths teacher, have all said something
similar.
Creation as literally depicted in Genesis is indeed
supported by faith (and needs to be, since it is not
supported by anything else, certainly not the Pope,
nor the Roman or Anglican hierarchies). Evolution, on
the other hand, is supported by evidence.
Any science teacher who denies that the world is
billions (or even millions!) of years old is teaching
children a preposterous, mind-shrinking falsehood.
These men disgrace the honourable profession of
teacher. By comparison, real teachers, teachers who
respect truth and evidence whether in science or
history, have so much more to offer. Today's children
are blessed with the opportunity to open their minds
to the shattering wonder of their own existence, the
nature of life and its remarkable provenance in a yet
more remarkable universe. Teachers who help to open
young minds perform a duty which is as near sacred as
I will admit. Ignorant, closed-minded, false teachers
who stand in their way come as close as I can reckon
to committing true sacrilege.
· Richard Dawkins FRS is Oxford University's Charles
Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of
Science.
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