Board votes against creationism in school
 |
Do you think creationism should be taught in Hawai'i's public schools? Join our discussion. |
By Jennifer Hiller and Jessica Webster
Advertiser Staff Writers
After more than three hours of debate, the Board of Education voted unanimously last night to keep evolution as the only theory of origin taught in Hawai'i classrooms.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
More than 100 people signed up to speak at the meeting — but only 55 of them addressed the board members.
Most of the people at last night's Board of Education meeting rejected the idea of public schools teaching creationism as a competing theory to evolution. The meeting was at the Queen Lili'uokalani Building downtown.
At times, Darwin stickers and theatrics dominated the discussion. People overflowed into the hallways where speakers projected the sounds of the debate.
More than 200 people turned out for the meeting. Most of the those lining the hallway at the Queen Lili'uokalani Building downtown said they didn't want to see creationism taught alongside evolution in science courses in Hawai'i's public schools.
The Board of Education was considering allowing multiple theories of origin besides evolution to be taught in the classroom. Evolution is the basic theory used in Hawai'i to teach the life sciences to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Hawaii State Teachers Association president Karen Ginoza said both theories — evolution and creationism — have a place in schools, but evolution should be taught in science and creation should be taught in literature, social studies or history classes.
"There is a place, but not in science," she said.
Prior to public testimony, board member Denise Matsumoto, who has been considered the driver of these plans, made clear that she did not steer the issue.
"I did not act alone ... the committee voted," she said. "But the committee never intended for creationism to be taught."
The proposed change in policy does not mention the word "creationism," but Matsumoto had offered "creationism" as a competing theory to evolution last week.
Some people present last night toted the Bible and books on creation. Others carried Darwin, science textbooks and theories of relativism. Many wore "Darwin" stickers, and science-praising T-shirts.
And those representing the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai'i and the Hawai'i Citizens for Separation of State and Church, swapped ideas about possible legal action should the board change the policy.
Several creationism supporters said they felt silenced by the evolutionists, and Matsumoto was disparaged in low-tone mumbling.
Mililani science teacher Sandy Ingraham, who stood clutching two life and earth science textbooks, emphasized that evolution and creationism shouldn't be saddled together.
"I'm a Christian," she said. "I go to church to practice my faith and I get up every morning to teach science. And I know the difference."
Ingraham said there are "practical" reasons for teaching evolution, and she wants her students to understand the necessity of saving endangered species and fighting resistant bacteria.
But computer scientist and Christian minister Robart Morgan said all he wants is fair space for his perspective. He said he is aghast at the way creationists have been portrayed in the media.
"What happened to a free exchange of ideas?" Morgan said. "There is a lot of unfair and unwarranted criticism of creationists, and they deserve respect for their viewpoints. There's a lot of good and bad science out there. I'm just tired of all the evolutionists chortling at the creationists, calling it bad science."
William Geyman, who calls himself a student of Biblical prophecy, said the "slant and bias" are always toward the theory of evolution.
"I personally feel evolution is a false theory for a variety of reasons, and I would like to see creationism offered as a viable body of knowledge," he said. "I'm not sure what form it ought to be in, and it does require some faith. But so does evolution."
In one dramatic display, Jody Haworth pulled out $5,000 in cash to make his point, and said anyone who could prove molecular evolution by creating a living cell out of dead matter could have the money.
The issue of evolution versus creationism pits the theory that living things evolved from earlier species against the biblical theory that God created humans essentially in their present forms. Although it is hotly debated in some areas on the Mainland, the issue has not been dealt with in schools in Hawai'i until now.
The board office was deluged with phone calls all week about the proposal. University of Hawai'i science faculty members fired off letters and organized petitions against the proposal, and the Hawai'i Citizens for the Separation of State and Church promised a federal lawsuit if the board approved the new language.
A packet of e-mails, letters and faxed testimony greeted board members before the meeting.
The Department of Education's science adviser and other science teachers were not consulted about the possible change in policy.
More than a decade ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public schools cannot teach creationism, and the National Academy of Sciences calls evolution the most important theory in modern biology, and urges schools to teach it.
The debate over teaching evolution and creationism is as old as the 1859 publication of Charles Darwin's "Origin of Species," which stated that species arise and develop through the natural selection of inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to survive and reproduce.
As recently as 1999, a national debate on the issue centered on Kansas when education officials there voted to stop teaching the theory of evolution altogether, as well as the "Big Bang" and all references to the age of the Earth.
