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June 13, 2007

The Darwin Catechism

Field Museum exhibit defends evolution.

Collin Hansen

The Field Museum hopes a new Darwin exhibit will strike a blow against creationism, so writes the Chicago Tribune. The report by William Mullen expresses some disgust that anyone could still doubt Darwin's account of evolution. Mullen offers a brief primer on the life and work of Charles Darwin, whose theories published in the 1859 book On the Origin of Species, Mullen says, became the "foundation of all biological thinking."

I appreciated the reporter's Darwin recap. The article read a little bit like what Christianity Today tries to do in many of our stories with historical and theological context. That's when I realized what Mullen had done. He used the Field Museum exhibit as a news hook to catechize his readers about Darwin's theories. It's enough to make you wonder where science ends and dogma begins.

posted by Collin Hansen | Comments (3)

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a surprisingly strong movement working to restore creationist teachings in schools: that evolutionary theory is false and that God created the Earth and all living species upon it about 6,000 years ago.
Oh, is that what they were trying to get into schools? I must have missed that one. I thought we were talking about intelligent design, not necessarily young-earth creationism. Oh well, creationists can be easily lumped together... right?

many of [Darwin's] modern-day disciples in biology and genetics see no conflict between religion and evolutionary theory. A few talk about their personal beliefs in a video display in the exhibit.
At the Field Museum of Natural History they have a video talking about religion? Wow. Is this good or bad?

Posted By: Joel | June 13, 2007 1:01 PM

There are many excellent creation stories, such as the Mayan one. It is incredibly arrogant for fundies to announce "Ours is the true one and the others are false." Surely the teaching of the Genesis story should be taught, in comparitive religion and anthropology classes. But what place do the creation stories of the Mayans and the ancient Hebrews have in science? Get real.

Oh, they may say, our "intelligent design" system is science. Fine. Let them then produce some serious scientific papers on the subject, supported by evidence rather than faith. If they are scientific, they will be ready to repudiate Genesis if evidence contradicts its claims. Oops.

Are they willing to recognize Genesis as fallible? Oh. I didn't think so. Then they are not ready to claim that their ID is science.

"Intelligent Design" (a.k.a. Creationism Lite) belongs in a museum of charming quaint fallacies along with astrology, Scientology, alchemy, flat Earth theories, and (bless them!) the Kansas fundie group, my favorite wackos on the Web, who say the Earth neither rotates on its axis nor revolves around the Sun. Yes, they mean it - go see and enjoy.

Posted By: fra59e | June 13, 2007 4:35 PM

Teleology, intelligent design, predates Christianity and probably works better with polytheism anyway. Except as a root in the philosophy of science...why bother with it at all? Id has become kind of puffed up, desperate and pathetic.

Posted By: Greg | June 14, 2007 3:00 PM