Science in the States

Though I am a firm believer that to completely trust the theory of evolution takes about as much faith as believing in anything else (to trust that billions of years and billions of minor changes are responsible for what we know as our modern world and everything in it is beyond our direct comprehension - we can accept it, we can even understand it, but we cannot grasp "billions" as a concept other than it's a damn lot) the difference lies in the unflinching testing of the theory.

Religions have a lengthy history, and even a modern reputation, for being unwilling to be put to the test while scientific theories are pretty much hanging it out there at all times and are regularly reinforced or modified. I mean, prove it wrong! I think that's what bothers me most about a biblically literal "creationism" being taught in a science classroom. It's untestable and it's unapproachable - and the only reason it "has" to be taught in the classroom is because biblical literalism and evolution go together like oil and water. But in the realm of reality, biblical literalism and evolution are about as old as each other. In the history of Christianity, for all the good and horrible things contained within it, Biblical literalism is a reactive (and reductive!) ideology that has only come to prominence since the mid 19th century as a foil to the literary criticism of the Bible of the same age.

Early church fathers are on record as interpreting Genesis' creation story far more allegorically than their modern, literal, American Christian contemporaries. Maybe that's the reason Catholicism has accepted evolution (mostly). The downside, our modern "Creation Science" is rooted in scientific sounding half-truths furthered by non-scientists and scientists working out of their depth/field. Cherry picking science much like believers cherry pick the principles of their faith from their holy books.

In Madison, every outdoor farmers market (so every Saturday between May and December), there are dozens of people crowded around "Evolution is a Lie" posters and giant information collages, along with plenty of other "witnesses." Though I agree with them that rationality/evolution is a worldview, it is a worldview that is grounded in testable, observable science (though conceptually difficult to grasp - like a concept of "God"), the people who disagree with that don't have facts on their side, instead having only faith. While that sort of resolve is commendable, that's the same sort of faith that is responsible for an unjustifiable level of ignorance and intolerance throughout history (which is not commendable).

No one can make you believe the truth, but no amount of belief can make something true. I just think it's sad that we (as a society) are hung up on these ideas and debates (creationism/evolution, gay marriage) when there is so much suffering here and abroad and innumerable and infinitely more important problems to solve. Ultimately, I think it just comes down to anomie - for (closed-minded, biblically literal) Christian parents to have their children subjected to such rational alternatives to their irrational beliefs creates an incredible feeling of anomie in their children, but more importantly, in themselves. And nobody likes to be told that they don't have a grasp on reality.

I think religion should be taught in schools, not A religion, but all - the facts, history and worldviews. Talk about creationism then. Leave science to the science class and leave religion out of it. What the bible says isn't science and it isn't really history either. It's not ALL bad but it's pretty ignorant to take two, or four or six thousand year old information and assume that the authors were aware of everything we know today. Especially in terms of modern science where twenty years is ancient history.

That said, I'm a spiritual guy from a spiritual family and my youth was spent bouncing from one fundamentalist Christian church to another. My extended family includes a high percentage of young earthers and I was taught creationism, I was also taught about evolution (though it wasn't framed as anything remotely close to truth). The evolution I was taught was the straw-man version that's rife with misunderstandings that make it look as unbelievable as this sentence makes it sound: Evolution goes against the Bible and against other laws of science - like the second law of thermodynamics (thank you for clearing that up).

Now that I'm on the other side of my childhood, there is a divide between my spirituality and my rationality. Though I prefer my material world to be infused with metaphor and meaning I also prefer my spirituality to maintain (at least) a modicum of rationality, ultimately they are separate. My spiritual experience in life has little to do with the material world, and the origins of the material world have nothing to do with my spiritual experience. Though my spirituality has a tremendous effect on how I interact with the world around me and see myself, and my experience of the material world regularly tests me and my faith, it's not a zero sum game. Thankfully.