{"id":1522,"date":"2012-02-12T19:11:43","date_gmt":"2012-02-12T23:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/freethoughtblogs.com\/lovejoyfeminism\/?p=106"},"modified":"2012-08-10T00:36:55","modified_gmt":"2012-08-10T04:36:55","slug":"teaching-both-sides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2012\/02\/teaching-both-sides.html","title":{"rendered":"Teaching “Both Sides”?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I was homeschooled from kindergarten through high school, and like many homeschooled students, I studied from creationist science textbooks. The most prominent science curriculum in our community was Apologia<\/a>, which calls itself an \u201ceducational ministry\u201d and offers \u201cLearn, Live, and Defend the Faith\u201d as its motto.<\/p>\n

Creationists often argue that creationism should be taught in public schools alongside evolution so that students can \u201chear both sides\u201d and decide for themselves. Beside the obvious problems with this argument \u2013 scientists are\u00a0infinitely\u00a0more qualified to decide what is and is not accurate science than are teenagers \u2013 is the fact that it is a bit hypocritical. I,<\/em> after all, was never allowed to \u201chear both sides,\u201d and nor are plenty of other young people who are homeschooled or sent to Christian schools.<\/p>\n

My apologia biology textbook was divided into sixteen \u201cmodules,\u201d each intended to take two weeks. One of these modules covered evolution. I offer its title and contents for you below (for the full table of contents of the apologia biology textbook, click here<\/a>):<\/p>\n

MODULE #9: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Evolution: Part Scientific Theory, Part Unconfirmed Hypothesis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/p>\n

Charles Darwin<\/p>\n

Darwin\u2019s Theory<\/p>\n

Microevolution and Macroevolution<\/p>\n

Inconclusive Evidence: The Geological Column<\/p>\n

The Details of the Fossil Record: Evidence Against Macroevolution<\/p>\n

The Cambrian Explosion<\/p>\n

Structural Homology: Formerly Evidence for Macroevolution, Now Evidence against It<\/p>\n

Molecular Biology: The Nail in Macroevolution\u2019s Coffin<\/p>\n

Macroevolution Today<\/p>\n

Why Do So Many Scientists Believe in Macroevolution?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The entire point of this module was to explain why evolution is wrong. The only discussion of evidence was to show that the evidence is all against evolution. No actual evidence for evolution was discussed, except to show that it was fake or misinterpreted, or actually proved evolution was wrong.<\/p>\n

Creationism was also integrated into the rest of the textbook, into almost every module, through comments like \u201cisn\u2019t God\u2019s design obvious?\u201d and \u201cclearly, this mechanism could not have \u2018evolved.'\u201d For example, when discussing the formation of scabs in the human anatomy textbook, designed to serve as an advanced biology curriculum, the text explains that there is no possible way that every mechanism in the chain reaction that forms scabs could have evolved like that. Little comments and commentary of that sort are peppered through each apologia science textbook. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

When I arrived at college and came in contact with the actual theory of evolution it was like learning about it for the first time. I realized that the version of evolution I had been taught was only a straw man version set up to be knocked down. I realized that I had never really actually learned about the theory of evolution and what it says, about the evidence for it and the complexities of it. I learned that what was taught in that module on evolution in my apologia biology textbook was often completely false, or left out important information, or was simply misleading.\u00a0And, of course, I learned that scientists know exactly<\/em> how the mechanism for scab formation evolved. I was appalled by the depth of my deception.<\/p>\n

So when I hear the talk of teaching \u201cboth sides,\u201d I can\u2019t help but feel that if creationists had their way, they would never ask for teaching \u201cboth sides\u201d at all, but would instead prefer to teach only their<\/em> side. Creationists use the \u201cboth sides\u201d argument both because they know that in today\u2019s world there is no way to ban evolution from the schools entirely, and because it is a good rhetorical tool.<\/p>\n

Creationists should be fighting their battle in the academy. They should be writing academic articles and getting published. They should be doing research and experiments. They should be arguing it out with other scientists. Instead, they fought their battle over the terrain of my teenage mind.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was homeschooled from kindergarten through high school, and like many homeschooled students, I studied from creationist science textbooks. The most prominent science curriculum in our community was Apologia, which calls itself an \u201ceducational ministry\u201d and offers \u201cLearn, Live, and Defend the Faith\u201d as its motto. Creationists often argue that creationism should be taught in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":845,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,11],"tags":[157,209,134],"class_list":["post-1522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homeschool","category-politics","tag-creationism","tag-curriculum","tag-indoctrination"],"yoast_head":"\nTeaching "Both Sides"?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I was homeschooled from kindergarten through high school, and like many homeschooled students, I studied from creationist science textbooks. 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