Creationists seek foothold in Europe

[Temporal Renegade]

This'll end well, I'm sure:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080209/ap_on_re_eu/europe_evolution_under_attack

[Complexity]

I'm so sorry.

I liked some things about Europe.

[Wildy]

I was trying to guess where this foothold would be. I never expected that it would start in the UK. I would have found it far funnier had it been Norway though.

I was thinking that it would be a former Eastern Bloc country.

[m_huber]

Hmm.. hopefully, it will not have the same impact on the UK as it has had here..

[LordoftheLeftHand]

Whoo-hoo! I knew it couldn't last forever! Now I don't feel so bad that my country is full of retards; Briton is too! Monkey dance!!!!

:mdance: :mdance: :mdance: :mdance:

LLH

[Nogbad]

There is a largely overlooked thread on this in the education section in which I replied

To be honest I haver heard of them - just asked my 17 year old who did biology as a subject a couple of years ago if she came across this stuff and she said that there was nothing like that - creationism was discussed in one session as a class thing and then they got on with the science. I haven't seen any articles like that in a UK paper (not to say there hasn't been one). London is a big place and a church of 150 is not exactly very representative. The only thing that is notable is that they are getting so much material from the US - they would not have the people or resources in Europe to fund that sort of operation.

I would say their influence is marginal at best and that if they are invited into schools it is most likely the few small Christian ones rather than any of the big state schools. I am pretty certain there are fairly strict rules about who can come in and spout off to the kids. I would be none too impressed if our school invited them in. 6,000 to 12,000 years indeed!

My daughter had heard of Ken Hovind though - he is apparently something of an internet joke amongst kids.

If that makes anyone feel any better :)

[Nogbad]

Strangely both threads quote a US media report on this story. I have had a look at the UK Yahoo site and can't see it.

[geni]

Eh been trying for at least a couple of decades. As long as the funding from the US lasts they spend it but don't seem to make much progress.

[Nogbad]

Eh been trying for at least a couple of decades. As long as the funding from the US lasts they spend it but don't seem to make much progress.

I vaguely recall them starting out on this 20+ years ago too and then disappearing without trace. I did biology at school too and the approach then was no different from that of my daughter's today - we covered Creationism and Lamarck in one lesson merely as background (it was not examinable). Obviously the bulk of biology was learning about DNA, cell structure, how plants work - messing about with fruit flies etc. but we did spend time on natural selection as a theory too.

There is always RE if they want to discuss creation myths.

[Wildy]

Guardian article. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7296396,00.html)

[Nogbad]

Guardian article. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7296396,00.html)



Which strangely is in their international section not their UK news section. It is the same article in all three instances. The author would appear to be an American who writes European stories for AP. I think it might be useful if the story ran in the UK as then it could be discussed and questions asked about the whys and wherefores of religious groups (any religious group) pushing a particular line in our schools - if indeed they are.