Topic: Evolution
Quote: Very well said, but remember, Evolution doesnt mean atheism, but creationism means religion.
Response: There\'s just enough truth in that statement to keep me from saying it\'s false, but if I analyze it, it will help make my point;\nThe word "evolution" has such a broad meaning that it doesn\'t have to mean atheism, but it since it is practically the only weapon that atheists have to combat the religious worldview, that\'s what it often DOES mean. If it shouldn\'t mean it, but it is used so that it does, then that\'s what it actually means.\nCreationism means religion, but it also involves a belief in the authenticity of historical documents that have been meticulously preserved over thousands of years. That\'s not just religion, it\'s secular, observed history - something evolution doesn\'t have. \nSo if a person hearing your statement doesn\'t consider it carefully, it\'s very easy to be mislead by it. It implies that "evolution" (the branch that declares that the book of Genesis is false) is somehow a secular, observable truth - while creationism is nothing but a religion, a superstition. Since evolution can\'t prove the book of Genesis (ancient history) false, and creationism does have some historical backing, they are comparable and they directly conflict.\nThe problem is, a school teacher can make the statement you made, and it can\'t be legally questioned by anyone. Yet there was a case that I read about somewhere, where a sticker was placed in science textbooks advising children to study evolution "with an open mind", and an ACLU lawsuit ensued. Of all those likely to be mislead by your statement, it\'s young impressionable school children. Publicly paid school teachers misleading them with statements like that, without a full explanation (prohibited by the courts) does get an establishment of atheism started. It\'s what I mean when I say that when church and state are separated, atheism and state are combined. Maybe government could be neutral, if it was small. The U.S. government is no longer small. \n
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