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Emma Seibert

Mrs. Barnes

English 112

10 May 2017

Evolution and Religion Taught in Schools

With over 4,200 religions existing in todays society(Adherents.com), the debate over

the origin of the human species is never ending. The highly controversial topic has been disputed

since the beginning of time and is still going on today. With new advancements and discoveries

involving the history of human biology, many of the religious explanations have contradicted

this evidence. The problems with this debate deal with the ways we teach this topic in schools.

Although many religions have very large followings, especially Christianity in the United States,

evolution is the only theory that has yet to be proven. Evolution is the process by which life

evolves, or changes over time, with new species of plants and animals arising from existing

ones (Evolution). With the circumstantial evidence to support this, it should be the only one

taught and taught as fact whether the students choose to consider it or not. Personal beliefs aside,

evolution should be the only thing learned to explain human existence solely because of the

proven evidence to support it.

Darwins Theory of Evolution was brought to the world in his book On the Origin of

Species in 1859 (Evolution). This explains that humans, along with all other organisms, can be

traced back to common ancestors. Although many people tend to dismiss evolution as just a

theory, it is the fundamental, underlying idea that consolidates all other life sciences (Why is
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Evolution). In science, a theory is an idea supported by a substantial amount of evidence and

research (Using common). All theories taught in science classes fall under the same

circumstances, just like Heliocentrism for example. Teachers can teach that the planets revolve

around the sun because we have evidence, just as evolution. Evolution explains how organisms

can adapt to their environment and it also explains the process of mutation(Why Evolution

Matters). Understanding this concept helps humans solve conflicts impacting our lives, such as

advances in medicine involving genetic hereditary diseases, and patterns of disease-causing

organisms (Relevance). As said by many scientists, A knowledge of evolution can improve

the quality of human life (Understanding). With the ongoing improvements made based on

evolutionary relationships, it is important for students to learn the foundation of many other

biological advancements, even if they do disagree with it.

Despite what many people believe about evolution, it is supported by fact. Since it is the

only explanation with proof, it should be the only one taught in schools. There are many forms of

evidence behind evolution, including fossil dating, cellular/ molecular evidence, relationships in

DNA sequences, and similarities between bone structures among different organisms.

(Evidence) For example, scientists have studied the bone and anatomical structures of various

animals throughout time and have concluded that the diversity in all life is because of things

evolving by natural selection from their common ancestors. As said by Dr. Dennis O'Neill, a

Professor of Anthropology at Palomar College, Many groups of species share the same types of

body structures because they inherited them from a common ancestor that had them. The arms of

humans, the forelegs of dogs and cats, the wings of birds, and the flippers of whales and seals all

have the same types of bones (humerus, radius, and ulna) because they have retained these traits
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of their shared common ancient vertebrate ancestor. These ideas help explain how science

believes humans evolved. No one can truly say how the human race was created, but evolution is

the most supported and logical theory.

On the opposing side of evolution, there is creationism and intelligent design.

Creationism is the belief that a god of some kind created the Heavens and the Earth and all its

components, while intelligent design is the belief that a god helped aid the evolutionary

processes that took place(Creationism). The problem with teaching these in the curriculum is

that, although some do have a large following, there are so many religions and diverse beliefs

that exist, it would be impossible to teach all. If only Christianity were taught, it would be unfair

to dismiss all other religions from being taught. Many people also argue that evolution should be

taught alongside creationism. In fact, when a poll was conducted on a group of high school

students by Emma Seibert, 51% of them agree both should be taught and 49% decided only

evolution should be taught. Teaching creationism wastes valuable class time and goes against the

US Constitution. Since by law forms of religion are not to be taught in public schools, teachers

are required to give a disclaimer before teaching evolution(Evolution). When a 9th-grade

biology teacher, Heather Kane was asked about this, she said she tells her students, Yes. This is

evolution, but I want you to keep doing what you do. She explains that is important to respect

and acknowledge everyone's beliefs when teaching such a controversial subject like this. The

disclaimer is in place in order to not refute anyones faith or personal beliefs, but also not dismiss

evolution as false.

Because of the many reasons that support evolution, it should be the only thing present

in science classrooms, but there are still people fighting against this today. Because of the many
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pieces of evidence behind the Theory of Evolution and its importance for understanding other

life sciences, it is a necessary component of a science curriculum. There are difficulties with

teaching religion as a way to explain human creation because of the extremely large amounts of

religious theories and costumes. In order for students to utilize their class time to its full extent, it

would be best if personal beliefs were kept outside of the classroom. When faced with this

controversial topic, it is important to acknowledge the ground of science, because, without it, we

would not have the society we have today. Giving students diluted and weak information about

evolution, or not even teaching it to them is just like teaching alchemy in a chemistry class, or

teaching about the stork in a sex-ed class.

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Works Cited

"Adherents.com." World Religions Religion Statistics Geography Church Statistics. N.p., n.d.

Web. 15 May 2017. http://www.adherents.com/.

"Creationism." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context, 3. Accessed 11 Jan. 2017.

ink.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PC3021900041/OVIC?u=mass12242&xid=52bc666

"Evidence of Evolution." Early Theories of Evolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.

http://anthro.palomar.edu/evolve/evolve_3.htm.

"Evolution." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context,ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?disabl

eHighlighting=true&displayGroupName=Reference&currPage=&scanId=&query=&prod

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mentary=true&source=Bookmark&u=mass12242&jsid=b49a88dcd37a560c64e9e270426

d65b7. Accessed 14 Nov. 2016.

Kane, Heather. Personal Interview. 5 March 2014.

"Relevance of Evolution: medicine." Understanding Evolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2017.

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/medicine_06.

Seibert, Emma. English Project Survey. 9 March 2017.

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Understanding Evolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/medicine_01.

"Using some common terms carefully and accurately in scientific speech and writing." Oregon

State University. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.

http://oregonstate.edu/instruction/bb317/scientifictheories.html

"Why Evolution Matters." Evolution@home. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.

http://www.evolutionary-research.net/science/intro/why-evolution-matters.

"Why is Evolution Important in Teaching, Science, and Society?" Teaching Evolution Workshop

2006. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.

http://evolru.rutgers.edu/WhyIsEvolutionImportant.html.