Attenborough joins anti-creation campaign, according to reports in The Guardian, and Telegraph (UK) 19 September 2011. Retired wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough has joined outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins and 30 prominent scientists in a campaign “aimed at driving out creationism and intelligent design from classrooms”. Other scientists supporting the campaign include president of the Royal Society, Sir Paul Nurse, neurobiologist Professor Colin Blakemore and theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili along with Steve Jones, John Krebs and Michael Reiss, who is also an ordained Anglican minister. Organisations supporting the campaign include the Association for Science Education, the British Science Association, the British Humanist Society and Ekklesia.
The campaigners want the British government to ban creationism from schools and make schools teach evolution in primary and secondary schools. They have set up a website named Teach Evolution, not Creationism, which has the following statement on its front page: “Creationism and ‘intelligent design’ are not scientific theories, but they are portrayed as scientific theories by some religious fundamentalists who attempt to have their views promoted in publicly-funded schools. There should be enforceable statutory guidance that they may not be presented as scientific theories in any publicly-funded school of whatever type. But this is not enough. An understanding of evolution is central to understanding all aspects of biology. The teaching of evolution should be included at both primary and secondary levels in the National Curriculum and in all schools.” . (emphasis in original)
The Guardian article also notes: “In 2009, an Ipsos Mori survey found that more than half of British adults think that intelligent design and creationism should be taught alongside evolution in school science lessons – a proportion higher than in the US”.
Editorial Comment: We have said this before, but it is worth saying again: When evolutionists have to campaign to get governments and law courts to enforce the teaching of their beliefs, and ban any criticism or opposing beliefs, they are admitting their ideas cannot stand up to serious scientific critique. If evolution was good science it would stand up to any honest scrutiny, so there would be no need to hide behind politicians and lawyers. Furthermore, they cannot hide behind the excuse of public funding for schools. As The Guardian reminded its readers, it seems a majority of British adults, i.e. the public who supplied the funds, do not want creation and intelligent design banned from schools.
Thanks to one of our colleagues and the website http://webwhois.nic.uk we have found out the owner of the “Teach Evolution, not Creationism” website is the British Humanist Society. The humanists know that creationism is a direct threat to their philosophy of materialism, or naturalism, and therefore they are trying to prevent students from hearing anything that undermines their world view. That’s why they argue testing or discussing creation cannot be science since their world view demands Science is “a naturalistic explanation which excludes any reference to God” by their own fiat definition. (The Science Teacher Nov 2003, vol. 70 No.8, p.34) This campaign is not about science; it is a clash of world views. Humanism vs everybody else!
Rev. Michael Reiss, and any other theistic evolutionists who claim to follow the God of the Bible but publicly join with atheists such as Attenborough and Dawkins, and do not want God in any explanation of how the world began should take heed of the warning issued by the Creator they claim to believe in. Jesus said: “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea”. (Matthew 18:6) (Ref. education, philosophy, politics)
Evidence News 21 September 2011