GEORGIA CITIZENS' EDUCATIONAL COALITION

Statement on the Teaching of Creationism in Georgia Public High School Science Classes

There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one . . . . and from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.

Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species

We oppose the teaching of "creationism" as science in Georgia's public schools.

Creationism is based on the religious belief in biblical literalism, or biblical inerrancy, and not on scientific theory. It includes belief in six 24­hour days of creation which occurred less than 10,000 years ago.

The First Amendment specifically forbids the State to force its citizens to profess a belief, or disbelief, in any religion. Creationism is a particular sectarian doctrine held only by those who believe in biblical literalism.

We have no objection to the belief in biblical literalism by those who are obliged by their religion to do so, but object strongly to injecting this religious belief, in the form of creationism, into the science classroom.

However, we recognize the right of parents to uphold their deep religious convictions by withdrawing their children from the study of the scientific theory of evolution.

Many of us believe there is no contradiction between the acts of the Creator God in the Bible and the theory of evolution, and in fact see the evolutionary process as one of God's greatest works.

It is no longer possible to teach biology without the study of the scientific theory of evolution, which has been universally accepted into mankind's general body of knowledge, and stands today as the organizing principle of biology and the general theory of life. There is no competing theory that is taken seriously.

We therefore strongly oppose the teaching of creationism in Georgia's public high school science classrooms because

1) it is not science, and

2) it would impose a particular religious belief on our students.

1980; written by Charles C. Brooks, President.

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