What if US schools STOPPED teaching evolution?

Politics and Social Issues
21

@lausten

Maybe in its current form, but the idea of an “unmoved mover” has been around for a long time. Are you seeing that as something different?
I see "Intelligent Design" as a specific thing. It is one way that Creationists have found to inject the necessity of a god into science. But it isn't the only way. I would assume if evolution and ID both disappeared, Creationists would come up with another "something" but it wouldn't be ID.
22

‘Intelligent Design’ is a synonym for creationism. The reason for its invention was to sneak creationism into science class (gotta keep 'em dumb to keep 'em at all.)

If evolution never existed ID wouldn’t have been invented. And if evolution were taken out of schools and magically forgotten by everyone, people would wonder why the term ID was invented and it would slowly disappear.

Yes, we would inevitably (re)discover evolution in a decade or so, and ID would be dusted off and reintroduced as the ‘alternative’.

23

@3point14rat

 

The reason for (ID's) invention was to sneak creationism into science class
True.
‘Intelligent Design’ is a synonym for creationism.
Not quite true.

You could say that ID is a form of Creationism, but not all Creationism is ID.

Intelligent Design allows for an ancient earth, for example. Creationism (especially “young earth” Creationism) does not.

ID doesn’t really assume that there was an Adam and an Eve in a garden. Creationism does.

ID is also theoretically agnostic about exactly who this Intelligent Designer was. It is nice for them if you assume it is the God of the Hebrew Bible, but it doesn’t have to be. It could be one of the Hindu gods, or a New Agey type god. It could also be the Deist “watchmaker” god, who split when he was done making stuff.

None of this makes ID science, though.

24

The definitions of creationism I’ve seen encompasse any form of divine intervention in the creation of the universe and life. People who call themselves creationists are very up front about saying “God did it.”

The definition of ID is the same as the creationist definition, but it tends to eliminate the young earth option. People who call themselves ID proponents are very wishy-washy on how the god they believe in had a hand in creating and directing the course of history.

There are personal variations on them, but each term encompass very similar territory.

At least that’s how I’ve always seen them used and thought about them.