Creationism vs Science

Part and Parcel of science denial has been an expansion in non-public schools of teaching creationism  as opposed to evolution.  These creationists shrink the history of the earth to 10,000 years and deny the validity of the science that the earth and the universe are 4.5 bn and 13 bn years old.

I will admit I have no idea where the material in the Big Bang came from.  I have an MBA from the University of Chicago, have always been interested in science, but do not understand physics.  But I do trust that electricity works, that we can shoot a rocket into space and send a satellite where we want to, and numerous other scientific facts seem to pan out in the real world.  So at some point, you say, science tells us the truth and we accept it.

My reason for this blog is that Politico found out that public dollars are being used to pay for kids to attend private schools that teach creationism and claim that the science of evolution is wrong.  If evolution is wrong, don't you think the bible would have mentioned dinosaurs?  or woolly mammoths?  Don't you think Noah would have put them on his ark?  Or that any of the Asian religions would have hinted at their existence in their scriptures?

In fact, the very existence of Asian religions and the carbon dated proof that people migrated around the world before the bible says earth began would seem to put a dagger in the creationists arguments.

The real danger in this promulgation of creationism is that it creates an ignorant population.  It creates a population that is brain washed into the denial of science.  And it creates ignorant voters who elect ignorant Congressmen and Congresswomen.  Just look at Michelle Bachmann for an example of how this disrupts the political process of creating compromise.

I am not saying all Tea Partiers are ignorant, although I am tempted to say that.  And I am not saying that all Fed Bashers are ignorant, although I am tempted to say that (I wonder what they would have been saying if the Fed had not saved their real estate values by lowering interest rates?).

I am simply saying that ignorance is a danger to democracy and the state should not be making it easier to promulgate science denial.  No one offered me a subsidy to send my son to private school.  Private schools should have to meet some basic standards to be eligible to cash in vouchers.