Anti-evolution 'equals' apartheid

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Cape Town - If people oppose evolution as a science, they are expressing support for discrimination, an author and science educator has said.

"My baseline statement is: If you are against evolution, you are pro-apartheid. If you still think the South African population is divided up into races, not ecotypes, races and they are different from one another based on racial characteristics... you are ignoring evolution totally," Dr Jurie van den Heever, a palaeontologist at Stellenbosch University told News24.

He was responding to news that teachers at some schools refused to teach evolution in life science classes as prescribed by the department of education in its policy documentation.

Van den Heever also conducts programmes at the university where teachers are educated and given skills to present lessons on evolution.

He said that the stance against evolution is a legacy of apartheid policy that sought to classify people into specific groups.

Background

"I'm an Afrikaner and I come from the Dutch Reformed background and I tried to unravel this whole thing. Evolution was outlawed from the school curriculum under the auspices of the Christelike Nasionale Onderwys.

"Today, we still have lots of people and specifically teachers with baggage - that kind of baggage - throwing a shadow on evolution."

According to the department of education Caps (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement) document for life sciences, learners at school are to be taught about the history of life on Earth in grade 10, culminating in human evolution in grade 12.

However, the document also recommends two weeks for learners to be taught about alternatives to evolution, including creationism and intelligent design.

The document specifies "different cultural and religious expalanations for the origin and development of life on Earth" (sic).

Van den Heever said that the legacy of the past when politics informed the religious belief system and it has continued to have an influence in education.

"The Dutch Reformed Church developed into a Volkskerk, in other words, the Volkskerk is informed by the politics of the day. The church does not inform the politics... it became an inverted situation because of political connotations.

"In the various churches, people still view evolution with some suspicion," he added.

The South African constitution guarantees freedom of religion and permits observance of religious services at state institutions, on condition that attendance is "free and voluntary".

Constitution

"Religious observances may be conducted at state or state-aided institutions, provided that those observances follow rules made by the appropriate public authorities; they are conducted on an equitable basis; and attendance at them is free and voluntary," says section 15 of the Bill of Rights.

Van den Heever doesn't believe that schools are deliberately contravening the teaching of evolution, but warned that they may, through their omission, be in conflict with the constitution.

"Schools that are not complying with the department of education and not teaching evolution or teaching a specific kind of religion in maths or biology class are actually contravening the grondwet [constitution].

"I don't think that the schools actually refuse to teach it [evolution], I think it has to do probably with individual teachers or individual headmasters because the school can't do it."
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Link

This chap has an interesting take on anti-evolution. Can't say I agree though.
 
I don't see why someone wouldn't want to teach evolution, but I don't think not wanting to teach your children the truth equates to being a supporter of apartheid, it just means your backwards.
 
Nicodeamus said:
I don't see why someone wouldn't want to teach evolution, but I don't think not wanting to teach your children the truth equates to being a supporter of apartheid, it just means your backwards.
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There is no absolute proof to support the evolution theory.
 
SirSlothXCI said:
There is no absolute proof to support the evolution theory.
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Do you even know the meaning of the word theory in the contaxt of science?

There's tonnes more evidence for evolution than some invisible man in the sky. That needs to be stopped. Really.
 
As a Christian I don't have a problem with evolution. After all just because monkey-boy looked human-like thousands of years ago, does not make him human yet.
 
I'm not so sure about the racist angle, but show me a non-religious person who opposes evolution, and I will give you a cookie.
 
Evolution is untrue, the only truth (from god) is creationism. baiting :}
 
SirSlothXCI said:
There is no absolute proof to support the evolution theory.
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you lie. However even if evolution is 'not true' , then that doesn't automatically prove the God hypothesis. Evolution is as far as science is concerned the best explanation for how life develops. It has evidence to support its hypothesis, that is why we call it a theory. Currently the tale of a invisible man creating the universe is termed a hypothesis, it is even less certain than that, it is called a guess. We cannot teach our children guesses.
 
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copacetic said:
Interesting.

So, just to be clear, you believe in no superhuman controlling power, whatsoever?

What is your reason for opposing evolution?

How do you explain the biological world, without design or evolution?
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The truth is I don't believe ANYTHING. The world as we know it, with all the people and creatures in it has probably looked and functioned in the same way since the beginning of time. No creator, no monkeys that evolve into people. People have always been people. That's how nature decided it to be from the start.
 
SirSlothXCI said:
The truth is I don't believe ANYTHING. The world as we know it, with all the people and creatures in it has probably looked and functioned in the same way since the beginning of time. No creator, no monkeys that evolve into people. People have always been people. That's how nature decided it to be from the start.
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In other words, Maya?

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with you, SirSloth, I'm merely seeking clarity on your stance.
 
SirSlothXCI said:
The truth is I don't believe ANYTHING. The world as we know it, with all the people and creatures in it has probably looked and functioned in the same way since the beginning of time. No creator, no monkeys that evolve into people. People have always been people. That's how nature decided it to be from the start.
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Do you believe in geology?
 
SirSlothXCI said:
The truth is I don't believe ANYTHING. The world as we know it, with all the people and creatures in it has probably looked and functioned in the same way since the beginning of time. No creator, no monkeys that evolve into people. People have always been people. That's how nature decided it to be from the start.
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And what, pray tell, are the grounds for these kooky beliefs of yours?

(This should be gold)
 
SirSlothXCI said:
The truth is I don't believe ANYTHING. The world as we know it, with all the people and creatures in it has probably looked and functioned in the same way since the beginning of time. No creator, no monkeys that evolve into people. People have always been people. That's how nature decided it to be from the start.
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But that is most certainly not the case.

Just so we are clear, evolution says nothing at all about man coming from monkeys.

Do you know anything about planet and galaxy formation? The earth has not always just been here from the beginning of time.

When you talk of the 'beginning of time', and 'the start', what started it? Or has it always been?

You officially have the strangest view of reality I've ever come across.
 
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