So I'm writing this post in response to a recent discussion on Blog Catalog, and boy did it ever get people all riled up! Not surprisingly, the debate is a familiar one: Should intelligent design be taught in the classroom? Before I completely shoot down this notion, let's explore the facts from an ethical perspective.
Such a curriculum would automatically meld the interests of Church and State. In Canada, this issue is further complicated by certain provinces (Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec) actually funding Christian institutions as "separate schools." This has become extremely problematic considering Canada also has large Aboriginal, Jewish, and Sikh populations. Even in the 19th century, many Canadians recognized that such a system was flawed. As Manitoba entered federation in 1870, the Manitoba Act was passed shortly after in order to exclusively protect the religious and language rights of English-speaking Protestants and French Catholics. Such protection came in the form of publicly funded Christian schools and language laws in order to represent the separate interests of the Anglophone and Francophone majority. But as the face of Manitoba began to change, so did the demand for these denominational institutions. Many politicians argued that including the Church into public schools greatly undermined the Constitution. They eventually won. In 1890, the Manitoba Schools Act was passed in order abolish the existence of these separate schools and French language laws within the province.
Ethically speaking, public institutions are extensions of our government, and thus have the responsibility of being entirely inclusive and representative of all citizens as enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. By all means, if parents want their children to learn Creationism in the same breath they learn the Theory of Evolution, they definitely have the freedom to do so at any private school of their choice (unless the family happens to live in any of the 3 provinces mentioned above). So if public schools were to teach the idea of intelligent design, then the curriculum should also include teachings of Aboriginal spirituality, scriptures of the Torah, and the ancient philosophies behind the Guru Granth Sahib--not to mention all of the other spiritual teachings from our multicultural society. Honestly, do you actually think the Canadian government would be willing to open up that can of worms and fork over that kind of funding? (Especially since they are too busy wading through the crap of yet another expensive scandal. But that's in a whole other post, folks...)
Since I got that off my chest, what are some of your thoughts on this issue?
Ethically speaking, public institutions are extensions of our government, and thus have the responsibility of being entirely inclusive and representative of all citizens as enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. By all means, if parents want their children to learn Creationism in the same breath they learn the Theory of Evolution, they definitely have the freedom to do so at any private school of their choice (unless the family happens to live in any of the 3 provinces mentioned above). So if public schools were to teach the idea of intelligent design, then the curriculum should also include teachings of Aboriginal spirituality, scriptures of the Torah, and the ancient philosophies behind the Guru Granth Sahib--not to mention all of the other spiritual teachings from our multicultural society. Honestly, do you actually think the Canadian government would be willing to open up that can of worms and fork over that kind of funding? (Especially since they are too busy wading through the crap of yet another expensive scandal. But that's in a whole other post, folks...)
Since I got that off my chest, what are some of your thoughts on this issue?
