This is a guest post by Modernity
So you thought that the debate over Creationism was confined to rightwing fundamentalist Christians in North America?
No, that’s not the case, Creationism is now making inroads amongst the anti-imperialist Left!
Here’s an extract from a recent article by Andy Newman, the proprietor of Socialist Unity, a popular British anti-imperialist blog advocates the acceptance of creationism:
It is taken as self-evidently correct amongst most progressives that teaching creationism or intelligent design in schools is reactionary, but is this really the case? Now I am a big defender of science, and of scientific method. But the current situation in schools seems to be that GCSE students are introduced to Lamarkism, Darwinism and in some schools Creationism, and then told that Darwinism is correct, and that is the answer they have to give to get credit. Now of course Darwinian theories of evolution are correct, but there are two importnat subsidiary issues: i) is it a necessary role of the state to enforce upon all citizens that they accept evolution? ii) does simply telling students that Darwinism is correct arm them with the theoretical tools to distinguish why faith based arguments are excluded from science?
Would it matter of a faith based school opted out of the prevailing consensus, provided they also presented their pupils with information about what the scientific consensus is, and why faith based arguments are not generally accepted? In actual fact, it would be an equally valuable educational experience to be presented the competing theories, and then be judged on their ability to argue their case which is correct, which would require them understanding how scientific theories become accepted as true. Every student would be exposed to the prevailing scientific consensus, but then those whose religious faith leads them to value scriptural evidence could include that in their discussion, but they would have to demonstrate that they understood both sides of the argument, and that they understand that faith based arguments are not generally accepted as scientific.
Wow, faith schools and creationism has a new defender: Andy Newman
It might seem strange that a one-time Marxist and atheist, Andy Newman, would defend Creationism and faith day schools. However, Newman is one of the socialists who threw their lot in with George Galloway’s RESPECT Renewal. This is the inevitable logic of indulging in communalism and sucking up to theocrats, their ideology rubs off.
In a time when some weak-willed socialists are looking around for something to certain latch onto, reactionary religious ideas must suddenly seem very attractive.
But it is a strange world when some people on the Left feel compelled to support the underlying ideas of Archbishop Rowan Williams and Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor.
