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Geoscience Canada

A Threat to Geoscience Education: Creationist Anti-Evolution Activity in Canada Jason R. Wiles

Volume 33, numéro 3, september 2006 Résumé de l'article Je rejet de l'idée d'évolution biologique et géologique est un problème URI : https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/geocan33_3com01 généralisé auquel est confronté l'enseignement des sciences. Récemment, aux États-Unis, certains événements ont porté l'activisme anti-évolution à Aller au sommaire du numéro l'avant-scène de la couverture médiatique de l'enseignement des sciences, mais ici au Canada, il est fréquent que les Canadiens ne soient pas conscients qu'un tel mouvement créationniste et anti-évolution existe. Le présent article décrit Éditeur(s) divers mouvements créationnistes et anti-évolution, d'origine étrangère et canadienne, qui menace l'enseignement de la biologie et des sciences de la The Geological Association of Canada Terre. Les efforts de ces organisations créationnistes peuvent avoir un effet préjudiciable sur le contenu des programmes d'enseignement des sciences et ISSN sur la compréhension du public de l'évolution et des sciences en général. 0315-0941 (imprimé) 1911-4850 (numérique)

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Citer cet article Wiles, J. R. (2006). A Threat to Geoscience Education: Creationist Anti-Evolution Activity in Canada. Geoscience Canada, 33(3), 135–140.

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COMMENTARY

certains événements ont porté l’ac- tions. Its mission is simple: to advance tivisme anti-évolution à l'avant-scène de the teaching and learning of biological la couverture médiatique de l’enseigne- evolution through research. It is not an ment des sciences, mais ici au Canada, il activist group. Its members often est fréquent que les Canadiens ne soient engage in outreach activities, and it does pas conscients qu’un tel mouvement receive requests for assistance from stu- créationniste et anti-évolution existe. Le dents and teachers with regard to evolu- présent article décrit divers mouvements tion education. créationnistes et anti-évolution, d’origine étrangère et canadienne, qui menace l'en- RECENT HISTORY seignement de la biologie et des sciences It seems that most Canadians dismiss the de la Terre. Les efforts de ces organisa- creationist opposition to evolution edu- A Threat to Geoscience tions créationnistes peuvent avoir un cation in Kansas, as if we have moved Education: Creationist Anti- effet préjudiciable sur le contenu des beyond such issues in this country. Evolution Activity in Canada programmes d'enseignement des sci- However, most of them are unaware of ences et sur la compréhension du public just how little evolution is represented in de l’évolution et des sciences en général. Canadian curricula, and they are general- Jason R. Wiles ly unaware of Canada’s own controver- McGill University INTRODUCTION sies regarding evolution education. For Evolution Education Research Centre, 3700 In this article, the misconceptions found example, few recall the embarrassment McTavish Street, Montréal, QC, H3A 1Y2, among Canadian scientific scholars as the Ontario Ministry of Education suf- Canada, [email protected] well as the general public that funda- fered in 2000, when headlines regarding mentalist creationist activity or rejection their new curriculum read: SUMMARY of evolutionary theory stops at the US “Evolution nearly extinct in classroom: The rejection of biological and geologi- border, is addressed in some detail. New science curriculum tries to avoid con- cal evolution is a pervasive problem in Creationists and their supporters put troversy” (Ottawa Citizen, Oct. 29, 2000) science education. Recent events in the pressure on schools and teachers in United States have brought anti-evolu- Canada. The Evolution Education “Ontario downplays evolution education” tion activity to the forefront in media Research Centre (EERC), often hears (Victoria Times-Colonist, Oct. 30, 2000) coverage of science education, but about these anti-evolution activities from Canadians are often unaware that such teachers and concerned members of the “Ontario education is missing a link” creationist, anti-evolution activity is pres- community. (Sudbury Star, Nov. 1, 2000) ent in Canada as well. In this article, The EERC opened its doors at various foreign and Canadian-based anti- McGill University in 2001 with four “There's a missing link in our schools” evolution efforts that threaten McGill and four Harvard university pro- (Guelph Daily Mercury, Nov. 1, 2000) and geoscience education are discussed. fessors, who have expertise in anthro- These creationist organizations and their pology, biological evolution, educational “Evolution theory off-limits; Provincial cur- activities may adversely influence psychology, geology, molecular biology, riculum shies from teaching topic to avoid Canadian science curricula and public palaeontology, philosophy of science/ controversy”(The Windsor Star, Oct. 30, understanding of evolution and science education, and science education. In 2000) in general. addition, the Centre currently has a full- time manager, a small team of research Stories similar to these ran in SOMMAIRE assistants, and several prominent, inter- papers across Canada in late 2000, and Je rejet de l’idée d’évolution biologique national collaborators. The Centre perhaps one of the most interesting arti- et géologique est un problème généralisé receives modest financial support from cles regarding the Ontario curriculum auquel est confronté l’enseignement des the federal government and McGill during that time was found in the sciences. Récemment, aux États-Unis, University, as well as from private dona- Ottawa Citizen on November 9, 2000. 136

Graham Hughes (2000) reported that, Canadian headquarters in Waterloo, ON, but it would be wrong to assume that ironically, even though the bulk of from where it coordinates events across they all operate solely within churches. resistance to evolution education is reli- the country (Answers in Genesis web- For example, Laurence Tisdall, the presi- giously motivated, one Ottawa clergy- site, accessed 2006). dent of the Creation Science man was doing more than the framers of AiG, under its new banner of, Association of Québec (CSAQ), claims the Ontario curriculum to ensure that ‘Creation Ministries International’, has to have debated in favour of creation- evolution was being taught. This article recently sponsored anti-evolution “field ism, over a dozen times, in prominent chronicled the efforts of Rev. Brian trips” and presentations aimed at refuting academic institutions in Canada, such as Kopke as he set up a weekend school at modern geology at sites such as the McGill University, Université Laval, and his church to teach the science he saw Niagara Escarpment, Canada’s west the Université de Montréal – and further missing from the provincial curriculum. coast, and at their “Creation Family claims never to have been defeated in In the words of the Rev. Kopke, “I can't Camp” on the Red Deer River in these debates. In fact, “Canada’s imagine kids going through the whole school sys- Alberta. Also, they are currently spon- Creation Speaker Pages” lists, “How to tem and coming out the other end without soring Australian creation minister, Rev. debate an evolutionist and NEVER knowing anything about evolution.” Hughes Peter Sparrow, on his “Canadian lose”, as one of Tisdall’s stock presenta- (2000) further states that, .. “there are so Outback Tour”. This project involves an tions (Canada’s Creation Information many kids out there who are going to be going extensive series of anti-evolution speak- Portal 2006). His touted undefeated into the sciences – and even the humanities – ing engagements in Ontario, Manitoba, record is questionable, but the unfortu- who need to have some idea of how all of this Alberta, and Saskatchewan (Creation nate outcome of these events is that cre- fits into a framework and how important sci- Ministries International website, accessed ationists always come away with at least ence is to who we are”. 2006). Recently, other non-Canadian one type of victory – the ability to say In the United States, and in groups have been active within our bor- that they have argued creation vs evolu- Canada, a dominant form of anti-evolu- ders, such as Kent Hovind’s, Creation tion at respected academic institutions. tionism is “creation science”. A form of Science Evangelism (CSE website, Creationists reporting on such debates what is usually called young-earth cre- accessed 2006), which is run from the might imply that these activities on uni- ationism, creation science holds that the site of Dinosaur Adventure Land, his versity campuses indicate that the validi- earth, and the universe are about 6000 to anti-evolution theme park in Pensacola, ty of evolution is still being “debated” 10,000 years old. It also accepts flood Florida (Dinosaur Adventure Land web- by scientists at the highest academic geology – the idea that Noah’s flood was site, accessed 2006). Hovind, an evangel- level, and that it is a “theory in crisis”. a historical worldwide event responsible ist also known as “Dr. Dino”, has made It is, of course, not. According to the for the fossil record and for major geo- several appearances in Canada delivering Academy of Sciences of the Royal logical features like the Grand Canyon. his message of the purported impossibil- Society of Canada (1985), evolution is Furthermore, taking the Genesis ity of biological and geological evolution. “the only explanation for the diversity of account literally, it insists that evolution Although these foreign organiza- life on this planet that is acceptable to is impossible except within a very limit- tions are certainly interested in reaching the scientific community”. Many promi- ed range, for God created living things a Canadian audience, it should not be nent defenders of evolution, including to reproduce “after their own kind”. assumed that the threat to science edu- the (US) National Center for Science Most of the creationist organizations cation posed by creationists originates Education, have taken the position that discussed in this article are creation sci- only from beyond the Canadian border. we should not participate in such “de- ence groups, but it is also important to There are numerous Canada-based cre- bates” for this very reason (Scott 2005). realize that there is a diversity of opin- ationist/anti-evolution organizations Even though Canadian Faculties ion within these organizations. located nationwide (see Appendix A for of Science normally do not invite cre- Furthermore, it is important to recog- a partial list). Aside from hosting web- ationist evangelists to university campus- nize that many Christians do not reject sites, these organizations offer presenta- es to speak about science, sometimes evolution; rather, they reconcile evolu- tions in schools as well as invite students anti-evolutionists find other ways onto tion and their religious beliefs. to attend presentations in other venues. campuses. For example, several mem- Several foreign anti-evolution Some of them host anti-evolution sum- bers of the biology and science educa- groups have organized Canadian branch- mer camps, publish very attractive anti- tion departments at McGill were recent- es. For example, Answers in Genesis evolution magazines and books for chil- ly surprised by flyers posted around (AiG), which was founded by Australian dren as well as for adults, sponsor cre- campus, advertising a presentation on creationist Ken Ham, is one of the ation science museums, coordinate anti- “Scientific Evidence for the Existence of largest creation science organizations in evolution conferences in communities God”. Of course, religious and super- America. This group is currently con- across the country, broadcast on radio natural questions regarding the existence structing a museum very close to and television programs, write letters to of the divine are clearly not within the Cincinnati, Ohio, that will span 50,000 editors of newspapers, etc. – all here in scope of scientific inquiry, so we were sq ft, at a price of over US $25 million. Canada! immediately skeptical. The EERC was The museum will house a vast collection intrigued, both by the claims made in of full scale model dinosaurs and will TARGET AUDIENCES the advertisement and by the question of depict these dinosaurs as living alongside The target audiences for some of these which academic unit had possibly invited modern humans. AiG has set up its organizations are far clearer than others, the speaker, Kirk Durston. GEOSCIENCE CANADA Volume 33 Number 3 September 2006 137

Durston is an “Intelligent classrooms. All one needs to do is to them not to continue the lies when they Design” proponent, who was instrumen- search the site’s archives for words like have classrooms of their own. tal in the formation of a Canadian “evolution” or “” and While anti-evolution activists organization known as the New Scholars myriad articles will be located - most attempting to derail educational activities Society (NSS), an organization with a from right here in Canada. I recently for teachers-in-training may admittedly stated purpose: “[T]o promote Christian found in these pages an interview with be a fairly rare occurrence, creationists scholarship in every field, with a special Durston, in which he essentially says are commonly very good at mobilizing interest in those areas where philosophy, that most evolutionary biologists work and successfully lobbying the secular faith, and science intersect…” (New under profound ignorance regarding media to gain wider exposure. For Scholars Society website, accessed 2006). information theory, and this ignorance is example, in 2005, after the CBC aired a He also claims membership in The the only thing that allows these unso- show on which I was interviewed about International Society for Complexity, phisticated researchers to conclude evolution and the EERC, the station was Information, and Design (ISCID), which merely from bones and teeth that bombarded with calls from creationists “investigates complex systems apart macroevolution ever occurred. The complaining that CBC radio was being from external programmatic constraints interview is from a series called too one-sided. In response, one week like materialism, naturalism, or reduc- “Evolution Under Fire” (Dawes 2003). later, the president of the CSAQ/AQSC tionism”. This society is a project of In the same interview, Durston was given a forum, where he delivered a Intelligent Design creationist William A. speaks of his visits to a “grade 13 biolo- message of anti-evolutionary creation- Dembski, and membership in ISCID is gy classroom” under the invitation of ism couched in scientific jargon which available to anyone for $45 per year or the teacher. This illustrates the sad fact sounded quite reasonable to many non- to any student for $25 (ISCID website, that although teachers are on the front scientists. accessed 2006). lines of most battles in the evolution Sounding reasonable to layper- Durston was introduced at wars, they may sometimes deviate from sons is a talent that many of the leaders McGill as a scientist from the University purely scientific discussion. A case in of the anti-evolutionists share. Some of Guelph (he is a graduate student in point is another Canadian creation-in- creationists disguise their ideas in puta- biophysics), and he proceeded to give a the-classroom debacle that the public tive scientific language, but others use two-part presentation. The first part has forgotten. In the 1990s, creationist legalistic or bureaucratic jargon as a was his advertised presentation on pur- opponents of evolution were invited to cover. Such is the case with materials ported “Scientific Evidence” for the speak in senior science classrooms in the produced by another Canadian creation- Existence of God, which he apparently Abbotsford School District in British ist group, the Citizens Concerned about gives regularly at Canadian universities, Columbia. That case eventually involved Education and Origins (CCEO). These but the second part was a presentation legal action by the BC Civil Liberties “Concerned Citizens” attempt to enlist on evidence for the divinity of Jesus Association, an ultimate quashing of the parents in efforts to persuade educators Christ. Muslim students who had come practice by the Minister of Education, and administrators to allow creationist to the presentation departed at this time. and an embarrassment for the curricula into science classrooms. To Perhaps they would not have attended at Abbotsford School District board. Still, this end, they have drafted the “Parental all had the advertisements revealed that some sources report that as many as Empowerment and the Instruction of the sponsor of the presentations was the 30% of BC’s science teachers remain Origins” letter, which they encourage Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) (This sympathetic to (Meijer parents to sign and have their children group has since changed its name on the 2005). deliver to teachers. The letter falsely McGill campus to simple “Cru”.) It Another alarming trend that sur- informs the teacher that evolution is does not appear to be an accident that faced through current projects at the unscientific and that teaching only evo- the advertisements did not mention the EERC is that, the teaching of evolution lution is a violation of the Ministry of sponsoring group. In fact, the New is more absent from Canada’s schools Education’s directives. The letter is Scholars’ website, including the sections than people may realize. Furthermore, filled with quotes from legal documents titled “Purpose” and “Who We Are” resistance to evolution is also found and has an authoritative tone which may contains no mention of an affiliation among teachers-in-training at the univer- be intimidating to some teachers. The with CCC. However, Canadian sity level. Anti-evolutionists have been letter demands “… that the instruction con- Christianity identifies NSS as a Campus encountered actively trying to appeal to cerning the question of origins be done within Crusade for Christ ministry (Canadian these pre-service teachers. For example, the presuppositional approach in order to Christianity website, accessed 2006). during one of the activities for elemen- demonstrate the religious nature of the two CanadianChristianity.com is an tary-education majors, a timeline of models of origins” (CCEO website, interesting website. There, one can find Earth’s natural history is constructed. accessed 2006). The “two models” are leading anti-evolutionists, who are, per- As the timeline is laid down over nearly the creationist model and the evolution- haps, less careful with their ideas and half a kilometre in downtown Montréal, ary model of Earth history. Their claim speech than they might be in the secular the students are occasionally confronted is that the evolutionary model is based media. Within this site’s pages, one can by anti-evolutionists from the general on nothing more than faith, and is there- find reports of Canada’s public school public who tell the students that they are fore no less a religious belief than is cre- science teachers openly supporting the being lied to by their professors about ationism. This idea has been a mainstay idea of teaching creationism in their the real nature of evolution, and beseech of the anti-evolutionist movement, and 138 it has been used with some success by tent of these requests illustrates that through their professional societies other Canadian creationist groups. their strategies might be working. encouraging them to issue position state- However, unlike the CCEO, ments supporting evolution education most anti-evolutionist organizations are ROLE OF GEOSCIENTISTS such as those published by the American generally very careful about what they Geoscientists and Earth science educa- Geological Institute, the American will say regarding their anti-evolution tors are needed in the struggle against Geophysical Union, and the Geological agendas, but most of them do appear to ignorance and misinformation about Society of America. (See appendix C.) have agendas when it comes to affecting evolution and the history of the Earth. In Branch’s words, evolution education in Canadian There are many ways in which the geo- “Who, if not geoscientists, will testify about schools. Consider these quotes taken science community can meet the poten- the need for students to understand what the directly from the “prayer calendar” of tial threat of anti-evolution efforts in geosciences have revealed about the earth the CSAQ ( website accessed 2004- Canada, but they all begin with becom- and the history of life on it?” 2006): ing more informed. Recent books that This question is as relevant in Canada as discuss the creation/evolution debate in it is elsewhere. “Pray that public schools would be open to schools include Evolution vs Creationism: the creation message.” An Introduction by , REFERENCES Executive Director of the National Academy of Science of the Royal Society of “Pray for our Ministers of Education in Center for Science Education (2004), Canada, 1985, Statement delivered by Fellows of the Academy to each all provinces and territories across Canada and Defending Evolution in the Classroom: A Provincial Minister of Education in that they would be open to the two model Guide to the Creation/Evolution Controversy Canada: Geotimes, November 1985, p. approach.” by Brian and Sandra Alters (2001). 21. Available from: [http://www. Brian Alters is a professor at McGill ncseweb.org/resources/articles/5684_sta “Let’s keep our schools in prayer and for University, and Director of the tements_from_scientific_an_12_192002. the teachers to be open to seeing the impor- Evolution Education Research Centre. asp#can]. tance of presenting the evidence for God's Beyond becoming more aware of Alters, B., and Alters, S., 2001, Defending creation.” the problems surrounding evolution evolution in the classroom: A guide to education, there are numerous opportu- the creation/evolution controversy: Jones “Let’s continue to pray for those creation nities for action. These might include and Bartlett Publishers, 261 p. Answers in Genesis, 2006, AiG - Canada: organizations who promote the Creation organizing symposia at scientific and [www.answersingenesis.org/Canada]. message throughout North America within educational conferences, taking an active Branch, G., 2005, The battle over evolution: the school systems. May the school board role in appraising school curricula, visit- How geoscientists can help: The leaders see the wisdom of including the ing local classrooms, and supporting Sedimentary Record, v. 3, no. 3, p. 4-8. Creation alternative in the textbooks.” informal education institutions like Canadian Christianity, 2006, Canada’s online museums, parks, and zoos. When Christian resource: [www.canadianchris- “Pray for Expanding Youth Ministries engaging in public outreach, it often tianity.com]. (EYM) and its Director, Jim Gregor. As helps to have suggestions for reference Canada’s Creation Information Portal, 2006, School Divisions get larger, permission to materials. These materials will vary Canada’s creation speaker pages - show Creation material needs approval depending upon the target audience, but Laurence Tisdall: [www.creationinfo. from authorities in more centralized offices, there are a few that I have found to be com/speaker_pages_lt.htm]. Citizens Concerned about Education and and this may be harder to obtain.” particularly useful. (See Appendix B for Origins (CCEO), 2006, Origins: a list of resources.) [www.cceo.net]. “Jim Gregor and Ralph Underwood For a few more suggestions on Creation Ministries International (CMI), (EYM) met with the Saskatoon how geoscientists can help further evo- 2006, Creation on the web: [http:// Ministerial Association to petition help in lution education, see the article by www.creationontheweb.com/]. entry to the Schools and a Community wide Glenn Branch of the National Center Creation Science Association of Quebec, showing of “Unlocking the Mystery of for Science Education in the September 2004-2006, Creation science prayer Life.” Pray for open doors.” 2005 issue of The Sedimentary Record, Requests: [www.creationinfo.com/ available online at http://www.sepm. prayer.htm]. “Pray for the Saskatchewan director of org/sedrecord/SR%203-3.pdf. Within CSE, 2006, Creation Science Evangelism: [www.drdino.com]. Expanding Youth Ministries, Jim Gregor, this insightful article, Branch calls geo- Dawes, D.F., 2003, Evolution under fire? – as he takes videos and DVD’s into the scientists to write letters and op-eds as Part 1: [www.canadianchristianity. schools to show students the truth of well as to attend, and speak at, board of com/cgi-bin/na.cgi?nationalupdates/ Creation.” education meetings when controversies 031023evolution]. surrounding evolution education arise. Dinosaur Adventure Land, 2006, Dinosaur These prayer suggestions show Other suggestions include donating Adventure Land: The place where that there is intent, as well as organized books and videos about evolution and dinosaurs and the Bible meet: strategy, within this creationist commu- the geosciences to schools and public [www.dinosauradventureland.com]. nity to have anti-evolution materials pre- libraries and speaking or writing to poli- International Society for Complexity, sented in Canadian public schools; fur- cy makers and civic groups. Information, and Design (ISCID), 2006, thermore, the progression of the con- Geoscientists are further urged to work Retraining the scientific imagination to see purpose in nature: [www.iscid.org]. GEOSCIENCE CANADA Volume 33 Number 3 September 2006 139

Meijer, T., 2005, Evolution and Education: Center for Science Education, v. 24, no. Humanist in Canada, v. 38, no. 3, p. 6-7. 6, p. 23. New Scholars Society, 2006, New Scholars Society - Purpose: [http://www. newscholars.com/purpose.html]. Scott, E.C., 2004, Evolution vs. creationism: Submitted, 5 April 2006; accepted as an introduction: Greenwood Press, 272 revised, 9 August 2006 p. Scott, E.C., 2005, Confronting Creationism: When and How: Reports of the National

APPENDIX A

For more information about the activities of provincially focused associations, one can visit the following websites: Alberta [www.create.ab.ca/csaa.html] British Columbia [www.CreationBC.org] Manitoba [www.carewinnipeg.com/Museum/museum.html] Québec [www.godsphere.com] (CSAQ in English); [www.creationnisme.ca] (ASCQ in French) Ontario [www.coreottawa.ca] Saskatchewan [www.creation-science.sk.ca] Or link to them all at: Canada’s Creation Information Portal [www.creationinfo.com]

Other Canadian anti-eevolution organizations include: Creation Bible Centre [www.creationbible.ca] Bow Island, Alberta. Home to Larry Dye, the Creation Guy. (This name plays on the popular PBS science educator Bill Nye, “the Science Guy”.) This organization hosts dinosaur camps, space camps, and star parties (all with a young-earth, creationist theme) and also produces books and magazines, toys, t-shirts, etc. Creation Truth Ministries [www.creationtruthministries.org] Red Deer, Alberta. Keepers of “Canada’s largest travelling creation museum,” they are ever ready to visit your area. Their current itiner- ary lists presentations across Canada, including several schools. You may also purchase a variety of materials on their website including “petrified teddy bears” which apparently prove that fossils form very quickly - and therefore, supposedly, dinosaurs lived with humans. Genesis International Canada [www.gira.ca] Calgary, Alberta. The members of this organization may concede that the Earth itself is millions of years old, but they also contend that “significant Biblical and scientific research” supports their belief that humans appeared about 6000 years ago and that the worldwide flood of Noah occurred about 4500 years ago. They offer articles in support of this view as well as sponsoring events, courses, and lec- tures in various locations. Creation Science Museum of Canada [www.ianjuby.org] Somewhere in Ontario. This is a “virtual” museum. Ian Juby offers several anti-evolution books and videos, and is now conducting a conference on how to start your own creation museum. Expanding Youth Ministries International [www.eymint.sasktelwebsite.net] Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This is a lending library, of sorts, offering volumes of anti-evolution books and videos. EYMI will send a projectionist and make a presentation at your school for free! (Small donations requested if you are a church instead of a school.) Bible.ca – The Interactive Bible [www.bible.ca/tracks] The website’s registered administrator is apparently located in Hamilton, Ontario, but its authors offer to put you in touch with a sister congregation in your area. The site gives a long list of anti-evolutionary arguments such as the co-existence of humans and dinosaurs, the falsehood of radiometric dating, young Earth evidence, and the like. There are also interesting sections on alleged evolutionary text- book fraud and legalities regarding creationism in the classroom. Creation Discovery Project [www.creationdiscovery.org] Scarborough, Ontario. Offering presentations on creation science for “your Church, school, birthday party, or other group.” Life Design [www.lifedesign.ca] Through a fair bit of research, it was determined that this site is most likely run out of London, Ontario. Explore their unique defini- tion of what evolution “is.” Read their explanation of the creation/evolution debate and why they say there can be no compromise. Creation Generation [www.creationgeneration.net] Calgary, Alberta. This group has instituted Kelvin College (presumably on the grounds that Kelvin thought that thermodynamic issues prevented the Earth from being old enough) which proudly offers Diplomas, and the promise of Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and even Ph.D.’s and D.Sc.’s, in Creation Science. This college has such interesting features as its admissions policy including this statement: “The student must also be in full agreement with our statement of faith and understand from the beginning of their studies with us, that Kelvin College holds firmly to the concept of a young Earth and a six day creation period as taught in the book of Genesis. Those who hold to the gap theory, theistic evolution, or progressive creationism are advised to pursue their education elsewhere.” Visit their site to read about the upcoming African Safari in search of the dinosaurs they claim are still living in the Congo. Creation Moments [www.creationmoments.net] Director Ian Taylor works out of Kingston, Ontario, and is the radio voice for Creation Moments. Much of the work of the Creation Moments group (formerly the Bible-Science Association) is done in the U.S., but their daily anti-evolution messages are broadcast on 14 stations across Canada. 140

APPENDIX B APPENDIX C

Resources dealing with science and religion: Excerpts from position statements on evolution education issued by professional geoscience Paradigms on Pilgrimage by Stephen Godfrey and Christopher Smith. organizations: Clements Publishing, Toronto, 2005. ISBN 1-894667-32-8 The authors, a palaeontologist and a Biblical scholar, recount their personal journeys AGI from being Young Earth Creationists to eventually accepting an evolutionary Earth Scientific evidence indicates beyond history through their own professional studies. any doubt that life has existed on Earth for billions of years. This life has Finding Darwin’s God: A Scientist’s Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution by evolved through time producing vast Kenneth R. Miller. numbers of species of plants and ani- Cliff Street Books, New York, 1999. ISBN: 0060930497 mals, most of which are extinct. This book by the renowned Brown University Professor of Biology explains how Although scientists debate the mecha- this mainstream Christian has been able to reconcile faith and evolutionary science. nism that produced this change, the evidence for the change is undeniable. Resources for more information on evolution and evolutionary history: Therefore, in the teaching of science [the American Geological Institute] The Ancestor’s Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life by Richard Dawkins. oppose[s] any position that ignores this Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2004. ISBN: 0618005838 scientific reality, or that gives equal time A wonderful telling of evolutionary history using Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales as to interpretations based on religious an organizational framework. beliefs only.

Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea by Carl Zimmer AGU Harper Perennial; Reprint edition, New York, 2002. ISBN: 0060958502 The American Geophysical Union Written by one of the foremost science essayists of our time, this book is a compan- affirms the central importance of sci- ion to the PBS Evolution television series. entific theories of Earth history and organic evolution in science education. Websites for students and teachers: An educated citizenry must understand these theories in order to comprehend Understanding Evolution the dynamic world in which we live and [http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evohome.html] nature’s complex balance that sustains This site from the University of California, Berkeley Museum of Paleontology pro- us. ... AGU opposes all efforts to re- vides excellent background information on evolutionary history as well as interesting quire or promote teaching creationism and effective lesson plans for teaching about evolution. or any other religious tenets as science. AGU supports the National Science National Center for Science Education Education Standards, which incorpo- [http://www.ncseweb.org] rate well-established scientific theories Up to date information on evolution/creationism in education as well as a host of including the origin of the universe, the resources for parents, students, and educators. age of Earth, and the evolution of life. GSA National Science Teachers Association - Evolution Resources The Geological Society of America rec- [http://www.nsta.org/evresources] ognizes that the evolution of life stands Resources for teachers from the world’s largest professional organization for science as one of the central concepts of mod- educators. ern science. ... The immensity of geo- logic time and the evolutionary origin of species are concepts that pervade modern geology and biology. These concepts must therefore be central themes of science courses in public schools; creationist ideas have no place in these courses because they are based on religion rather than science. Without knowledge of deep time and the evolution of life, students will not understand where they and their world have come from, and they will lack valuable insight for making decisions about the future of their species and its environment.