The problem I have with this is the painting of the biology teacher as just a guy who can't teach something he doesn't believe in. Then why did he go to college and get a degree in the subject of science? Why get a degree in something you don't believe in? Oh, he lost his way. That doesn't make sense. So either it's a contradiction or it's hypocrisy.
This episode is sort of a reverse of the John Scopes arrest in Tennessee in 1925 for teaching Evolution in public schools. It was against the law to teach Evolution and Scopes did it anyway. The problem is: I've never read about a case in the US where someone was arrested for teaching Creationism in public schools. One or two fired but I've never read about one being arrested. The teacher in this was suspended and then ended up being Elmer Gantry.
The monkey thing referred to "Uncle Harry" is incorrect. Uncle Harry would be a distant cousin, if anything. Not a direct line. Humans and apes have a common ancestor. Evolution is not atheism. Atheism is only the non-belief in god or gods. That's it. There are atheists who believe they have souls, who believe in the supernatural, some even believe Jesus existed (but that he's not the son of a god nor the embodiment of one.) Believe it or not YEC didn't start actively until the early 20th Century, and didn't really take hold until the 1960s. Which means it's really only been around for 60-80 years. There are several factors that contribute to it but mainly it's US protestants vs Catholicism and Americans vs Communism. Evolution doesn't conflict with the Bible, it conflicts with those who hate others because they're not like them.
This episode went to the extreme. As an atheist myself, I think it went too far. It doesn't address anything. It doesn't open up dialogue or discussion of the subject of Evolution and/or Creation. Showing the extreme of anything is just titillation for viewers; whichever side enjoys it. It paints all Christians who believe in Creationism as ignorant uneducated people, and while some are the vast majority are not. There are even ignorant uneducated atheists. What this episode should have showed was the detriment of not caring about the welfare of others because they have differing viewpoints than oneself. Sadly, that's just a fantasy.
This episode is sort of a reverse of the John Scopes arrest in Tennessee in 1925 for teaching Evolution in public schools. It was against the law to teach Evolution and Scopes did it anyway. The problem is: I've never read about a case in the US where someone was arrested for teaching Creationism in public schools. One or two fired but I've never read about one being arrested. The teacher in this was suspended and then ended up being Elmer Gantry.
The monkey thing referred to "Uncle Harry" is incorrect. Uncle Harry would be a distant cousin, if anything. Not a direct line. Humans and apes have a common ancestor. Evolution is not atheism. Atheism is only the non-belief in god or gods. That's it. There are atheists who believe they have souls, who believe in the supernatural, some even believe Jesus existed (but that he's not the son of a god nor the embodiment of one.) Believe it or not YEC didn't start actively until the early 20th Century, and didn't really take hold until the 1960s. Which means it's really only been around for 60-80 years. There are several factors that contribute to it but mainly it's US protestants vs Catholicism and Americans vs Communism. Evolution doesn't conflict with the Bible, it conflicts with those who hate others because they're not like them.
This episode went to the extreme. As an atheist myself, I think it went too far. It doesn't address anything. It doesn't open up dialogue or discussion of the subject of Evolution and/or Creation. Showing the extreme of anything is just titillation for viewers; whichever side enjoys it. It paints all Christians who believe in Creationism as ignorant uneducated people, and while some are the vast majority are not. There are even ignorant uneducated atheists. What this episode should have showed was the detriment of not caring about the welfare of others because they have differing viewpoints than oneself. Sadly, that's just a fantasy.
