Creationism In Public Schools Essay

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Growing up in the public schools of Michigan and Ohio, I was always a student who was very interested in science. As a typical elementary student, I dreamt about being an astronaut or an engineer. In middle school, I wanted to be a doctor or an engineer. In high school, I wanted to be a chemist having inspiration from my amazing, chemistry teacher. From science, I was primarily thinking with more logic and reason. Upon listening to an article from NPR, The main topic of that piece was: Should Creationism be taught in American public schools? Before I could find out what happened in the conversation, my dad had arrived at my school. Since I could not get the answer, I was left to think about it.
My first source was from the Wayne State Library …show more content…

I liked this source because it is credible because it came from a valid institution. In this article, Pennock covers the arguments from a legality, epistemological, religious protection, and educational aspect. Pennock says that both evolutionists and creationists agree that the legality of this question is mainly a question dealing with the Constitution. Creationists argue that teaching creationism should be protected under the First Amendment, while evolutionists say that creationists are free to teach creationism in their homes, churches, or private schools, but not in public schools as it would violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment. In the Epperson v. Arkansas case of 1968, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the evolution stating that the Constitution does not “tailor” its requirements to teaching and learning to the principles of any religion or doctrine. Following this decision, Creationists tried to argue that creationism should not be excluded from grounds of Separation of Church and State because creationism was not religion but science. However, both the Sacramento Superior Court and the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the law citing that creationism is not a science but a religious view.