(ThyBlackMan.com) Many people, including those in the law profession, mistakenly think that the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against the teaching of creationism in public schools. However, to the surprise of many, that is not true!
The world of atheism, which the court also judged to be a belief system, joyfully points to the Court’s ruling in the Edwards vs Aguillard case (482 U.S. 578 [1987] Edwards v. Aguillard, No. 85-1513). The case came about because of an act of legislation in the state of Louisiana.
In 1981, Louisiana enacted the Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution-Science in Public School Instruction Act. It was commonly called “the Creationism Act”. It did not require that either evolution or creationism be taught in public schools. However, the act stated that if one theory is presented, then the other must be as well. Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards then signed the Balanced Treatment Act into law. A man named Don Aguillard, who was a high-school teacher, charged that it was a violation of the establishment clause and filed suit, and Governor Edwards was named as one of the respondents.
The U.S. 5th district court in New Orleans granted Aguillard a summary judgment, noting that there was no secular reason for barring the instruction of evolution. The decision was affirmed by the appellate court, which found that the law’s purpose was “to discredit evolution by counterbalancing its teaching at every turn with the teaching of creationism, a religious belief.”
Here, the appellate court made two errors. The first error was its definition of creationism. Creationism is the doctrine that our universe, and life on this planet, were created by a Creator, being an historical event. But creationism has different segments that teach different things. There is Theistic Evolution, which believes that the Earth is billions of years old, and that Yehovah (God) used evolution to create and control the formation of life. It also believes that the seven days revealed to Moses in the book of Genesis were long ages of time.
Creation Science teaches that the Earth is only 10,000 years old, and the days revealed to Moses were twenty-four-hour days. There are also other segments, such as Day/Age, Progressive Creationists, Gap Theorists, and Ruin/Restorationists. The appellate court incorrectly assumed that Creation Science (aka Young Earth Creationism) represented all of creationism.
The second error was the appellate’ s correlation of creationism with religion. However, creationism has nothing to do with religion. Religion is defined as a personal or institutionalized system of beliefs and practices. It may surprise many, that Atheism is also a religion, as determined by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Citing Torcaso v. Watkins, 367 U.S. 488 (1961), “We repeat and again reaffirm that neither a State nor the Federal Government can constitutionally force a person [to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion.] Neither can constitutionally pass laws or impose requirements which aid all religions as against non-believers, and neither can aid those religions based on a belief in the existence of God as against those religions founded on different beliefs.”
Therefore, the U.S. Supreme Court has identified Atheism to be a religion, at the same level as any (theistic) belief system. Atheism is a religion that has its own doctrines, publications, and websites which are used to convert others to their belief system. There are even tax breaks given for donations. If a person wants to accept such a belief system, that is their choice.
On December 10, 1986, the Edwards vs Aguillard case was argued before the United States Supreme Court. In its review the court used the so-called Lemon Test, which determines whether a statute is permissible under the establishment clause. In Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971), the court held that the statute must have a “secular legislative purpose,” its primary effect must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion, and it cannot create “an excessive government entanglement with religion.” If any of the conditions are violated, the statute is unconstitutional.
In examining the Creationism Act’s purpose, the court rejected the state’s claims that the law was designed to protect academic freedom and that it advanced a “basic concept of fairness.” The court held that the act did not grant teachers greater flexibility. The court further found that the Creationism Act was discriminatory by requiring the development of curricular guidelines and research for creation science to the exclusion of evolution. Moreover, according to the court, the act did not ensure a more-complete science curriculum. It was the requirement that Creation Science be taught that was ruled against, not the teaching of creationism.
Atheists, along with the ACLU, often make the proclamation of “Separation of Church and State”, in order to keep the teaching of creationism out of public schools. However, school boards and legislation should reconsider their actions and adopt “Separation of Atheism and State”. If only non-theistic theories of origins are taught in public schools, then the “state” is promoting the religion of Atheism.
It so happens that the book of Genesis is the first book written by modern mankind that declares the existence of pre-historic humankind. The correct reading of the seven days conveys that there have been five previous advents of humanity on Earth. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden were the sixth advent, the first of modern mankind. The seven days shown to Moses were seven 24-hour days, taken from seven different weeks, which were the first week of seven different time periods. That is why the sequence of formation (mankind and animals) is different in chapters one and two, because they describe two different time periods.
The chronological sequence of the days are the Fourth Day (the only day of Creation Week shown to Moses), the fifth day (when Moses was shown the marine dinosaurs), the sixth day (when the third advent of mankind and herbivores were created), the seventh day, then the first day, the second day, followed by the third day.
The final analysis is that no one in any school system is qualified to teach Creationism. The teachers themselves will first have to obtain correct instruction before teaching the students. There is a fifty-five minute PowerPoint presentation that can be shown by the leading expert, to present to those that need to understand true creation, instead of the foolishness current creationist organizations now try to teach.
Staff Writer; Herman Cummings
You may also purchase this writer book which is entitled; Moses Didn’t Write About Creation.
Note: Recently Herman published a new book which is entitled; The Sabbath That Assassinated Atheism – Christian Faith Publishing.
One may also contact him at; HermanC@ThyBlackMan.com.