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Edwards v Aguillard was a 1987 Supreme Court case centering on the constitutionality of a Louisiana statue requiring that creation science be taught along side of evolution in the public schools. Evolution remains so controversial primarily because it is part of a larger debate over nature and the meaning of life. The study of how life began almost inevitably raises questions of why: Why did life begin? Why are humans rational? Why is there order in the universe? Men and women have debated these questions for thousands of years, considering them to be some of the most important inquiries human beings can undertake.
Is Creation Science scientific, irreligious, and factual, thus constitutionally permissible to teach in public schools? Can creation science be taught without promoting a particular religious belief, especially that human beings were created by a supernatural entity? Would academic freedom be gained by implementation of the act? Is the Balanced Treatment Act constitutional under Establishment Clause? Or does it have a non-secular purpose by promoting religion? Did the lower court make a procedural error when they made their summary judgment without hearing any of the state's evidence?
Does the bill promote fairness and academic freedom by requiring that "all truths be heard"? (Richardson 88) Or is it merely a ploy to get Genesis back into the schools? Does the legislative history of the case demonstrate that it has a religious purpose or not? Are previous judgments of the court in favor or against the statute? Many notable figures joined in the case, demonstrating the on-going prominence of the issue of evolution many years after the 1968 Epperson v AR trial that attempted to make it illegal to teach evolution in public schools. Since this time many proponents of the Genesis narrative felt that Christianity was slowing losing to the secular humanitarianism religion in public schools. One such believer was LA Senator Bill Keith.
The Louisiana Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution-Science in Public School Instruction Act was introduced in 1980 and passed by a 68 and 79 % majority in the senate and house, respectively in 1981 At this point, appellees sued to keep act from being enforced. At the same time, LA Dept. of Education brought the issue of the constitutionality of the Act to the United States District Court for the Eastern Division of LA. The state found the act unconstitutional. Edwards then appealed to the 5 th Circuit court of appeals.
There a summary judgment held that the act promoted religion, and was thus in violation of the Tripart test of the Establishment Clause and thus unconstitutional. Thus ruling was later controversial and as such a large part of the appellant's case when they filed to the US Supreme Court in June of 1986. (Richardson 101) The appellants argued that the lower court decision should be reversed on procedural and constitutional grounds and that their case be allowed to go to trial. I. Decision under review contradicts procedural rules for summary judgment specified by the Supreme Court, thus should be reversed. A. -State's uncontroversial (kept saying) Affidavits not taken as true by the court. -Evidence in affidavits not taken as true and not viewed in favorable light. If there is no way to disprove something, it can not be classified as a science.
In addition, a true science must be reproducible. Origin of life scientists have created life using the same conditions that would have existed on the early earth. It is impossible, however, to duplicate creation. In addition to the argument of testability, creation should not be taught as a science because it goes against the rulings of the federal government. The Creationism Act stated that evolution could only be taught when it was accompanied by the teaching of creation. "The Court found that, by advancing the religious belief that a supernatural being created humankind, which is embraced by the term creation science, the act im permissibly endorses religion" (Richardson 150).
As a result, the Court decided that a comprehensive science education could not be received unless evolution, without creation, existed in the class syllabus. Long ago, the government decided that a separation of church and state should exist. The prosecution reasoned that since "everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God" (Richardson 162). As Christians, we should accept what the authorities tell us, since that is what God commanded.
Therefore, creation should not be taught as a science in school. Creation, however, should not be completely written out of a child's education. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (Richardson 182). A religion or philosophy class should insert the teachings of creation into their curriculum. If this method is adopted, then the views of creation would not be forced upon students. Forcing religion on people rarely benefits anyone. "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths" (Richardson 185). According to the basic point of the scientific method, creation is not a science because it can not be proved false. Not only is creation not testable, but according to the United States Supreme Court, creation should be kept out of the science class. The Bible tells us to obey figures of authority; therefore, the argument seems null and void.
Without question, creation's place is in a religion or philosophy classroom. Words Count: 946. Bibliography 1. Richardson, J. Creation v. Evolution Case.
New York: Harper Collins.
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