Director Quits Over Creationist Comments
So Michael Reiss, the Royal Societies director of education, has now resigned after having caused much anger after suggesting that science teachers should teach creationist beliefs “not as a misconception but as a world view“. 
His views were accurately described as outrageous by Nobel Prize Winner, Sir Richard Roberts. It was felt that Michael Reiss’s naïve comments could easily have been interpreted as a green light for teaching creationism as if it were science. This led the Royal Society to issue a statement in which they said that the comments damaged the society’s reputation.
The Royal Society went on to say that “creationism has no scientific basis and should not be part of the science curriculum. However, if a young person raises creationism in a science class, teachers should be in a position to explain why evolution is a sound scientific theory and why creationism is not, in any way, scientific.”
How any sane, intelligent, informed, thinking person living today could even begin to entertain the notion that mankind, life and the Earth was somehow manufactured by some deity is simply baffling. It is entirely inappropriate for a person in such a responsible and influential position, as that held by Mr Reiss, to appear to condone or support such prehistoric, superstitious views.
We should be celebrating and promoting our enlightenment. Our knowledge of the planets, our world, life and its origins is a magnificent culmination of investigation, experimentation and discovery. We are all privileged to be humans, blessed with intellectual skills, living at a time when this knowledge is so freely accessible. This is what should be promoted, celebrated and enjoyed. Not creationist nonsense.
backpack wrote,
It does sound like his comments were not to well considered. I agree that its astounding that some people still choose to believe in creationist nonsense when there is just so much evidence to support evolution.
Link | September 19th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Ling wrote,
Seperation of religion and other matters is a much debated topic which isn’t going to end anytime soon. But the fact is that its better not to confuse students with oppposing viewpoints. If they’re being taught science, then science it should be. They can learn about Creationism in other places.
Link | September 20th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Stellenangebote Köln wrote,
Hey, very interesting post.
My written English is not so good so I write in German:
“Lieber den Spatz in der Hand, als die Taube auf dem Dach.”
Yours sincerely
Köln
Link | November 14th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Ina from refinancement wrote,
Religion gave fictional story to what science cannot prove from the past. Now that science provides us with facts, we should live with it. People needs to adopt to change, to evolution, to look forward for a brighter future.
Link | November 22nd, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Herb Shallcross wrote,
I would never wish my credentials as an atheist to be questioned, but, the fellow didn’t propose attempting to give Creationisn any scientific credence. He merely wanted to avoid institutionalising disrespect of people’s religious beliefs. Calling Creationism a world view is a polite euphemism, like calling sexual perversion a lifestyle, or congenital idiocy a developmental challenge.
Think of it as being politically correct, or is it perfectly acceptable to discriminate on the basis of Christian religious belief?
Try making it official government policy to call following the teachings of the Koran a “misconception”.
Link | December 29th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Herbert L. Shallcross III wrote,
It’s obvious that due to Nurse’s religious intolerance, she can’t even allow this educator to spare the feelings of Christians and Jews with a harmless euphemism. He just suggested calling belief in creation a “worldview”, rather than a “misconception”. Nurse apparently doesn’t know that prehistoric means before the written word, which is impossible, due to the fact that, right or wrong, this was the mainstream belief for long after the printing press was in common use. The Nurse wants the government to label anyone who doesn’t believe the things she does as insane, unintelligent, uninformed, and unthinking.
Make it official policy to call belief in the teachings of the Koran a “misconception” if you dare!
Link | January 9th, 2010 at 6:45 pm