Many of my friends in education here in the state of Texas have many more problems with Rick Perry and his record on education than with the specific point I plan on making today (and at some point we might delve into that as well), but due to an article in the Guardian (a paper from the UK) I thought I might focus on Rick Perry's desire to have Creationism taught in school's alongside Evolution.
"I am a firm believer in Intelligent Design as a matter of faith and intellect, and I believe it should be presented in schools alongside the theories of evolution."
I'm not sure that Rick Perry is going to be pushing this agenda on the campaign trail (the article stresses that a concerned/ and to be fair, pushy/ mother got her son to ask about Creationism specifically), but it is clearly a belief that he holds, and something that he might attempt to enact.
Quite clearly, this idea is against the US Constitution and the separation of Church and State that this country was founded on.
For those of you who don't know, I am in school getting my Master's of Divinity. I am a Christian, although my views and those of fundamentalist Christians are very different.
What seems ironic to me is that views held by these fundamentalist Christians, allowed by this country, are only possible because of the separation of Church and State that was very important to those who founded this country. To go against that by enacting a law such as what Rick Perry is suggesting would be going against the very process and freedom that allows them to have their own religious beliefs free of government interference.
And being free of government interference is supposedly what the Republican Party is supposed to be about, which makes the idea that a religious idea has to be taught in public schools seems anti small government to me.
It's okay for the government to tell you what to believe in regards to religion, but it isn't okay for the government to try to make sure we all have adequate health care.
Personally, I believe that God has a place in creation, and even in evolution.
That doesn't mean that I believe that public schools need to be telling children that evolution or creation wouldn't have been possible without God.
Talk about that at home and especially at church, sure, but the school isn't the place for those ideas, especially because everyone's religious beliefs are different, and this country was quite literally founded on that very idea.
I'd certainly prefer a President who understood that, and knew that our beliefs are different and that's an important part of our culture, giving us strength. To lead this country, you shouldn't ever try and force your religious beliefs on the rest of the country.
