Mecha Leo : I would strongly urge anyone to not bring up the subject of god or religion on this topic, this is NOT going to be a thread that turns into a god vs. no god conversation, nor should it be a conversation about the origins of the universe, and I'm not sure why you brought it up.

The thread is about whether or not the theory of evolution should or should not be taught in a pre-university science class, you're free to discuss the SCIENTIFIC aspects of this topic, or whether or not you accept the premises of evolution using real world data, but I repeat, this is not a thread about the existence of god or religion. There is already a thread about god's existence if you would like to discuss it there.

sloanstar1000 : I was actually attempting to bring both ideas together... sorry if i got a little, uh, yeah i take god really seriously.

School is supposed to give you a solid background in the sciences, mathematics, and liberal arts. Omitting evolution from science classes would wind up with students who want to become scientists later in life not having a sufficient scientific background. Even if you personally don't agree with evolution, everyone is supposed to be exposed to and taught about things like this. It's fine if you want to dismiss it later - but learn about it first.

I don't really know. Really, it's a theory made by Darwin. Are we supposed to learn theories in school, or true facts? Literally, I think that it shouldn't be taught in schools because it hasn't been proven true yet.

well, speaking as how i guess i should put it in the thread (the one in the last page will be removed soon) some things are beyond our sense of realization. when Copernicus (i think) said the sun was the center of a solar system not even close to the center of the universe he was burned or hanged of guillotined or something really bad like that. it was true and people overreacted so we should be careful about stuff like this.

Mecha Leo : That's fine, and I apologize if it seemed like I was bringing the hammer down on you lol, I just want to keep this thread open for discussion about evolution, but it won't stay open for long if it turns into a religious debate.

You know what, screw evolution.
What u.s classes need is a lesson on what a scientific theory is.
The most common thing iv seen here is "its just a theory".
If anyone in the uk says that they get laughed out the door.

Yes, evolution should be taught. It is something important, and something "proven". Humans are still evolving, although I think some people get evolution a bit wrong. If you have a kid, that doesn't mean he is more evolved, in fact evolution takes hundreds if not thousands of years for even something almost insignificant.
Now, about people saying you need scientific prove. Science doesn't work like that.Science doesn't work by proving things. It works by a process of falsification. Consequently, there's no scientific proof of anything whatsoever. (READ, I said PROOF, not THEORIES)
According to the Human Evolution Theory, we didn't exactly come from apes. we came from a different kind of apes, which we evolved from to become humans.
Not teaching Evolution in science class is like not teaching multiplication in math class, or not teaching grammar in English class.
Anyways, that is just my opinion, and it could be right, but could also be wrong.

derek56767 : the vast majority of what is taught in american grade schools and highschool, is not fact. most of it is interpretation on past events, which obviously cannot be fact, just poin of view. alot of what is taught is outright lies, like(dunno if they still teech this) that there are only 3 states of matter, or that the "founding fathers" consulted with the actual american citizens before writing up a vague document stating peoples "rights". 

that being said, i see no reason for evolution, a proven fact, to be omitted due to a lack of understanding on your part on the facts.

TetraDigm : The American education system is pretty insufficient, but it wasn't THAT bad as I recall. I at least remember being taught that there are 4 states of matter(even though there are actually six), and I remember my teacher giving us a pretty unbiased overview of the history of the founding fathers(which might have been different if I lived in Texas). In America it's really up to the teacher to address each subject properly, which is pretty much a crap shoot for students. I do think there should be higher standards set across the board about what students must learn though.

It should be taught under the provision that it is just one theory and therefore should not be considered the proof of God not existing or going against one's religion.

In my high school, we were taught the three evolutions of how humans came to exist:
-Scientific Theory: The Theory of Evolution
-Biblical Theory: A higher being placed us there
-Hybrid Theory: A higher being started us off and then evolution came to be (thanks to the higher being)

Teachers told us it is a choice to choose what to believe in, but we that we'd have to understand how each theory works for a test still. They mainly taught evolution, and brushed over religious aspects as it wasn't their place to teach a religion. I think my school handled this well, as it did not say anyone was wrong but kept the student informed of what is in the scientific community. I forget if people were also allowed to opt out of it or not, though...