Review-20

Title: The Texas- size debate over Teaching evolution

Newspaper: Newsweek

Link: http//www.newsweek.com/id/191400/page/2

Date: April 6th, 2009

The status of creation and evolution in Public education can be the subject of substantial debate in legal, political and religious circles. The situation ranges from countries not allowing teachers to discuss the evidence for evolution or the modern evolutionary synthesis, which is the scientific theory that explains evolution, to allowing evolutionary biology to be taught like any other scientific discipline.

While some religions do not have theologicsl objections to the modern evolutionary synthesis as an explanation for the present form of life on Earth, there has been much conflict over this matter within the Abarhanic religions, some adherents of which are vigorously opposd to the consensus view of the scientific community. Conflict with evolutionary explanations is greatest in literal interpretations of religious documents, and resistance to teaching evolution is thus related to the populaity of these more literalist views.

In Western countries, the inclusion of evolution in science courses has beeen mostly uncontroversial, with the exception of parts of the USA such is the case of the state ofTexas. this state is quite influenced by religious fanataics who struggle on this issue. Even biologists consider ,in a way pressed by the rest of a conservative society,the need to be neutral while teaching this issue.