In education, as in life, it is always difficult to find clarity in answers. We try our best, but the world exists in shades of gray. As I looked into the issue of freedom of speech, the opaque waters of learning became muddier.
My colleague and I decided to approach our exploration of freedom of speech in education through the role of religion, specifically the views of Young Earth Creationists. Young Earth Creationists believe that the world is less than 10,000 years old and was literally created as it is told in the Bible. We studied the controversy between Young Earth Creationists and scientists regarding dinosaurs.
According to scientists, the world is over 4 billion years old. Dinosaurs began to exist over 200 million years ago, reigned over the earth, and went extinct 65 million years ago due to a catastrophic event. After the dinosaurs went extinct, there were small mammals, amphibians and birds that survived; all which evolved into life as we now know it. Humans first appeared 10,000 years ago. Scientists measure the age of fossils, rocks, ice, and vegetation in a variety of ways, such as radioactive dating. All these different methods of measuring age show the earth to be billions of years old.
The Young Earth Creationist perspective is that the dinosaurs were created by God on the 6th day along with the other animals. They were brought onto Noah’s Ark during the Flood. After the Flood, dinosaurs went extinct because they were unable to adapt to the new climate. Young Earth Creationists believe that humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time, arguing that dinosaurs existed less than 10,000 years ago.
These two perspectives both interpret the past differently according to different foundations. What is the truth? Is one view right and the other wrong? Or is the truth somewhere in the middle? While a great deal of science shows the age of the earth, science is continually evolving. At one point, scientists thought the world to be flat. We are continually learning new things about life. The past will always remain something of a mystery (as will the present, I suppose.)
There are other ways in which this search led me to thinking about the blurred lines. The First Amendment of the United States provides for separation of church and state. Is that the reality we live in currently? Is it possible to separate the beliefs of citizens and elected officials, or the choices leaders make for the people from their own personal beliefs? Decisions and culture are dictated by our foundational beliefs; for many people these are based in a religion. Where do we draw the line? At what point are church and state too connected?
As a result of the First Amendment and many people who fight for what they believe is right, many schools have abolished celebrating holidays such as Christmas and Halloween to protect the rights of those who do not take part in those events. I do not believe that people should be forced to celebrate a religious holiday. However, I do feel that it is important to expose children to a diversity of beliefs. To not celebrate any traditions is a loss for our children. As a result of this sterilization of celebrations, they are no longer based in religion. The religion has now become commercialism; we celebrate the acquisition of material goods. Presents are what all children celebrate whether they have a menorah above their fireplace or a Christmas tree in their living room. I do not know where to draw the line as to what we can celebrate and what might be considered overly religious. But, I do not think the solution is to abolish it all, as this may lead to the celebration of capitalism above all else.
It is my hope that we can celebrate the grayness between extremes, and that we can learn to understand many different perspectives, be open to new ideas and not feel threatened by them.
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