TEACHING MANKIND’S HISTORY

If history is the written story of mankind’s existence on the planet Earth, are the Christian bible or the Jewish Torah, mankind’s early history from the creation to the time when the five books of that bible were completed, or are other lesser known (in the Western World) religious tomes that purport to be the history of mankind’s creation by a deity or deities, to be construed as “history” for educational purposes? This question underlies the ongoing struggle for the minds and votes of people in the United States and has penetrated the country’s schools at all educational levels.

The difference between knowledge and belief has been adumbrated by religionists. That is not surprising. What is surprising is the amount of money expended by power elites to assure the continuance of that struggle between the government support of education and religious influence on the teaching of history and science. That money is being used to equate religious “creationism” with science-based evolution. Why? A foundation of American democracy, separation of church and state, is being attacked and eroded. Why? Tax law that supported that foundational ideal has been attacked and redrawn by elected representatives in both houses of congress and huge amounts of money from religious entities are being poured into presidential races and into the choices of judges and Supreme Court justices, to allow religious institutions and their supporters to pour money into this conflict without suffering detrimental tax consequences. Why?

What is so important about teaching that God created man?

The answer lies in the power that religion holds in the minds of humankind. Creationism is a powerful introduction to the “miracles of God.” God is all powerful and can answer any question that man can ask. And God talks through the religions of man and religion’s minions, the churches, the priests and preachers, the representatives of God on earth. Evolution simply doesn't have the enormous meaning and power that God has.

Power elites want that power, fight for it, fight over it with each other, use it to motivate masses of people to vote, to go to war, and to accept their miserable lot in life. So when “history” is taught in our school systems, it may sound eerily similar to the Sunday preachings from the local pulpit.