Christians in the U.S. want to impose their religious beliefs on all citizens. One common expression of this Christian Fundamentalism is the drive to replace science with religion, such as replacing the teaching of evolution with the teaching of Creationism or Intelligent Design.
Creationism is the claim that the universe, earth, and humankind were literally created in the manner described in the Jewish Genesis myths. Creationism denies evolution and the big bang and claims that the earth is no older than 10,000 years (typically arround 6,000 years), that man and dinosaurs coexisted before a Flood, and Noah’s ark was real.
Intelligent Design is the claim that chance alone can’t account for everything in creation, so therefore there is a higher intelligence (specifically the God of the Christians) that created the universe. The Intelligent Design movement is the Creationism movement in new wording in an attempt to get around court rulings against the teaching of Christianity in public schools.
In 2005 the school boards of Kansas, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Montana,Missouri, and Mississippi are considering replacing the teaching of science with Intelligent Design.
U.S. President George W. Bush claims “On the issue of evolution, the verdict is still out on how God created the Earth.”
The simple solution to this problem is for the “blue states” to peacefully separate into the Nation of Pacifica, which would teach science in public schools, and leave the “red states” to become a religious dictatorship that teaches Christian dogma rather thann science.
Clause 1: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, philosophy, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his or her religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his or her religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.
Clause 2: Neither Congress nor any state shall make a law respecting an establishment of religion.
Clause 3: No public money or property shall be appropriated for or applied to any religious worship, exercise, or instruction, or the support of any religious establishment: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That this article shall not be so construed as to forbid the employment by the Nation of Pacifica or any state of a chaplain for such of the custodial, correctional, and mental institutions, or by a public hospital, health care facility, or hospice, or by the military, as in the discretion of Congress or a state legislature may seem justified.
Clause 4: No religious qualification shall be required for any public office or employment.
Clause 5: No person shall be incompetent as a witness or juror, in consequence of his or her opinion on matters of religion, nor be questioned in any court of justice touching his or her religious belief to affect the weight of his or her testimony.
[Constitution of the United States of America, Amendment I:] Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
[United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article I8:] Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
see also: education
