FāVS News News and Commentary about Religion and Ethics in Eastern Washington and North Idaho
Most religions and societies have sins and crimes of omission as well as commission. If I lie to my brother, for example, that is a sin. But if I know the truth and I tell my brother nothing, under many circumstances that may also be a crime (think of the activities of some brokerage houses during the financial crisis). I propose that teaching evolution is one of those circumstances.
After 150 years of being carefully scrutinized, Darwin’s theory of evolution is about as rigorous a scientific theory as they come (please see my post on evolution). If teachers openly lie to their students about the nature of the world, most would consider that grounds for dismissal. But if those same teachers fail to teach their students such an important theory of how humanity was created, how is that different from lying? It is only a sin of omission rather than of commission. We who know the truth have a duty to the next generation. And if we do not tell them, our entire society is guilty.
Bruce Meyer writes about the relationship between the physical universe and the pursuit of spirituality.
