Teach creationism at home or in the church

The article "Evolution versus creationism under the microscope again" (March 8) and subsequent letters (March 15) indicate that some Southern Californians apparently do not learn logic and rhetoric. Is this reader to infer that the spiritual vacuum board member Ron Matthews describes is caused by the fact that children are not taught in public schools that God created man on the sixth day? Matthews also says the removal of God from public schools has contributed to social decline. Where's the evidence? Matthews provides none.

Mr. Foy's comments reveal a misunderstanding of evolution often repeated by supporters of intelligent design. ID lacks widespread support as an alternative to evolution because as an overarching paradigm it is not testable. Evolution, however, is a unifying concept of science including many theories and hypotheses, all testable. ID's proponents are primarily evangelical Christians, so Mr. Foy is clearly advocating the teaching of evangelical Christian ideology in public schools. Big no-no.

Mrs. Dunn argues against evolution from personal incredulity--it couldn't be fact because she can't understand how a complicated organism developed from simpler ones. Fortunately for civilization, the long-standing myth that the Earth is flat was also disproved once sailors realized they didn't fall off the edge of the horizon. A personal inability to explain something does not mean that it is inexplicable. She then argues that microevolution is acceptable, but not macroevolution. Once again, ignorance is a poor argument. Empirical evidence for macroevolution abounds, and in fact, even the pope believes it.

Major evolutionary changes occurred over millions of years. Those expecting to see an experiment in which Australopithecus changes into Homo sapiens will be sorely disappointed. To claim evolution is untestable because such an experiment has not been done misrepresents the science and does our children a great disservice.

Teach creationism if you must, but do it at home or in the church. Faith-based instruction has no place in the public school curriculum, and certainly is not appropriate in a science classroom.
Kara B. Altshuler
Newbury Park