Evangelicals in Switzerland recently sparked controversy when they successfully moved school authorities to include creationism alongside evolution in a science textbook.
Creationism was presented with evolution in the book as two ways of “explaining” the origin of the universe and life on earth, according to swissinfo, the e-zine by Swiss Radio International.
But angry scientists and education experts soon forced the revision of the divisive passage, arguing that teaching creationism in science classes implies a controversy when there isn’t since evolution has been “proven beyond all reasonable doubt.”
Evolution teaches that all living organisms evolved through random genetic mutations and by the non-random process of natural selection from a single self-replicating molecule that existed by chemical chance some 3.5 billion years ago.
Meanwhile, creationism teaches the biblical idea that the universe and all living things, including man, were created by God.
The publication of the controversial textbook came just before the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe urged its members – including Switzerland – to “oppose firmly any attempts at teaching creationism as a scientific discipline.”
The assembly warned that creationist ideas in the form of science – once almost exclusively restricted to the United States – has spread throughout Europe and could threaten human rights and democracy.
But proponents of creationism contend that most Swiss want creationism taught alongside evolution in biology class.
A survey commissioned by the Christian organisation Pro Genesis earlier this year found 80 per cent of Swiss want creationism taught in schools, according to swissinfo.
Meanwhile, an international survey last year found 30 per cent of Swiss reject evolution – one of the highest rates in Europe.
In America, the controversy takes on several different forms including a growing movement called intelligent design. Proponents of intelligent design contend that evidence from nature and the natural world suggests an “intelligent designer” is behind the creation of the universe, but stop short of naming the designer or linking it directly to a religion.
