Should schools teach creationism?

SCMP Education News - Feb 19,2009

Jessica Sham, Ronny Tang Bing-yuk, Joy Cheung

Jessica Sham, 13, West Island School

Yes. I am a Christian so I believe in God and the Bible, but I am also interested in science and nature. The theory of evolution is a very powerful idea that explains why there are so many different kinds of plants and animals, and also why some animals, like lions and tigers, look alike. Personally, I would like to believe the Bible and also study nature. I don't see why it would be a problem if we study the Bible carefully and think about what it is really telling us. There is no reason why anything should not be taught at school, unless it is clearly offensive to people. So I don't see why creationism should not be taught to students. It would be helpful if creationism and evolution were not always considered opposite points of views. We can make up our own minds.

Ronny Tang Bing-yuk, 14, Ying Wa College

In Hong Kong, most schools are Christian or Buddhist. Therefore, the religious content is totally different. There is a lack of evidence for creationism. The only way we can explain creationism is: 'God created the world and living things for humans to manage them because he loves us so much.' There are no exact answers. But I don't think creationism would create any misunderstandings or have a negative impact on students. On the other hand, it can be comforting for students to learn about creationism. I studied creationism in both primary and secondary school. It always stimulated my mind when I was a little boy.

Joy Cheung, 16, The Chinese Foundation Secondary School

Yes. Creationism should definitely be taught to students. Neither evolution nor creationism has enough supporting evidence. So why should our knowledge be limited to evolution? Students should be taught both beliefs so they can make up their own minds. In the current HKCEE curriculum, evolution comes under biology, but creationism is not included. Who can definitely say the world simply evolved and wasn't created by God? Why should evolution be included in our curriculum but not creationism? The majority of the world's population believes in the God of Judaism, Christianity or Islam, which all point to creationism. I don't see why students should not be taught a topic that so many people believe in.