Creationist activity in the Netherlands

Their education minister in the Christian Democratic Party is a proponent, triggering strong protests from other parties.

The student has to be able explain to explain earlier and current ideas about the origin of life and origins, and the following three ideas specifically: - generatio spontanea - creationism - evolution

They could probably add a few sentences about intelligent design:

Recently, creationists have supported two pseudoscientific ideas called "Intelligent Design Theory". First, ID supporters claimed that Irreducibly Complex structures couldn't evolve. Scientists responded that IC structures can evolve in at least two ways¹. Second, they claimed that evolution couldn't generate Complex Specified Information. It was soon determined that evolution could generate such information². ID simply consists of failed criticisms of evolution, makes no predictions of its own, and has no importance to biology.

1: reference to Behe admitting this
2: reference to Dembski admitting this

"This usually means that there are about 10 lines of text about creationism and generation spontanea in a 50-page chapter about evolution"

This is the way to "Teach the Controversy" - give each side time in proportion the evidence.

I wouldn't worry about it yet. Creationism in Europe is like tornadoes; we get some, but not enough to warrant an early-warning system or an insurance hike.

Re "give each side time in proportion the evidence."
But wouldn't that would leave you with some fraction of one sentence for the ID section?

Henry

less, actually. It would be blank. as it should be.

De minister laat haar ambtenaren een debat organiseren over een wetenschappelijke theorie waar ze geen expertise over heeft, op basis van een gesprek met iemand die dat ook niet heeft. Als de privé persoon Van der Hoeven behoefte heeft aan een gesprek over de schepper, dan kan ze een gespreksgroepje zoeken, de minister moet toezien op kwaliteit en verder liever niets. The minister is having her staff organize a debate about a scientific theory in which she lacks any expertise, based on a conversation with someone who similarly lacks such an experience. If the private person van der Hoeven has the urge to have a discussion about the creator, then she has all the opportunity to join a support group, the minister should be responsible of quality, and preferably nothing else.

Thank God the dutch are as pragmatic as ever.

Openness always has its hazards. One should not let fear govern policies however, just because a few may screw up. It's this openness which also led various politicians make remarks which were taken to be offensive by some. It is regrettable, and indeed quite novel for the Netherlands, that words can become lethal.
However political violence is nothing new to the netherlands, although in general the violence has excluded violence against humans and focused on torching gas stations or supermarkets for their support of South Africa. Most homicides in the Netherlands are related to the 'underworld', involving power struggles and pay offs. Pim Fortuyn was one of the first victims of this changing mentality, followed by the murder of a movie maker (van Gogh) and the threats against their lifes of some politicians.
Despite all this, the dutch are as pragmatic as ever, rejecting what is obvious to all a religious attempt to introduce poor science into the educational system. The netherlands educational system is quite 'unique' in that it allows religious schools to be state funded as long as they offer non religious alternatives to their students as well.

"torching gas stations or supermarkets for their support of South Africa"

interesting, since SA is probably the most creationist-oriented country in the world.

" The netherlands educational system is quite 'unique' in that it allows religious schools to be state funded as long as they offer non religious alternatives to their students as well"

are there national science standards these schools must meet as well?

here in the US, private schools are not mandated to teach alternatives, but their students are required to pass standards exams. So, if they do a poor job teaching, then the students do poorly on the exams.

However, that could of course change, if the standards are dumbed down.

Sir Toejam: SA is probably the most creationist-oriented country in the world.

Oops, lost the URL in the preceding; it's http://stnate.blogspot.com/2005/05/garlic-magic-in-&frica.html

Yargh, can't post this correction because the cooling-off software wants an unspecified delay between posts.

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