Should Intelligent Design be Taught In Schools? | Teen Ink

Should Intelligent Design be Taught In Schools?

February 23, 2021
By sarahwashkau BRONZE, Watchung, New Jersey
sarahwashkau BRONZE, Watchung, New Jersey
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Intelligent design and the argument over whether it should be taught in the classroom has been a topic of debate for quite some time. Intelligent design is the idea that the universe and life could not have happened on its own and that some higher power had created it. Many of these ideas had stemmed from the Bible, that God and Jesus were responsible for the creation of life as we know it. The debate is whether the idea of intelligent design should be taught in biology class as an alternative to Darwin’s theory of evolution. There could be problems if intelligent design were to be integrated into the biology curriculum, especially from scientists, parents and even teachers. Thus, intelligent design should not be taught in schools because there are multiple stories of creation, lack of evidence, and schools should stay away from religious influence.

One major problem if intelligent design was included in the biology curriculum is that there are multiple stories of creation beyond Christianity. The ideas included in intelligent design are largely based on Christian beliefs and the Bible. Many Christians claim that the Genesis accounts are a “literal and historical account of the origins of life”. Because teachers would have no other choice but to include information about the Bible and Christianity, it disregards any other religions' idea of a creation story. In some religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism, “the notion of intelligent design is irrelevant.” Because modern day classrooms are so diverse, it would be close to impossible to be able to teach intelligent design and its relation to the Bible without backlash in some form. 

Another problem with including intelligent design in Biology classes is simply that there is not enough concrete evidence to support it. Biology is a science class, a class based strictly on evidence and things that can be proven. Intelligent design, in this context, doesn’t really fall into this category. On the other hand, Darwin’s theory of evolution, which is widely taught in classrooms, does have an overwhelming amount of evidence to back it. In fact, “the scientific consensus around evolution is overwhelming”, with around 98% of scientists backing the theory. The only real evidence supporting Intelligent design is found in the Bible which is a religious text that people of other religions simply so not believe in. Therefore, with a lack of belief in the only evidence supporting the set of ideas, there is no real reason to teach it in an evidence-based class like Biology. 

Finally, it is a widely held belief that schools should not have a religious influence whatsoever, therefore intelligent design should not be touched upon. If intelligent design were to be implemented, it would make learning Biology more about religion than actual science. One of the main reasons that religion should be kept out of schools entirely is because of the wide range of religions practiced by the students. Since society has become increasingly inclusive, it would be fought against to only teach intelligent design as it relates to the Bible. If it were to be taught, it would have to be explained in relation to each religion, which is both impractical and unrealistic. This is why teaching intelligent design would almost never be approved to be added to the curriculum. 

Overall, teaching the ideas of divine creation is an idea that will simply never work. These reasons include lack of evidence supporting it, and society as a whole and diversity of faith in the classroom. For now, evolution will continue to be taught in Biology courses around the country, and it is unlikely for that to change in the near future. Although some people reject Darwin’s theory of evolution as a whole, intelligent design will have to be taught to children in a way other than in the classroom. Teaching this topic, although important to many practicing Christians, will never be possible to teach alongside concrete evidence of evolution. 


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Works Cited

Oliver, Sarah-Kate. Intelligent Design: Should We Teach It? 2017, digitalcommons.acu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=dialogue.

Wilkins, Pete. The Concept of ‘Intelligent Design.’ www.issr.org.uk/issr-statements/concept-intelligent-design/. 

Branch, Glenn. Intelligent Design Is Not Science, and Should Not Join Evolution in the Classroom. 2 Feb. 2009, www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2009/02/02/intelligent-design-is-not-science-and-should-not-take-the-place-of-evolution-in-the-classroom. 


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