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Bill Nye: Kids should not learn creationism

August 28, 2012 @ 4:38 am (Updated: 11:34 am - 8/28/12 )

Listen to Bill Nye the Science Guy says kids should not learn creationism

Famed Seattle scientist Bill Nye slams parents for letting their children believe in the Bible's view of how the world began in a new online video "Creationism Is Not Appropriate For Children."

The video features the bow-tie-wearing science guy expressing saying to parents, "If you want to deny evolution and live in your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine, but don't make your kids do it because we need them. We need scientific literate taxpayers and voters for the future."

Nye's video has more than 1.7 million views in just a few days.

 

Most creationists believe in the account of the origins of the world as told in the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. God creates Adam and Eve, the universe, and everything in it in six days.

BillNyeFor Christians who read the Genesis account literally, the six days in the account are literal 24-hour periods and leave no room for evolution.

The Gallup Poll has been tracking Americans' views on creation and evolution for the past 30 years.

In June, it released its latest findings, which showed 46 percent of Americans believed in creationism, 32 percent believed in evolution guided by God, and 15 percent believed in atheistic evolution.

"Your world becomes fantastically complicated if you don't believe in evolution," Nye says.

"The idea of deep time of billions of years explains so much of the world around us. If you try to ignore that, your worldview becomes crazy, untenable, itself inconsistent," he says.

Nye says "in another couple centuries" he's sure the world view of creationism won't exist. "There's no evidence for it," he concludes.

By LINDA THOMAS

More from Linda Thomas

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Comments (195)


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  • hpygolkyone wrote...
    Only My Opinion..........
    August 28, 2012 4:45 am
    I was expecting to witness a painful video from a Bill Nye who has not "aged gracefully" shall we say and who has maybe gone a little bonkers.

    I was very pleasantly surprised. Very well spoken and respectful to those who don't believe in evolution, with a gentle nudge towards, please don't hold back your children.

    When I see mind blowing photos from the Hubble telescope it makes me wonder how this all came to be and why? Was it from a burning bush and a big booming voice....not so much.

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  • bdoll wrote...
    Only your opinion...
    August 28, 2012 9:31 am
    So in your mind, the origin of the universe is easily explained by masses of gas and rock exploding - then some of those inert ingredients mingled to began life and somehow evolved into the millions of living creatures we have just on this planet, not to mention all that the Hubble displays? But intelligent design makes "not so much" sense to you. You have greater faith in your rocks than all of us stupid people who think there is a God. Birds if a feather, you and Bill...
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  • Whidbeyboy wrote...
    But it's not opinion
    August 28, 2012 11:11 am
    It's science. And it is not about having faith, but seeing the evidence in front of our very eyes. Intelligent design may be part of the equation, we don't know. But that in itself does not mean the bible, written by men, is fact. Especially when we can prove that Christians borrowed form many beliefs that existed long before. That they created a system of beliefs, like other before them make more sense to me as why religion exist, and that at the time science was non existent. I'm suprised, now that we have mass communication Jesus dosen't show up, if he really cared. Maybe a facebook page?
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  • Ernie in the East wrote...
    Whidbeyboy, listening to Art Bell?
    August 28, 2012 11:28 am
    Been listening to Art Bell or some other late night talk radio personality, Whidbeyboy? Science can't "prove" how this universe started because no one was there to observe it, nor can it be replicated. It is most incredible to me that anyone would believe the notion that all that is the universe started from an explosion and order came out of that explosion. Really, order from an explosion? The extreme probabilities of all the "right" combinations of elements, gases,amino peptides, the "right mutations" in sufficient numbers to bring change to a species (how does mutations fit with survival of the fittest? Mutations are weak and don't survive for very long), etc, etc, is just an impossibility. People take what the scientists say by faith, believing that what they say is true. Never mind the "fact" that their "facts" keep changing as to what really happened. I will base my faith on God's Word, the Bible. Yes, men were the human instruments that actually penned the words but they are God's revelation of Himself and His creation to us, His created beings. I just don't possess that great level of faith that is necessary to swallow the idea of evolution.
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  • heyjim55 wrote...
    It's not Science Bill's is concerned about
    August 28, 2012 11:46 am
    What Bill is doing is his part in the on going anti religion movement by those on the Left. Bill has been a Marxist for a very long time and his chosen work is science because it is allowed in Communism and it fits the narrative and is useful for many other things that Communists need to advance their agenda. You notice many of the comments here only mention the Christian idea of creation there is no mention of Mohammed or Islam. Why because those people would go after them, no they prefer Christians because that is what America was founded on and we all know the Left just hates that. Bill is only happy top do his little part because it is what he believes both his profession career and his politics.
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  • MmMerrifield wrote...
    they didn't borrow
    August 29, 2012 8:43 am
    it is the same because the other religions knew what was the truth before Christ changed everything, they knew about the universe, but not the creator's plan to save us from darkness
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  • DJFavorite wrote...
    I'm surprised
    August 28, 2012 5:06 am
    I would never have thought that the percentage of 'Creationist' was at 46%. I would have thought it would be much, much lower. But, if 46% believe that part of the bible so literally, then they take the rest of the bible literally, and now it explains why the positions on so many 'moral' issues in this country.
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  • Shaun Maginnis wrote...
    science is a yard stick, not a belief system..
    August 28, 2012 5:20 am
    Science is good at measuring things. It even "discovers" and creates some wonderful things. It's no belief system, however. You won't find anyone dying to defend the great philosophical or moral system called science. Science should confine itself it the areas where it is appropriate and useful. As to Mr. Nye, he'd do best to confine himself to the lavatory.
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  • BikeNazi wrote...
    We're all born as atheists
    August 28, 2012 7:15 am
    The mechanism of faith is the greatest threat to the human race. When I was in a college biology course I remember a argument a creationist-raised hyperChristian had with the professor. His PhD outweighed her faith and he threw her out of class.
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  • pastor wrote...
    We are born "believers"
    August 28, 2012 8:05 am
    "The glory of children is their father" (Proverbs 17:6). The human baby, the most helpless of all creation, looks up and find the compassionate hands of parents, and look at those parents as gods. It is the parents who turn the children to a system of faith and the children then say the "God of my fathers". If the foundation of faith in God, which is the age old foundation of society, and is the constitutional construct of all of its ordered laws and governance, is destroyed; then as goes the foundation, so goes the house. Some would like to see the house torn down; I would not. The house may have some problems, but the house is sound.
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  • Realist wrote...
    Typical of the Liberal Left "Teachers"
    August 28, 2012 8:25 am
    If you don't agree with me you are stupid.
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  • Whidbeyboy wrote...
    Realist (ironic name)
    August 28, 2012 11:19 am
    Actually, if you don't agree with the facts your stupid or in denial. Big difference, and nothing to do with politics, which is also a stupid comment. We are the only nation where the rightwings conservatives are the Christians. Ayn Rand and Christianity are oxymorons. PLease start to think for yourself, it may be enlightening.
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  • bdoll wrote...
    Nobody is born an athiest
    August 28, 2012 9:38 am
    Sounds more like his PhD failed him, so he resorted to brute force and threw her out of class. If he was able to defeat her argument, he'd have welcomed the debate.
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  • Gar57 wrote...
    Wrong, bdoll....
    August 28, 2012 1:11 pm
    And that's where religionists just don't get it. Why should a SCIENCE
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Gar57 wrote...
    CONTINUED....
    August 28, 2012 1:12 pm
    sorry, pushed a wrong button. What I was saying was a SCIENCE professor is just not obligated to have a THEOLOGICAL debate with a student!
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  • Uncle Carbunkle wrote...
    Re: We're all born as atheists
    August 28, 2012 2:42 pm
    Well, well, well, BikeNazi, isn't that just an open minded, tolerant prof. "Don't agree with me? Hit the road." But when you stop and think, most conformist thinking is now coming from the left and lead by our institutes of "higher learning".
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  • Whidbeyboy wrote...
    Really?
    August 28, 2012 11:15 am
    So science should not delve into the orgin of the universe? Hmmm, is it too unconvienent if your religious? Yes, your attituded was practice a long time ago when they burned scientist seeking the truth and called it heresey.
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  • ron prevost wrote...
    Is Hye afraid children might make the same connection the Catholic church already has ?
    August 28, 2012 5:22 am
    That Genesis and the Big Bang theory are virtually the same?

    At least since Pius XII, perhaps further back, and confirmed most recently by Benedict XVI, the Church has recognized the validity of both cosmic and biological evolution. ... It is just the scientific explaining of God's creation.

    Or, perhaps better put, Genesis was God's way of explaining science to simple peoples 3.000 years ago. ... But, think now, without the truth of God, just how would Moses have presented 'a myth' so close to today's science way back then?

    Pure coincidence ????? - or ?????

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Zagnut wrote...
    "Creationism" and "Evolution" live in harmony under the logical belief of "Intelligent Design"
    August 28, 2012 5:23 am
    But the brilliant minds in charge think the universe popped into existence from nothing and then evolved magically into what we have today.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • NWGUY wrote...
    Hey, you came from a rock
    August 28, 2012 6:15 am
    See there was a rock, and it ran, and after lots of time, there you were! the key is time, if there unlimited time, anything's possible!
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  • NWGUY wrote...
    Rain, not ran
    August 28, 2012 6:16 am
    I want an editor!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    The Josheff Gobbles of our time.
    August 28, 2012 5:41 am
    The regime's Chief Minister of Obama re immac propaganda!
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  • Dozer40 wrote...
    I thought Science was the study of fact
    August 28, 2012 5:47 am
    Let's assume that whatever banged in the big bang always existed and that time always existed and that when something blows up life accidentally is created and that one planet in a million can create life then use these assumptions and build solid scientific fact. I don't see a problem with it. Let's assume I can fly, lest's further assume no bullet can penetrate me. Let's also assume I look good in spandex. Its a scientific fact that I'm Superman. Using these assumptions it has to be scientific.
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  • Uilleam wrote...
    Imagination
    August 28, 2012 7:05 am
    And then your imaginary friend made everything. Sort of like Santa Claus, only when you die he lets you come to his house.
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  • CameronAtLarge wrote...
    Dozer40 - Straw Man Argument is a Straw Man
    August 28, 2012 9:45 am
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man I don't think you understand the weight of my subject line, thus, I'm giving you a definition.
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  • wsualumn wrote...
    I See...
    August 28, 2012 5:54 am
    That some of the right loons are here to speak out against evolution. They are afraid it would contradict what they want to believe. An open mind to think freely is scary and threatening(It's Me HA HA). I always appreciated my science teacher in high school presenting both sides of the argument. Evolution doesn't mean there isn't a God.
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  • ron prevost wrote...
    And, Wazzu, which 'loons' (so far) have spoken out against evolution?
    August 28, 2012 6:09 am
    Too bad some literal churches think Ally Oop is real, but Catholics have no problems. In fact, the FIRST scientist to promote genetics (evolution in action) was Gregor Mendel, a Catholic priest.

    I'm sure the 'loons' will come, but please wait for them.

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  • wsualumn wrote...
    Ron
    August 28, 2012 6:33 am
    Ha Ha's already made an appearance.
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  • Dozer40 wrote...
    WAZZU- is it fact because a scientist says it is?
    August 28, 2012 6:48 am
    Because there is a consensus does that mean its scientific fact? Is it wrong for us right loons to not accept the THEORY of evolution as fact?
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  • Gar57 wrote...
    Dozer40...
    August 28, 2012 1:19 pm
    Do you understand what a scientific theory actually means and the scientific process required to attain the definition? Or are you possibly thinking a "hypothesis", which is a scientific calim not yet tested, only postulated? BTW, this is pretty elemental stuff, taught for generations in high school science classes. And this is possibly what Mr. Nye was referring to in his Youtube video....the fear that our kids are falling behind the rest of the world on some pretty basic information, because of religion.
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  • Derrol_o wrote...
    Evolution and God
    August 28, 2012 11:01 am
    Wsualumn, true evolution and intelligent design aren't mutually exclusive but it is in conflict with the Bible, unless the biblical God is a monkey.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Checkmate wrote...
    It's Hollywood afterall.
    August 28, 2012 5:59 am
    Even if you're on the periphery of it (Bill Nye) Not sure if he's invited to any george clooney parties, you fall in line if you want a job.
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  • allchik wrote...
    I don't like the kids should not learn part...
    August 28, 2012 6:03 am
    I believe that kids SHOULD learn and draw their own conclusion on what they want to believe... Growing up I watched Bill Nye throughout my Junior High years in my science classes regularly. As a child I was able to hear his version of how the world began, but as I got older I knew there had to be more than just a Big Bang and Bam here we are. The human mind is fascinating and I have a hard time believing that my ancestors were once apes. I highley doubt that creationism won't exist in the next couple of centuries... When you look at all the intricate details on this earth and in each human being... You have to know that there is more than mere science, and when you know.. you know that you know that you know... :)
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  • Rick W7PSK wrote...
    Just look at the Odds
    August 28, 2012 6:14 am
    The odds of everything happening by chance, the exact sequence, that brought us to today, according to mathematicians is incalculable. There is no way that everything lined up perfectly against infinitesimal odds of it happening just right

    I'm a Christian, and Science has always been my favorite subject. The two can coexist very nicely.

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  • nevetssnikpoh wrote...
    Hey
    August 28, 2012 6:41 am
    Well said.
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