There is no controversy. Creationism doesn't belong in our public schools.

One of the issues that American Atheists, Inc. tackles in our goal for the total and complete separation of church and state is the teaching  of Creationism as science in public schools, which remain a goal for many school boards - particularly in the southern United States. Creationism, even under it's other monikers, "Creation Science" and "Intelligent Design", is not science, nor is it intelligent. It is a department of fundamental apologetics. The sole purpose of creationism is to defend the biblical book of Genesis. It exists only for religious purposes and it abandons anything that even remotely approaching scientific research.

Because there lacks empirical evidence to prove creationism as viable, many creationists attempt to disprove the real science by using sources from other creationists and often cite references from pseudo-scientific sources or from scientists whose judgment have been clouded by religious belief. While phrases like "teach the controversy" are common talking points and serve to generate a false sense of equality amongst it's proponents, creationism should not be presented as competitive or comparative because it lacks equal footing with evolutionary theory. Evolution concerns itself with change through discourses such as natural selection and genetic drift, and incorporates other sciences such as biology, archeology, paleontology, etc. Evolutionary theory is true to the scientific method. Creationism concerns itself with the presumption that either one of the two glaringly contradicting and well-plagiarized creation myths in the book of Genesis are the only possible explanations that account for the origin of the universe and everything in it.

The basic components of creationism that have been tested through real science, such as the age of the earth and that it was once completely covered in water, have failed. Creationism has been scientifically disproved and any vestiges of science that remained have been discredited due to the inclusion of magic or magical events, which are untestable.The fact that evolution through natural selection, which is not "chance" or "random", has occurred and continues to occur and is without question the best explanation for the mechanism of change. Logic and evidence leads to these conclusions. Evolutionary theory consists of a tightly interwoven fabric of observations and logical conclusions. Comparing the vast knowledge base that has been accumulated, tested and proved for evolution, the continuing flow of new information that further adds to the knowledge base and a century and a half of unsuccessful attempts to falsify it by the scientific community, it becomes inconceivable that anyone still believes in the bizarre details of the Genesis creation myth.

If creationists somehow managed to eradicate all knowledge of evolution, honest men and women in the future who took to studying the facts of nature would end up rediscovering it because evolution is science, is testable and in accord with the facts of nature. Unlike creationist dogmas, which are not testable and are contradicted by the testimony of nature.It is almost scandalous that the creation myth survives in this day and age and even more preposterous that those in positions of authority on school boards would see creationism replace real science in our public schools. Creationism is an insult to the collective of human intelligence. Living a life according to myths and fairy tales is nothing short of childish and those who would cause detriment to the proper education of our children amount to little more than the "blind leading the blind" and they should have no place in deciding who is taught anything.

Al Stefanelli - Georgia State Director, American Atheists, Inc.