British Centre for Science Education
The British Centre for Science Education (BCSE) is a volunteer-run organization in the United Kingdom that has the goal of "countering creationism within the UK"[1] and was formed to campaign against the teaching of creationism in schools.[2][3]
Activities
The BCSE has been operating since the summer of 2006. Its appearance was noted by the American National Center for Science Education in a news article on 2 November 2006.[4]
The BCSE protested when the prominent intelligent design group Truth in Science sent information packs to every UK secondary school in September 2006.[2] BCSE estimated that TiS had, at that point, spent around £116,000, including employment of a full-time administrator.[5] In a letter to the editor, published in the Financial Times, Ian Lowe of BCSE expressed concern that creationism could possibly flourish even in Britain;[6] while Mike Brass, then chairman of BCSE, said in a letter to The Guardian, "intelligent design (ID) is creationism dressed up in a tux to sneak into our science classrooms."[7] They were even mentioned in an "Early Daily Motion" in Parliament introduced by MP Graham Stringer.[8]
In March 2011, responding to a letter from the BCSE expressing concern about the possibility that the government might fund schools based on a Creationist viewpoint, the Department of Education stated that the Secretary of State for Education was "crystal clear that teaching creationism is at odds with scientific fact".[9]
The BCSE features a website on which it tracks leading creationists and creationist organizations, particularly those active in the United Kingdom. Short descriptive articles appear on each. Essays, news and reports of pro-evolution government lobbying are also featured on the website.
Criticism and controversy
The appearance of the BCSE has been met with hostility by the main promoter of
References
- ^ According to the logo on the website of the BCSE.
- ^ PMID 17122815.
- ^ The dangers of creationism in education Archived 2007-08-13 at the Wayback Machine, Report, Committee on Culture, Science and Education, Rapporteur: Mr Guy LENGAGNE, France, Socialist Group, Parliamentary Assembly, Council of Europe, Doc. 11297, 8 June 2007. Para. 69
- ^ Creationism news from around the world Archived 2007-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, National Center for Science Education, November 2, 2006.
- ^ Randerson, James (27 November 2006). "Who are Truth in Science?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-07-28.
- ^ Lowe, Ian (21 October 2006). "Creationism has no place in classrooms". Letter to the Editor. Financial Times. Retrieved 2007-07-28.
- ^ Brass, Mike (19 December 2006). "Creationism in the classroom". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-07-28.
- Early Day Motion2708, 11.10.2006
- ^ "Michael Gove 'crystal clear' creationism is not science". The Telegraph. 22 Mar 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ The British Centre for Science Education unmasked, William Dembski, Uncommon Descent Blog, 23 October 2006.