Reposted from talk.origins.
I just thought it might entertain any fundie visitors{;-)
Graham

Europe embraces Evolution
Ursula Siebert

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/50453

Ursula Siebert, originally a German teacher & lecturer turned
businesswoman, lived in different European countries before coming to
the USA. She is now a free-lance writer.


January 28, 2008

Europe has embraced Evolution. I always knew that but it was nice to
have it confirmed lately when I stumbled across an old issues of the
Skeptical Inquirer No-Dec 07. The Council of EuropeŽs Parliamentary
Assembly approved a resolution stating:

"1.The aim of this resolution is not to question or to fight a belief
- the right to freedom of belief does not permit that. The aim is to
warn against certain tendencies to pass off a belief as science. It is
necessary to separate belief from science. It is not a matter of
antagonism. Science and belief must be able to coexist. It is not a
matter of opposing belief and science, but it is necessary to prevent
belief from opposing science.

2. For some people the Creation, as a matter of religious belief,
gives a meaning to life. Nevertheless, the Parliamentary Assembly is
worried about the possible ill-effects of the spread of creationist
ideas within our education systems and about the consequences for our
democracies. If we are not careful, creationism could become a threat
to human rights, which are a key concern of the Council of Europe.

3. Creationism, born of the denial of the evolution of species through
natural selection, was for a long time an almost exclusively American
phenomenon. Today creationist ideas are tending to find their way into
Europe and their spread is affecting quite a few Council of Europe
member states."

"7. There is a real risk of serious confusion being introduced into
our childrenŽs minds between what has to do with convictions, beliefs,
ideals of all sorts and what has to do with science. An "all things
are equal" attitude may seem appealing and tolerant, but is in fact
dangerous."

"15. The teaching of all phenomena concerning evolution as a
fundamental scientific theory is therefore crucial to the future of
our societies and our democracies. For that reason it must occupy a
central position in the curriculums, and especially in the science
syllabuses, as long as, like any other theory, it is able to stand up
to thorough scientific scrutiny."