The science book section of our GJHS library includes books on space and physics. New School Board member, Barbra Evanson pushes to include the Bible with these books.

Creationism is at the heart of the controversial school board elections that happened in November. 

Barbara Evanson and Jose Luis Chavez won the Nov. 7 election to fill two vacant spots in the Mesa Valley School District 51 Board of Education. Chavez, the more liberal candidate, was endorsed by the teacher’s union. Meanwhile, Evanson is now the fourth conservative on the Board. 

As a result, many are worried about the fact that Evanson wants creationism, the idea of a god that created the Earth, to be taught in schools. She wants the curriculum to be factual, substantiated, and with evidence according to the paper that Evanson and her husband wrote. Their want of creationism in schools seems to be problematic and contradictory to this want. 

Evanson and her husband argue that both the Big Bang Theory and Creationism fall under the same faith-based umbrella, and therefore, they should both be taught in schools. Although her reasoning seems sound, creationism usually revolves around Christian faith. By teaching creationism, Evanson would be excluding all other religions. 

Also, if we wanted to learn about religion, wouldn’t we just go to a private religious school? 

Pushing one’s opinions as fact on a group of uneducated people is never and has never been OK. Any average high school student knows how detrimental religion in schools has been in the past. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Native Americans died while in religious boarding schools in the 1800’s and 1900’s in North America. 

After all, like former British Prime Minister Winston Churchhill once said, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”