Evolution Korea
For a long time, the Korean scientific community resisted engaging with creationists for fear of giving the movement more credence. However, silence is no anymore an option.
The STR has been fighting to eliminate evolution-related content from textbooks, including the discovery that the feathered Archaeopteryx was an ancestral bird. This is only one aspect of the evolution of the development paradigm.
What is Evolution?
Evolution is a scientific theory that explains the change in the genetic traits of living organisms over time. The theory is based on the fact that living things adapt to their environments, which can cause variations in genes or even whole genomes. These changes can over many generations lead to the emergence of new species. Natural selection is the predominant theory of evolution. It describes how individuals with advantageous traits survive and reproduce more than those with less favorable traits. In time, this disparity in reproduction could lead to the emergence of completely new species.
The word "evolution", which comes from the Latin for revealing or unrolling has been used in a variety of different ways as the concept has evolved in both science as well as elsewhere. Early evolutionists like Erasmus Darwin (Charles’s grandfather) and Jean Baptiste de Lamarck believed that species were predetermined to change into another species. The term transmutation was coined by Lamarck's disciple embryologist Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, to describe this view. Charles Lyell, in his Principles of Geology, published in 1833, criticized the idea of evolution, and borrowed the term from Geoffroy’s student.
Evolutionary biologists define it more recently as a process through which living things develop characteristics to increase their chances of survival or conceiving offspring. Over time, this genetic variability can result in the development of entirely new physical or biological functions in the same population. Natural selection is the mechanism that triggers the majority of evolutionary changes. Other changes that aren't genetic, such as an increase in muscle mass from exercise or diet, cannot be considered to be evolution since they aren't passed down to the next generation.
Despite the fact that evolution has withstood the tests of time and thousands of scientific experiments, creationists have seized on the idea that evolution is controversial and argue that it shouldn't be taught in school. In South Korea, creationists have had a few wins in their fight to remove evolution from high-school textbooks and have also gotten rid of references to the evolutionary roots of humans, as well as the Archaeopteryx, a feathered dinosaur thought to be the ancestral bird's ancestor.
Why is Evolution important to humanity?
Evolution explains the origins of Earth and all living species. It is also a foundation of biology and helps scientists to understand how living organisms work and develop. Evolution also shows how various species are linked. Scientists study evolution in order to better comprehend nature and make valuable discoveries such as new treatments.
The evidence for evolution is overwhelming. There is no other scientific theory that explains so much about the universe as well as life on Earth and has been thoroughly tested and confirmed over the course of many years. Many people, including religious leaders, are in favor of the scientific theory. It is important to remember that evolutionary biology doesn't interfere with religions, since the theory is based on things, events and processes in the physical world.
Many religious people have discovered a way to reconcile evolution with their convictions. Some Christians, for example, believe that God created everything through evolution, and that humans share a common ancestry to other animals.
It is important for science educators to support the teaching of evolution. Unfortunately, in a few nations around the world there is a growing anti-evolutionist sentiment. In the United States, efforts to limit the teaching of evolution have made progress in a few states. In South Korea, a group known as the Society for Textbook Revise, an offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research (KAC) is pushing for textbooks to include content on the evolutionary history of horses and their ancestral avian species Archaeopteryx.
While these are disturbing developments, it is important to keep in mind that the evidence for evolution is overwhelming. The evidence comes from a wide range of sources, such as fossils, genetic studies and the behavior of living organisms. The evidence is also independently verified by other scientists.
The vast majority of scientists support the theory of evolution. The reasons behind this support are diverse. Scientists study evolution to make practical discoveries for example, such as the development of medications and other treatments, while others are driven by an interest in improving the quality of life for animals and plant species, generally to benefit humans. Some are simply curious, and others have a deep faith in God and want to understand how the universe functions.
What is Creationism?
Creationists believe that God created everything in the universe. They also believe that the Bible is the word of God and should be taken as such. While Creationists may not all be Christian but many are. Creationists are generally divided into two categories: Young Earth Creationists (YEC) or old earth creationists.
The YECs are the best known type of creationist and they believe that God created the universe exactly as described in the Bible. YECs hold that the biblical account of the first six days of creation was literal and that the universe and the life on Earth were created just recently.
OECs aren't as popular, but their beliefs are just as passionate as the YECs. OECs believe that the universe as well as Earth are billions of years old, and that evolution is a myth.
Both types of creationism reject the notion that scientific theories such as natural selection and abiogenesis are able to explain the origins of life on Earth. They argue that evolution is not possible because it requires miracles. The pioneers of modern scientific thought shunned miracles because they feared they could lose their credibility.
Some creationists accept naturalistic evolution and also special creation, and consider their views to be "theistic evolution." This is also referred to as "continuous evolutionism" or the "evolution of created kinds." In this view, God creates the original species and allows them to evolve over time. Then the evolutionary changes create new species that are identical to the original species.
Some creationists believe that God created all living things and the universe in a single event known as the Great Flood. They believe that all the species of the beginning were created at the same time and that they gradually evolved. simply click the next document deny the notion of abiogenesis and claim that self-replicating life cannot arise from nonliving matter.
In general, the creationists are opposed to the teaching of evolution in schools. Numerous professional associations, like the National Science Teachers Association and the Association for Science Teacher Education support this position, as do the American Anthropological Association and the Geological Society of America. Certain scientists and educational institutions are however more flexible and permit both evolution and creationism to be included in their curriculum.
What is Creationism?
When people think of the concept of creationism most often, they think of the United States. However, South Korea is also home to an anti-evolutionist movement. Publishers of high school textbooks have recently announced that they will eliminate references to evolution from their textbooks. The Society for Textbook Revise, an independent organization that is an offshoot from the Korea Association for Creation Research (KACCR), has led this drive. The STR has scored its first victory by removing from textbooks the evidence of the evolution and ancestor of the bird, the Archeopteryx. It is now focusing on removing excerpts from Darwin's notorious finch research and on human evolution too.
STR claims to have the support of 4,000 families and members. The goal, according to STR is to clear the world of what it calls "atheist materialism" which paints an unflattering image for students. It also hopes to combat the influence of American creationists in the United States. A survey of biology students teachers found that about half do not believe in the concept of evolution. The causes aren't clear but could be due to religious beliefs or the absence of full-time creation scientists in the United States.
The KACR has achieved many things through its seminars and lectures. It also publishes a bimonthly magazine called Creation and a book. One of them was a textbook on natural sciences with a creationist stance. It sparked interest in college communities. In 1991, a professor, along with a minister, began teaching Creation Science at one university. It is still taught in the present.
On August 6-7 the 7th of August 1993, which coincided with the World Expo opened in Daejeon, KACR held a second International Symposium on Creation Research. Six lecturers from the world, including ICR's John Morris, Duane Gish and Steven Austin spoke to audiences of over a thousand. KACR members and KACR have also given talks on creation science in major seminaries. KACR is planning to create a Creation Science Education Center.