Resolution 1580 (2007)/16/cmt/en

16. The Council of Europe has highlighted the importance of teaching about culture and religion. In the name of freedom of expression and individual belief, creationist ideas, as any other theological position, could possibly be presented as an addition to cultural and religious education, but they cannot claim scientific respectability.

[Draft]

• cultural and religious education -- The Council of Europe seems to have a lot of difficulty in determining what is science and what is not. Criticism of the theory of evolution is called “creationism”, with all the horrible things that this word is intended to mean in this resolution (for example treats against humanity and the denial of all science), despite the fact that the criticism consists of only regular scientific criticism. (MM)

• creationist ideas... scientific status -- The question whether God exists or not goes beyond what can be determined with science with the current definitions of science. But many people hold that it must be assumed that God does not exist, or that he hasn’t done anything significant enough which deserves being called science (this is despite the fact that several hundred million Christians over the whole world maintains that God is very much active every day). In reality, however, there's nothing "scientific" at all in having such an atheistic outlook (only denying the existence of certain things which are not visible, but neither logic nor ordinals are visible either, although some atheists believe that they exists because if it doesn't, then also science collapses). However, science is often equaled with the "absence of God" which of course is an unscientific claim (although often called science). (MM/RIL)

• creationism... could possibly be presented… -- Possibly? It may sound generous of the Council of Europe to be prepared to go as far as to even think of allowing critical opinions. But in other parts of this resolution we clearly see that they prefer getting rid of certain views entirely, even without giving the people holding these views a chance to give their opinion. (MM/RIL)