Let me get political for a second...

I really think that it's important for everyone to be politically in tune, because even though they seem boring, politics are a constant in our lives and will always affect us, whether we realize it or not. So I have chosen a case that was reviewed during the Supreme Court term preview to discuss.

            The topic from the Supreme Court term preview that I am choosing to discuss is the one regarding contraceptives. This case, and many similar cases going on around the country, concern a new healthcare law that deals with contraceptives. The healthcare law requires insurance plans to cover birth control. However, the issue has been raised that for-profit companies should be exempt from the law on the basis that providing contraceptives is against their religious views.

            The issues of this case are endless, the main issue being the power of religion within the government. Allowing these companies to be exempt from the law not only gives a lot of power to religion, but it gives religion power over government. If this were to be allowed, then it could be used as precedent for any act passed in the future that could be a threat to religious beliefs, therefore allowing religion to cheat the system. However, if the government doesn’t allow it, then that act will be seen as discrimination against religion. There is also the issue of federal laws being contradictory towards each other. The health care law says that contraceptives must be provided, but the Free Exercise Act protects individual’s ability to practice religion. In lower court cases, federal law overrules state law, but this issue is hard to sort out because it involves two federal laws that seem to be in disagreement.

            This case is important to know because regardless of the fact that the entire population does not use contraceptives, it deals with concepts that are an essential part of our nation’s values. The separation is common knowledge to citizens of the United States, as is the first amendment of the Constitution which allows for the practice of religion. These are things we don’t often question because we grow up with the knowledge that they are concrete and unchallenged, yet this case is directly challenging them. This conflict between church and state has been a hot topic recently; first with the Evolution versus Creation debate that aired a few weeks ago which discussed the teaching of both theologies in public schools, and now with the Arizona law debate which involves the Arizona legislature attempting to pass a law allowing private companies to refuse service to gay citizens. The issue with these cases and the contraception case is directly related to the separation of church and state, and issue that though it is core to America’s history, is still being debated today. 

Creation vs. Evolution: Part I

Tonight a debate between Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and Ken Ham, founder of the Creation Museum, was televised lived. The two argued the topics Creation vs. Evolution. The original arguments were as followed:

— Nye: "I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world, that's completely inconsistent with the world we observe, that's fine. But don't make your kids do it. Because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need engineers that can build stuff and solve problems."

— Ham: "Most students are presented only with the evolutionary belief system in their schools, and they are censored from hearing challenges to it. Let our young people understand science correctly and hear both sides of the origins issue and then evaluate them."


I have not yet watched the debate, but I wanted to do a before and after. So before I watch, I would like to share my thoughts on the matter.

Whether I believe in Creation or Evolution is something I've been wondering my whole life, and I am still not really sure what I believe. I was raised in Catholic school, but surrounded by relatives who all worked in the scientific field, so I am fortunate to have a knowledge of both theologies.

This issue at hand is that unlike me, most people don't know them both. Schools today only teach evolution because teaching creationism is illegal because it is related to religion. The problem this causes is that kids are not given the opportunity to choose, because they know only of evolution.

For others, one of the theologies is simply pushed down their throats, so they never have the chance to learn the other.

I have always been a big fan of Bill Nye, but I am pretty upset with his statement. He is very simply saying that to believe in Creationism is to be uneducated, and that the only people who can handle the big jobs are those who believe in evolution. This is so unbelievably close-minded. Some of the world's most prominent scientists are die hard Christians. Bill Nye is almost saying that those who are religious are also ignorant.

Unlike Nye, Ken Ham does not argue only for Creation. He argues that children should be taught both and be allowed to choose. This is so perfect to me. That's how it should be. But so many people are too close minded to even consider this. It's ridiculous.



So I will leave you with this; there is plenty evidence that strikes down the theory of evolution, and plenty of evidence that supports creation. The problem is that a majority of people have not been educated on anything other than the reality of evolution, and to me, America is not about making people believe one thing or the other, it is about letting them have a choice.

Part II TBA. It's about to go down.