'To be fair to Reiss, what he said was seriously and irresponsibly misreported.'

We need moderation and calm sense or else face more extremism and unreason, says Steve Tomkins

Sometimes two news stories come along that seem to offer a perfect commentary on each other. These two are interesting reflections of one another.

In September, there was great excitement throughout the media about Professor Michael Reiss and his reported comments about teaching creationism in science lessons.

The criticism he received led to his resignation as director of education at the Royal Society.

To be fair to Reiss, what he said was seriously and irresponsibly misreported.

He said that when a science teacher is talking about evolution, if children raise the subject of creationism, the teacher should be prepared to deal with it, respectfully, consider objections, and help them see the difference between a scientific worldview and an unscientific one.

Derided

And yet he was derided for saying that creationism should be taught alongside evolution in class. Hardly the same thing.

It seems the media are so paranoid about anti-science fundamentalism getting into schools the merest hint of it – from an evolutionist Professor who also happens to be a clergyman – is enough to produce a feeding frenzy and wreck his career.

The other news story is that the British Humanist Association is suing the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority over their decision not to allow Religious Studies curriculums to include humanism as one of their religions.

One striking thing about this is how often one hears humanists vehemently denying that humanism and atheism are faith positions like any other.

Perhaps it’s an easier idea to accept when it gets you onto the curriculum. But when you put this story alongside Reiss’s, another point stands out.

Humanism denies religious creeds, religious practice, religious ways of life. It is an anti-religion position, just as creationism is an anti-science position.

Taught

In which case, what business does it have being taught on the religious studies syllabus?

About as much business as creationism has being taught in science classes, you would have thought: none at all.

This means that it’s the QCA has acted quite reasonably in excluding humanism from RS syllabuses.

The media, and shockingly the Royal Society, have let a phobia of fundamentalism drive a man out of his post.

Once again we see unreason and extremism on both sides of the divide and moderation and calm sense in between sadly lacking.