Bill Nye: Teaching Creationism is Holding Children Back
- Carrie Dedrick
- Updated Dec 16, 2014
![Bill Nye: Teaching Creationism is Holding Children Back](https://i.swncdn.com/media/700w/crosswalk/resource/areas/crosswalk/resources/images/defaultimages/article-large-landscape.png)
Billy Nye, internationally-known scientist and former host of children’s TV show “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” has criticized evangelical parents for refusing to expose children to the evolution theory.
In an interview with Newsmax, Nye said, "The Earth is, by the latest reckoning, 4.54 billion years old. The problem is we have adults who have very strong conservative views that are reluctant to let kids learn about evolution."
Nye then criticized Christians who "cling to this book written 5,000 years ago...and want to use that as a substitute for a science textbook."
"Religion is one thing. People get tremendous comfort and community with their religions. But whatever you believe, whatever deity or higher power you might believe in, the Earth is not 6,000 years old," he said.
According to Nye, children must learn about evolution in order to "think critically [and] use sceptical thought to learn about nature."
Earlier this year, Nye debated creationist Ken Ham about creationism vs. evolution. Nye called Ham’s ideas “magical.”
Publication date: December 16, 2014