Quote:
Originally Posted by Hektore
When you state that the earth is 4.5 billion years old, you directly dispute a religious claim in schools, violating separation. The street runs both ways, so to speak.
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That is not a violation of separation of church and state.
First of all, the separation, as it is understood by most modern constitutions, refers only to state promotion of religion. It says nothing about the state maintaining an environment where no religious doctrines are ever contradicted.
Second of all, even in the last sense it can only be seen as a breach of the separation if you consider science to be structurally the same as religion, so that a "science" religion is being promoted. But to accept that world view would entangle accepting a sort of radical relativism that would simply freeze any and all inquiries.
Modern scientific theories operate the same way regardless if its an atheist or a religious person doing it. As long as the same rules of inquiry are followed, people will reach the same conclusion regardless of who or what they see as being ultimately responsible for creating laws of nature.