Bill Nye tells Rare: Parents who teach creationism to their children are the problem

Rare spoke on Tuesday with scientist and entertainer Bill Nye about his new book Undeniable:Evolution and the Science of Creation. In the last year, Nye has taken on the cause of preaching against creationism, after a much publicized debate with Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis.

Throughout the interview, Nye railed against the harm he believes that creationist are doing to society, and speculated that it could post damning harm on generations to come.

“The people that I’m concerned about are people in school right now. We cannot raise a generation of science students who don’t understand science,” Nye said, noting that by teaching creationism to young minds, parents instill a flawed concept of scientific reality.

Nye explained that the United States has long been a foundation of innovation, and needs people with the ability to conceptualize, “iPhones and fuel injected cars.” Nye believes that those who teach creationism harm that innovation.

“What keeps the United States in the game economically is our ability to innovate. To create things like iPhones and fuel injected cars and raise all these crops to feed 7.2 billion people around the world. All that is a result of science,” Nye said. “To have all of that, you have to have science, and people who understand science so we can have inventions and patents to change the world.”

“If you raise a generation of people who don’t understand the main idea, we’re headed for trouble.”

Though he has spent much of the last year injecting life in the timeless faith vs. science debate, Nye did not seek out the unofficial role as science’s spokesman.

“I was approached by the Answers in Genesis people to do this, they did it as a fundraiser…it energizes their base, whenever you challenge their beliefs,” Nye explained, noting that he was at first hesitant to participate.

“I was reluctant to do it at first, because it IS going to energize their base. I thought if we set it up right and it had Internet access, I could use the opponent’s weight against him.”

Nye’s opponent was Ken Ham, the President of Answers in Genesis, a faith-based organization that promotes creationism. Nine months after his debate with Ham, Nye believes that the people at Answers in Genesis are at the root of the problem.

“[They work] very hard to indoctrinate people in elementary school. They have DVDs worksheets, quizzes, workbooks, all designed to influence people before they are ten-years-old,” Nye said, clarifying that yes, they do have a First Amendment right to do so.

“The earth is not 6,000 years old. No matter what you believe…no matter what your political bent…no matter what side of the aisle you sit…we did not have a flood 4,000 years ago, and the great pyramids were underwater, and nobody noticed…that’s not how it went down.”

“Teaching this to children is bad for the U.S. economy and that means ultimately bad for the world.”

Nye, who came to age in the 1960s, an era he says was “filled with intense optimism,” hopes that the next generation of leaders never ceases to engage in scientific discussion. On Capitol Hill, he isn’t so sure that will happen, particularly within the Republican Party.

“This is what we all wonder on my side of things. Which Republican Party are we going to get now, now that you have the Senate? Is it going to be conservatives who drive the argument forward, who reach a compromise for the betterment of our citizens? Or is it going to be this fringe element who thinks that government is inherently bad, and who feel that it’s their job as elected officials to shut the government down?” Nye said.

“That’s not what we are paying these people for.”