I AM surprised that a belief that the universe originates from acts of divine creation between 5,700 and 10,000 years ago is to be taught in science classes ("Creationism can be taught, The Herald, December 17).

This is an affront to the divine being who took trouble to create the fossils, the dinosaurs and all the other scientific evidence of a universe which has existed for a considerable time. What was the point of Him giving us a planet with such a rich history if all these scientific clues are to be brushed over with the Genesis story of creation with its inaccurate time line?

Creation should be taught as part of philosophy or similar subject, including other concepts such as Descartes' proposition "I think, therefore I am" as the only proof of our existence and that all other knowledge could be figments of our imaginations, or might be mistakes.

Sandy Gemmill,

40 Warriston Gardens, Edinburgh.