Posted on 12/20/2005 7:54:38 AM PST by snarks_when_bored
Fox News alert a few minutes ago says the Dover School Board lost their bid to have Intelligent Design introduced into high school biology classes. The federal judge ruled that their case was based on the premise that Darwin's Theory of Evolution was incompatible with religion, and that this premise is false.
2001
According to Wikipedia:
"The actual term, "separation of church and state", does not appear in the Constitution, but rather derives from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to a group identifying themselves as the Danbury Baptists."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state
Before him, a Renaissance Italian cleric, who died about the year Williams was born, Fausto Sozinni, better known as Faustus Socinus (1539-1604).
That would have to be some difference, because Darwin didn't publish a view on the origin of life. "Origin of Species" ends with a speculation about first life being created.
There are multiple arguments on this thread but the one that concerns me is the topic of the thread. That being the intervention of the fedguv in a local issue, his holding that the disclaimer violates the establishment clause and his use of a term to support that view that appears nowhere in the Constitution of the United States.
Nobody is forcing you to reply to me. I won't feel especially saddened if you decide you don't want to discuss the merits of the holding.
"When they [the Church] have opened a gap in the hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world, God hath ever broke down the wall itself, removed the Candlestick, etc., and made His Garden a wilderness as it is this day. And that therefore if He will ever please to restore His garden and Paradise again, it must of necessity be walled in peculiarly unto Himself from the world, and all that be saved out of the world are to be transplanted out of the wilderness of the World." -- Roger Williams 1603 - 1683
Federal judges are not empowered by the Constitution to decide school curriculums. Period.
Dovers old school board never included intelligent design in the science curriculum.
I'm not an ID advocate. Evolution, small e, is an observable fact and intelligent design, small id is an observable fact.
I'm a committed creationist, Catholic style.
I don't think public schools should be proselytizing one religion at the expense of others. But I include secular humanism in their as well.
A disclaimer does not establish nor favor any religion. Ergo, the federal government has no dog in the fight. The remedy for school boards not representing the views of the locals is for them to be removed electorally which is exactly what happened in Dover before the robe began his proselytizing.
A constitutional republic works, if we let it.
"Section 2. The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution."
All cases arising under the Constitution.
"The robe" began because people brought the case to it.
Dover's school board mandated the teaching of intelligent design, and intelligent design is religion wearing a disguise, so, in effect, Dover's school board mandated religious teachings to be included in a biology class.
Had the Dover city council mandated that teaching evolution be included in Sunday class, people would have argued that the Constitution forbids such a thing.
Yet, they are the same thing.
Well, Williams certainly espoused the theory. I believe that Wikipedia claims that Jefferson was the first (in US writings, at least) to use the actual phrase.
That said, I am certainly not defending Wikipedia's voracity, per se... ;-)
:-} Sharp as ever Luis.
Yup, Jefferson borrowed the notion from Roger Williams and Justice Black enshrined a sitting Presidents persoanl letter to a Danbury Baptist Minister as legal precedent in direct contravention of law.
It has always been my conviction that Bush should simply pick out a Danbury Baptist Minister and write him a letter saying that "separation" no longer obtains.
Voila!
This is false Luis. Dovers school board did no such thing.
Not arguing with you, just pointing the innaccurate and even hypocritical statements made by the Dover board.
As most have noted, Darwin deals only with the origin of the species, not the origin of life.
On October 18, 2004, the Defendant Dover Area School Board of Directors passed by a 6-3 vote the following resolution:
Students will be made aware of gaps/problems in Darwin’s theory and of other theories of evolution including, but not limited to, intelligent design. Note: Origins of Life is not taught.
On November 19, 2004, the Defendant Dover Area School District announced by press release that, commencing in January 2005, teachers would be required to read the following statement to students in the ninth grade biology class at Dover High School:
The Pennsylvania Academic Standards require students to learn about Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and eventually to take a standardized test of which evolution is a part.
Because Darwin’s Theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered. The Theory is not a fact. Gaps in the Theory exist for which there is no evidence. A theory is defined as a well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations.
Intelligent Design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin’s view. The reference book, Of Pandas and People, is available for students who might be interested in gaining an understanding of what Intelligent Design actually involves.
With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind. The school leaves the discussion of the Origins of Life to individual students and their families. As a Standards-driven district, class instruction focuses upon preparing students to achieve proficiency on Standards-based assessments.
Absolutely if you mean getting federal courts involved. I have no problem with either side bringing their experts to school board meetings and having at it.
beer-thirty placemark
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