Posted on 02/20/2006 5:33:50 AM PST by ToryHeartland
Churches urged to back evolution By Paul Rincon BBC News science reporter, St Louis
US scientists have called on mainstream religious communities to help them fight policies that undermine the teaching of evolution.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) hit out at the "intelligent design" movement at its annual meeting in Missouri.
Teaching the idea threatens scientific literacy among schoolchildren, it said.
Its proponents argue life on Earth is too complex to have evolved on its own.
As the name suggests, intelligent design is a concept invoking the hand of a designer in nature.
It's time to recognise that science and religion should never be pitted against each other Gilbert Omenn AAAS president
There have been several attempts across the US by anti-evolutionists to get intelligent design taught in school science lessons.
At the meeting in St Louis, the AAAS issued a statement strongly condemning the moves.
"Such veiled attempts to wedge religion - actually just one kind of religion - into science classrooms is a disservice to students, parents, teachers and tax payers," said AAAS president Gilbert Omenn.
"It's time to recognise that science and religion should never be pitted against each other.
"They can and do co-exist in the context of most people's lives. Just not in science classrooms, lest we confuse our children."
'Who's kidding whom?'
Eugenie Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education, which campaigns to keep evolution in public schools, said those in mainstream religious communities needed to "step up to the plate" in order to prevent the issue being viewed as a battle between science and religion.
Some have already heeded the warning.
"The intelligent design movement belittles evolution. It makes God a designer - an engineer," said George Coyne, director of the Vatican Observatory.
"Intelligent design concentrates on a designer who they do not really identify - but who's kidding whom?"
Last year, a federal judge ruled in favour of 11 parents in Dover, Pennsylvania, who argued that Darwinian evolution must be taught as fact.
Dover school administrators had pushed for intelligent design to be inserted into science teaching. But the judge ruled this violated the constitution, which sets out a clear separation between religion and state.
Despite the ruling, more challenges are on the way.
Fourteen US states are considering bills that scientists say would restrict the teaching of evolution.
These include a legislative bill in Missouri which seeks to ensure that only science which can be proven by experiment is taught in schools.
I think if we look at where the empirical scientific evidence leads us, it leads us towards intelligent design Teacher Mark Gihring "The new strategy is to teach intelligent design without calling it intelligent design," biologist Kenneth Miller, of Brown University in Rhode Island, told the BBC News website.
Dr Miller, an expert witness in the Dover School case, added: "The advocates of intelligent design and creationism have tried to repackage their criticisms, saying they want to teach the evidence for evolution and the evidence against evolution."
However, Mark Gihring, a teacher from Missouri sympathetic to intelligent design, told the BBC: "I think if we look at where the empirical scientific evidence leads us, it leads us towards intelligent design.
"[Intelligent design] ultimately takes us back to why we're here and the value of life... if an individual doesn't have a reason for being, they might carry themselves in a way that is ultimately destructive for society."
Economic risk
The decentralised US education system ensures that intelligent design will remain an issue in the classroom regardless of the decision in the Dover case.
"I think as a legal strategy, intelligent design is dead. That does not mean intelligent design as a social movement is dead," said Ms Scott.
"This is an idea that has real legs and it's going to be around for a long time. It will, however, evolve."
Among the most high-profile champions of intelligent design is US President George W Bush, who has said schools should make students aware of the concept.
But Mr Omenn warned that teaching intelligent design will deprive students of a proper education, ultimately harming the US economy.
"At a time when fewer US students are heading into science, baby boomer scientists are retiring in growing numbers and international students are returning home to work, America can ill afford the time and tax-payer dollars debating the facts of evolution," he said. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/4731360.stm
Published: 2006/02/20 10:54:16 GMT
© BBC MMVI
I ask because I am curious about your constantly bringing up all that the Jews have suffered due (exclusively it seems) to Christians (and Catholics in particular). It seems you have been grinding that axe for a long time.
I see - if someone quotes something, it means that they said it and have to defend themselves for saying it. Nevery mond bout my previous question to you - I understand completely how you operaste now.
It helps if the person attempting the public shaming is not a complete jerk in his own right - when that is the case, the "public shaming" and "comptempt and disgust" is chalked up to the source. And since you seem concerned with quote mining and misattribution, you might want to have a talk with what one of your buddies is attempting to do to Elsie and xmission.
I see - if someone spouts endless reams of nasty racist garbage on FR, in the form of biblical verse, well, heck, it's not their fault is it?--it's just what the bible says.
Are you Jewish?
I'm catholic. Are you aryan? Are you hoping to deflect the conversation away from the arguments in favor of personally directed ethnic/religeous phychologizing?
So you are under the impression that it is I, and not the historical record that makes it "(exclusively it seems) to christians (and Catholics in particular)"? Well, no, to answer your question, I don't think it's exclusive to jews at all. I think christians have been equally murderous, at one time or another toward old women, anabaptists, gnostics, scientists, new world savages, templers, and moslems, just to mention a few. The notably horrifying thing about christian jew-baiting, is the continous 1400 year record, and the fact that it's continuously re-inforced as a fundamental aspect of christian belief: salvation, not thru works, as an orthodox jew fundamentally believes, but through salvaton thru christ.
And when I see hypocritical jew-baiting under color of biblical quoting, because I think that's a particularly pointed demonstation of how the bible has been used to whip up anti-jewish sentiment, which the vatican can pompously disown being responsible for, I'll keep grinding it, until the christian religions do something permanent about ameliorating the structurally fandamental jew-poison from the Gospels. Insulting me, or jews, under the cover of spouting biblical verse while proudly proclaiming their gosh-darmed innocent and sincere love of the jews falls sonewhat short of inspiring trust in me that this problem isn't going to re-occur the next time the wheel of history turns.
You got to see LOTS of Scripture that probably would not have gotten read!
Then it will be EASY for you to
won't it???
Your mouth has flapped for hundreds of posts and NOTHING has been shown to back up your claim; has it? ;^)
"You got to see LOTS of Scripture that probably would not have gotten read!"
Who says I ever read your scripto-spams? :)
I don't remember ever doing so, come to think of it. I just skip over that.
You're getting better at not putting words (or thoughts) in MY brain at least!
You CANNOT show, in this thread, where I've said those things you have claimed.
The folks here reading our exchange KNOW who the shy one is!
Do ya get the point NOW!?
Ah, a tacit admission that you can't, in fact, point to where I literally "put words in your mouth". Who knows, maybe we can get to the point where you can actually responsibly acknowledge ownership of ideas you are promoting. Wouldn't that be something?
Except for the fact that donh is getting NO help in his exchange with ME!
I guess the RECORD of the Jews as recorded in the OT is merely a collection of lies when GOD is shown as inflicting the bad things on them?
Well, in that case, it shouldn't be any problem for you to tell me what you are objecting to, specifically, and disown it. So far, I have no reason to think I've innacurately characterized your position.
Are you kidding? Who but me is willing to wade through your irresponsible reams of biblical thread-clog? Anybody with sensible priorities has filtered you out long ago.
What claim? Be specific.
NIV Genesis 6:8
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
NIV Psalms 11:4
The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.
NIV Psalms 33:18-19
18. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19. to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
NIV Psalms 34:15-16
15. The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16. the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
NIV Psalms 66:7
He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations-- let not the rebellious rise up against him. Selah
NIV Psalms 101:6
My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.
NIV Psalms 139:15-16
15. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16. your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
NIV Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
NIV Proverbs 22:12
The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge, but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.
NIV Matthew 10:29-31
29. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.
30. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
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