Free Republic Poll on Evolution

Free Republic ^ | 22 September 2006 | Vanity

[PatrickHenry]

Free Republic is currently running a poll on this subject:

Do you think creationism or intelligent design should be taught in science classes in secondary public schools as a competing scientific theory to evolution?

You can find the poll at the bottom of your "self search" page, also titled "My Comments," where you go to look for posts you've received.

I don't know what effect -- if any -- the poll will have on the future of this website's science threads. But it's certainly worth while to know the general attitude of the people who frequent this website.

Science isn't a democracy, and the value of scientific theories isn't something that's voted upon. The outcome of this poll won't have any scientific importance. But the poll is important because this is a political website. How we decide to educate our children is a very important issue. It's also important whether the political parties decide to take a position on this. (I don't think they should, but it may be happening anyway.)

If you have an opinion on this subject, go ahead and vote.

[RunningWolf]

Calvin was the best

And there was some poignant wisdom in those toons too

Thanks GW

W.

[.30Carbine]

A most excellent argument! I'm so glad to be pinged to it! I appreciate you bringing A. Huxley into the discussion: Huxley being one of many who advocate for, and believe - in spite of evidence to the contrary - that man, being his own way and end and means can, may and should bring about his own idea of heaven on earth, i.e., utopia. The same philosophy is behind Communism...and Darwinism is like gas to that engine. These are, as you rightly argue, religious belief systems.

Such a religious belief is what caused the UN to engrave in its building stones the message (ironic and hypocritical as it is!) from the Bible

They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
~Isaiah 2:4

This politically enacted religious belief is what paves the way for the rise of antichrist, the political/religious "one world" ruler who promises peace but brings about what man apart from the True Living God is only capable of: Oppression. Such oppression is what Secular Humanism has always produced. Freedom is found only in the Ruler Jesus Christ. The rebellious will not acknowledge this truth. The very desire in man which cries out for justice, righteousness and peace ought to lead him to the God of these, but such a thing is impossible apart from faith in Him. While man continues to look to himself, or to any source outside himself other than God the Creator, he will practice and reap the harvest of nihilism - all the while calling it survival.

Many thanks for your scholarly essay, FreedomProtector!

[.30Carbine]

Why are these good arguments ending up in the Smokey Backroom continually, rather than having those posts that are truly Backroom material deleted?

[.30Carbine]

I'm so glad you shared your thoughts with me! I am in agreement: Children in government schools are not being taught how to think (how to reason, applying logic), but what to think, a parody of reasoning. Proof is everywhere abounding in the adults who come out of that system - the mainstream media a prime example, and those who eat at that trough, all parroting and prattling.

Thank God in Jesus Christ that the Way out of such darkness is available to all, and by grace I am in it!

[.30Carbine]

Mandating only one view can be taught does not enhance the educational process.

What restraint you show in understatement!

[dread78645]

Land of Pixie aerodynamics placemark

[andysandmikesmom]

placemarker

[tomzz]

You can say whatever you want about hominids, we are not related to any of them. The problem is at the top of the chain and not lower. DNA evidence has eliminated the neanderthal as a human ancestor(too far away genetically) and all other hominids are much further removed from us THAN the neanderthal. Trying to claim, as evos do, that we AND the neanderthal are descended from some more remote ancestor is like claiming that dogs could not be descended from wolves, and must therefore be descended directly from fish.

[tomzz]

You're the only source for anything like that I've ever come across.

Wikipedia article on Zheng He's ships

"The enormous characteristics of the Chinese ships of the period are confirmed by Western travelers to the East, such as Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo."

Wiki goes into detail as to why the Chinese stopped building such ships, mainly for lack of an economic incentive. Similarly the US stopped sending men to the moon after the missions in the late 60s.

[ml1954]

Professor Running "All Those Skulls Are Frauds" Wolf Placemarker

[RunningWolf]

Look if these people have something to actually say, cant they ping us directly rather than using their 'placemaker' or sidebar conversation with another evo?

[FreedomProtector]

The religion of secular humanism openly declares the meaning/purpose of life: "Man is so intelligent and has evolved so far, that he should direct his future evolution."

Who should direct man's future evolution?

Perhaps it is ironic that you wrote that.....as Huxley spent much of his life integrating that view into the U.N....writing the UNESCO materials for the future world government educational institutions...etc..

Who?....an authoritarian elite of some form another, U.N. or otherwise. An authoritarian elite vainly attempting to direct mans future evolution is descriptive of a world void of freedom. The philisophical basis of freedom is removed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights"

All hope is not lost. Heros are born in unlikely times.

FreedomProtector will stand in the way of their master plan to rule the world by "directing mans future evolution" via an authoritarian elite. : )

"....and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Thanks for the ping, .30Carbine.

[FreedomProtector]

"Mandating only one view can be taught does not enhance the educational process. What restraint you show in understatement!"

The phase "enhance the educational process" was actually very carefully chosen for its 'legal meaning'. Another phrases you may have heard before which have 'legal meaning' is "Time is of the essense".

I am actually quite surprised no one has commented on that....especially on a thread discussing whether or not intelligent design should be taught in school.

[Thatcherite]

Niccolo Da Conti, who visited China at around the same time marvelled at the enormous size of Chinese Junks, 2000 tons. He was an experienced seafarer. 2,000 tons is bigger compared with European ships of the time, and would have been about 200ft long, but nothing like the other claims (which are actually not very varied, everyone always cites the same description by Ibn Battuta). As a comparison the Ark would be around 20,000 tons.

Stucturally wood tops out for constructing ships at around 200 feet without iron bracing and 300 feet with iron bracing. Such a long ship flexes in a light swell, which reduces stress on it, but unfortunately opens up the planking to admit water, which is catastrophic.

[freedumb2003]

Also amazing is how Darwin acknowledged that all he had was the language of science to back up the theory, and that the theory didn't actually hold any water.

Oh, I can't wait for a citation on that one. I am on pins and needles. Please show us all where Darwin said his theory didn't hold water.

[freedumb2003]

Uh Wolf -- we're not on the Religion board.

Over here we are a little more wet and woolly and we have to back up our thoughts with data not Scripture.

[Thatcherite]

pot meet kettle placemarker

[Doctor Stochastic]

Intelligent design/creation are not synonymous with Christainity either.

Then you disagree with Dembski's characterization: "Intelligent design is just the Logos theology of John's Gospel restated in the idiom of information theory"?

[FreedomProtector]

No, I do not disagree w/ Dembski's characterization.

Intelligent design, the "Logos theology of John's Gospel restated in the idiom of information theory", is a fundamental religious doctrine of Christainity. Although the fundamental doctrine of intelligent design/creation is essential to Christainity, it is not synonymous. Intelligent design is not synonymous with any other specific religious theistic view of the world either.

We do take expound great effort in defining words on these threads...: )

Evolution is a fundamental doctrine of secular humanism. Evolution is essential to the faith of secular humanism. About every 10th line in the either Humanist Manifesto I or II is evidence of that.

[Dimensio]

Why are these good arguments ending up in the Smokey Backroom continually, rather than having those posts that are truly Backroom material deleted?

This discussion was initiated in the Smokey Backroom. Moreover, claiming that the theory of evolution is "like gas" to communism is not a good argument, nor are a series of out-of-context quotes that do not address any of the evidence used to support the theory of evolution.