Posted on 01/19/2005 8:52:24 AM PST by FeeinTennessee
Pa. Students Learn 'Intelligent Design' By MARTHA RAFFAELE The Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. - High school students heard about "intelligent design" for the first time Tuesday in a school district that attracted national attention by requiring students to be made aware of it as an alternative to the theory of evolution.
Administrators in the Dover Area School District read a statement to three biology classes Tuesday and were expected to read it to other classes on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Thomas More Law Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., which was speaking on the district's behalf.
The district is believed to be the only one in the nation to require students to hear about intelligent design - a concept that holds that the universe is so complex, it had to be created by an unspecified guiding force.
"The revolution in evolution has begun," said Richard Thompson, the law center's president and chief counsel. "This is the first step in which students will be given an honest scientific evaluation of the theory of evolution and its problems."
The case represents the newest chapter in a history of evolution lawsuits dating back to the Scopes Monkey Trial in Tennessee nearly 80 years ago. In Georgia, a suburban Atlanta school district plans to challenge a federal judge's order to remove stickers in science textbooks that call evolution "a theory, not a fact."
The law center is defending the Dover district against a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of eight families by two civil-liberties groups that alleged intelligent design is merely a secular variation of creationism, the biblical-based view that regards God as the creator of life. They maintain that the Dover district's curriculum mandate may violate the constitutional separation of church and state.
"Students who sat in the classroom were taught material which is religious in content, not scientific, and I think it's unfortunate that has occurred," said Eric Rothschild, a Philadelphia attorney representing the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit.
Biology teacher Jennifer Miller said although she was able to make a smooth transition to her evolution lesson after the statement was read, some students were upset that administrators would not entertain any questions about intelligent design.
"They were told that if you have any questions, to take it home," Miller said.
The district allowed students whose parents objected to the policy to be excused from hearing the statement at the beginning of class and science teachers who opposed the requirement to be exempted from reading the statement. About 15 of 170 ninth-graders asked to be excused from class, Thompson said.
A federal judge has scheduled a trial in the lawsuit for Sept. 26.
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Dover Area School District: http://www.dover.k12.pa.us
Thomas More Law Center: http://www.thomasmore.org
January 18, 2005 6:44 PM
Craetionists that claim this simply prove to the workd they have NO GRASP of those laws. No surprise.
You can also ask how it stands up to the Super law of Biogenisis.
Apparently you have no grasp of the TOE either, but I'll make sure: in what way does the TOE have anything to do with life's origins?
Ping to PH.
Much!
If you're that far behind the discussion of Evolution, then I don't have the time and Jim Rob doesn't have the bandwidth for me to explain it here.
There are some good web sites to google. But beware that there are some creationist snake oil people out there with about the credibility of greenpeace that want to work up your emotions on this issue and in the end take your money.
I have a suggestion: How about people who disagree with creationists at least understand that many of us believe it and stop being so insulting. Thank you.
Only fools believe the Bible? Doesn't help your argument by condemning the majority of this country.
Yes
Or, that plants can evolve into animals?
When was the last time you had a science class? Seriously.
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How come it's the religious people who are concerned about the science, but the scientists aren't concerned?
The science is solid behind Evolution, and you been misinformed about the statistics, the 2nd law of thermodynamics, and all the other attempts by religious people to tear down Evolution because they have some wierd litteral belief in the exact wording of Genesis.
In my interpretation of Genesis, there is no conflict between it and science. This is a political issue being used by some scoundrels, not a science issue.
So true - I used to laugh at the whole Intelligent Design thing until I actually had to teach a class on evolution and started reading about all of the statisitcal problems with it. Now that I am better informed, I can see their point and I don't think it's so funny anymore. I am a scientist, not a religious nut, but I don't think evolution is doing the job anymore, and intelligent design is as good an alternative as any. There are good secular books on the subject - try Darwin's Black Box - it's fascinating (and totally secular).
It would also be useful to learn what science is: The scientific method.
Obviously the editorialist has the same opinion as you. ID is about complexity and information in space-time, things 150 years of evolution have yet to explain or deal with.
It's not just a question of Christianity vs. Darwinism. It's also a question of Constitutional freedom. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, among other things, which many SCOTUS decisions conveniently ignored.
Jews and Catholics joined in this legal process at an early stage, because they got tired of having their kids being taught that only mainstream Protestantism was correct and American. But I think most religious Jews and Catholics have had second thoughts about whether that was wise.
There will always be fights over what our schools should teach kids, but there is no justification for activist judges to lay down arbitrary and, yes, unconstitutional laws about what should be taught and what shouldn't be taught. Those matters are better left to the parents, the school board, and the teachers.
I'm not saying that in defense of ID or against evolution but common sense would allow open discussion of (even) scientific matters.
If you and I were debating, let's say cooking, and I claimed that cooking violates the First/Second/Third of thermodynamics, you would be totally in the right by telling me that I had no grasp of thermodynamics.
Making authoritative statements about complex scientific laws, such as thermodynamics, has repercussions.
One other thing: I respect your beliefs in Creationism and respect your right to teach it in your home and religious forums.
Only if the evolutionist has no understanding of thermodynamics.
The three laws of thermodynamics apply only to systems not receiving energy from an outside source (like the Sun, for example).
It's the interpretation of the fossil record that is undermining the theory.
Only fools believe in litteral interpretations of Genesis.
We've been through this on other threads, but here's the short story.
There are two entirely different creation stories in Genesis. Gen 1:1 and Gen 2:4. They have different sequences and timing periods. Arguments that Gen 2:4 is a clarification of Gen 1:1 rather than a separate and different story, can be, and have been debated.
There wasnt' enough room in the Ark for all the animals.
There is no geologic history of a worldwide flood.
The mitocondrial DNA does not show all species to have descended from common ancestors that survived the Ark.
You should take Genesis for what it is. A collection of oral stories compiled by Moses. Attempting to translate it litterally and reconcile it with science is impossible, and only attempted by fools.
Speaking of the scientific method - this is a good point! Since these events happened before any of us existed, under undocumented conditions, none of it can be replicated and neither theory can be reliably tested. So ALL theories on our origins are, in the end, going to amount to informed speculation. Why not present more than one theory? How does that hurt anyone?
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