[narby]

There are people I respect and get along well with who disagree on important subjects. A doctor who attends my church believes the most accurate interpretation of Genesis 1 requires an ancient earth. I am not persuaded by his logic, but we can still break bread together.

Then certianly you can recognize that whether old earth or new, the bottom line is that religious believers do not agree with each other. If believers cannot agree on the meaning of Genesis, then why should science pay any attention to them at all? It is for science to use it's methods that it defines to make it's decisions, and for religious people to stick with their religion.

ID IS NOT SCIENCE. And it should not be crammed down the throat of schools for religious reasons.

[unlearner]

I think, in principle, it is the job of parents, not the government, to educate children. This issue is no different.

Personally, I think it is good for children to at least have a basic exposure to the ideas of evolution. This is not because I agree with them, but because so many people do. This means that the theory has cultural significance.

But the big picture that a lot of conservatives are missing is that there are people with a political agenda who would like to use this or any other tool at their disposal to assault the religious and moral values of children in the schools.

If someone believes in evolution (as an origination of species and man particularly), then we can agree to disagree. But there is a larger issue of principle here. Who gets to control the children's education?

[unlearner]

Pointing out the FACT that not everyone agrees with evolutionary theory will help and not hurt the children learning about origins of life. Pointing out the FACT that many people believe life was designed rather than came about randomly is not cramming anyone's ideas "down the throat of schools".

It is simply opinion. If you do not think it should be debated, why are you debating it now? Do you think we need an educational Tali-ban to beat or stone any dissenters of evolution?

I was under the impression that keeping an open mind was the most scientific thing someone could do.