Posted on 02/10/2005 6:39:50 PM PST by gobucks
PHILADELPHIA - Evangelical Christians, buoyed by the re-election of President Bush, are turning American schools into a battleground over whether evolution explains the origins of life or whether nature was designed by an all-powerful force.
In at least 18 states, campaigns have begun to make public schools teach “intelligent design” — a theory that nature is so complex it could only have been created by design — alongside Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
“It’s pretty clear that there is a religious movement behind intelligent design,” said Steve Case, chairman of the Science Standards Committee, a group of educators that advises the Kansas Board of Education. The board will decide later this year whether to include intelligent design in biology classes.
Some scientists who espouse the theory say intelligent design does not question that evolution occurred, but how it occurred: They believe more was at play than random mutation and natural selection. The theory, they insist, does not support the religious concept of a creator.
Those who advocate giving it equal treatment in schools have a different interpretation.
*snip*
The poll found greater support for teaching creationism among Republican voters — 71 percent of Bush voters favored teaching creationism alongside evolution.
*snip*
John West, (located) at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, which pioneered intelligent design research, said the theory was too complex to teach at high schools and was better-suited to a college setting.
“There is a concern that intelligent design has been hijacked by people who don’t really know what it says,” he said. “We don’t think it should be a political football.”
*snip*
“Intelligent design is a religious doctrine,” said Wayne Carley, executive director of the National Association of Biology Teachers. “There is no research to support it, and it is clearly religious in that it posits a higher being.”
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
"Teaching evolution is also a religious doctrine", says Mr. Carley, who expressed a desire that this reality continue to be kept secret from the students. Mr. Carley futher reports that it is only Christians who are militant about this subject.
"Biology teachers are always a warm, fuzzy, and peaceful people, who never say unkind things about God, Jesus, or Christians", he said.
"Mr. Carley futher reports that it is only Christians who are militant about this subject."
I support teaching both, am I militant?
God is not an opinion.
I agree with you and being a Christian and a scientific thinker, I believe both happened in the time frame that God allowed......
If he thinks that only the Christians are the militant nes, then that statement proves that evolutionists act like Democrats when confronted by the truth.
Well, there ya go. It's always been like pulling teeth before, but now we have it straight up and out in the open. The article says that 71% of Bush voters support teaching creationism, but you've changed it to 71% supporting ID. Which can only mean that we've been correct all along - ID is creationism. In pseudo-scientific garb, I suppose, but now we've got confirmation nonetheless - ID is creationism. QED.
Most folks aren't as forthright as you - kudos for your honesty.
So?
I'd like to repeal the law of gravity a little, so I could bound around like a puppy!
The results of scientific investigations are not determined by a poll of voters. (But a comparable case: In Russia a couple of scientific fields were held back for a couple of generations by government mandate. Look up "Lysenko".)
The argument is rather simple. Ask him who invented evolution? Who invented the physical laws of the universe?
I wouldn't teach intelligent design, but I would raise the question that these systems seem awfully complex to have developed in a total vacuum. Evolution is a fine system for auto correction that an intelligent designer might include in his package of rules.
Diva's Husband
I agree with you. The timeline matches- it really comes down to how long a 'day' is and whether or not there are metaphysical elements to a 'day'.
But you will find that these crevo threads can get quite nasty as people deabate axiom/hypothesis/conjecture/law/theory and what is what.
I have no problem with string theory, evolution or big bang. But I think God did these things in the context of intelligent design. The details will continue to be refined though *hard* science.
What to do? Teach science as it is. But then, 'Metaphysics' should also be taught separately as a way to glue the conept of a creator or intelligent desinger to the hard sciences. Metaphysics has been around a long time and I see no problem with teaching it as a separate course.
The real issue in all of this is that one is FORCED to go to a government indoctination center through taxes. This is tyranny that should be stopped. One should be given a voucher to go to a screwl of one's choosing.....
good pt. concur.
Honestly, it isn't me. Being forthright is what I have been instructed to do, and lately I have been following it.
The kudos belongs to Christ, who in the beginning, was logos, and who, later, said, I am the truth.
To paraphrase Gothmog:
"Fear. Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Alabama and Texas...Ohio, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Kansas, Wisconsin, Maryland, Michigan, Tennessee and Alaska are rank with it."
Amen.
General ping, or leave it as a 'noid showcase? Lemme know soon 'cause I'm about to bail out.
The way I see it, My curiosity about science is God given.
Intelligent design, scientific creationism --- reverse engineering of Divinity
Well then, the question is whether creationism belongs in a science class, given that it's not science.
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