Posted on 08/04/2005 12:43:01 PM PDT by Crackingham
A leading Republican senator allied with the religious right differed on Thursday with President Bush's support for teaching an alternative to the theory of evolution known as "intelligent design."
Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, a possible 2008 presidential contender who faces a tough re-election fight next year in Pennsylvania, said intelligent design, which is backed by many religious conservatives, lacked scientific credibility and should not be taught in science classes.
Bush told reporters from Texas on Monday that "both sides" in the debate over intelligent design and evolution should be taught in schools "so people can understand what the debate is about."
"I think I would probably tailor that a little more than what the president has suggested," Santorum, the third-ranking Republican member of the U.S. Senate, told National Public Radio. "I'm not comfortable with intelligent design being taught in the science classroom."
Evangelical Christians have launched campaigns in at least 18 states to make public schools teach intelligent design alongside Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Proponents of intelligent design argue that nature is so complex that it could not have occurred by random natural selection, as held by Darwin's 1859 theory of evolution, and so must be the work of an unnamed "intelligent cause."
Santorum is the third-ranking member of the U.S. Senate and has championed causes of the religious right including opposition to gay marriage and abortion. He is expected to face a stiff challenge from Democrat Bob Casey in his quest for re-election next year in Pennsylvania, a major battleground state in recent presidential elections.
SNIP
"What we should be teaching are the problems and holes -- and I think there are legitimate problems and holes -- in the theory of evolution. What we need to do is to present those fairly, from a scientific point of view," he said in the interview.
"As far as intelligent design is concerned, I really don't believe it has risen to the level of a scientific theory at this point that we would want to teach it alongside of evolution."
Uh oh. Here it comes. I share Rick's views, but you can't just up and say things that way -- especially to your base.
You mean presupposing a supernatural agency isn't science? Strange! I mean, look how far suppositions of the supernatural have taken technology, our knowledge of the world, and our ability to understand and predict the universe. All those evil scientists and their "naturalistic explanations"! What have THEY ever done for anyone?
SARCASM!!!
Since it takes all of five seconds, why not present an opposing view when teaching Evolution? In fact, I would wager that everytime Evolution is taught, the teacher says "For centuries many believed that humans were created by God or..." etc.
It's such a non-issue that I'm curious as to why Santorum made a point of it.
Agreed. I don't know why there's this FEAR of confronting religion in a science class. And when folks take the religious education of their choice outside of school, they can get the other point of view.
As a non-believer I had no problem with what Bush said, but Santorum's position is just odd, to me, for some reason.
I believe he is Catholic. They believe in Christ and the Bible, but when it comes to the old testiment....it is not taken as written, to the letter. I come from this backround also. In the age of Galileo, men were persecuted by the Catholic Church for scientific beliefs. But the church learned that 'the Church' and Science could coexist and not counteract each other. You know. The lord works in mysterious ways.
I think, one day when the Democrat base lies in splinters and the Republican party splits into the libertarian and the conservative branches, we can have a good discussion about things like this. The solution, of course to what is and is not taught in public schools is to get government out of them and make them all private again, so people are free to choose a school that teaches whatever the community it serves wants it to teach.
I would love to be having this debate about what role the government should be playing in the role of education, but now isn't really the time--not until the Democrat party of higher taxes and big government is disbanded completely and destroyed beyond repair.
Just my $0.02
Because someone asked him and everything he says now makes it into the media with some sort of twist to make him look bad, because the DemocRAT/Media complex are gunning for him to lose in 2006.
I'm definitely not advocating religious teaching in the schools, but that's not what this is about. To me it only makes sense to teach--in a science class--what the prevailing beliefs were up to the acceptance of evolution. Why are people so afraid of that?
If I were a believer, I'd make sure I taught my kids well enough so that whatever they learned they could place it in proper context. For example, the teacher doesn't have to TELL a kid that Hitler's genocide was a sin, he should know that from what I taught him.
I think Bush had it backward. Neither intelligent design nor evolution should be taught in public schools. Neither are essential to a good education. I'm 47 and haven't used my highschool studies in evolution once since highschool, except in these posts. They aren't teaching the basics. Why are they taking on divisive subject matter like this which is not basic?
Christians who back teaching ID in public schools are following a flawed agenda.
I know I'm biased, but I always feel he contributed in some slight way to science.
What in the world is wrong with Santorum. He can be so conservative one minute and then come out with garbage like this the next iminute.
If one believes the teaching of evolution theory is wrong, why then would he back the teaching of ID theory?
Counterfeit Rathergate memos... no big!
Durbin calls soldiers Nazi's... yawn!
Kennedy says we're worse than Saddam... whatever!
Err America scams hundreds of thousands of $$$... huh? What story?
But boy, the President lays down some common sense, and they are all over it like stupid on Boxer!
Sheesh!
Dan
)c8<
Biblical Christianity BLOG
later pingout.
Science has done no such thing, but you believe that if you so choose. God gave us a free will.
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