Posted on 09/28/2005 11:15:47 PM PDT by Crackingham
Dover Area School District's policy of informing students about intelligent design was the culmination of efforts by some school board members to impose their religious beliefs on students in science class, three Dover Twp. residents testified yesterday.
"I feel they brought a religious idea into the classroom," Tammy Kitzmiller said of the district's policy, which mandates that teachers or administrators inform students that Darwinian evolution is "just a theory" with "gaps" and that "intelligent design is an explanation of origin of life that differs from Darwin's view."
Kitzmiller is one of 11 parents who, with support from the American Civil Liberties Union, sued the school board in an attempt to have the statement eliminated. They argue that it violates the principle of the separation of church and state. The ACLU wants to link religion to the Dover statement and argue that the connection violates the First Amendment ban on establishment of religion. The board's lawyers, from the Michigan-based Thomas More Law Center, have said the statement is not rooted in religion.
"It is absolutely religiously based," said Aralene "Barrie" Callahan, who served on the school board from 1993 to 2003, when she lost her bid for re-election.
Callahan, testifying in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg, called intelligent design "clearly religious" and said that a book mentioned in the district's statement, "Of Pandas and People," is "outdated" and "unworthy as a science book."
"Pandas" -- there are 50 copies in the Dover High School library -- raises questions about evolution and offers intelligent design as an alternative. Supporters of intelligent design believe the universe and many living things are so complex that they must have been created by an intelligent, higher being.
Callahan said school board member Alan Bonsell, while at a district-sponsored retreat in March 2003, said he "did not believe in evolution" and that if evolution needs to be part of the science curriculum, it should be balanced out "50-50" with lessons on creationism.
Callahan said her daughter went through 10th-grade science class at Dover without a biology textbook, because the district did not buy copies of the textbook that year. She said when she asked William Buckingham, then a school board member, why the district did not buy the textbook, he replied that it was "laced with Darwinism."
2005-09-29 Religious idea forced on classes, court told
2005-09-28 Ex-Teacher Testifies in Evolution Case [Day 3 of trial in Dover, PA]
2005-09-28 Intelligent design on trial
2005-09-28 Intimidation Alleged On 'Intelligent Design'
2005-09-28 The Discovery Institute Retreats from Dover
2005-09-28 Why scientists dismiss 'intelligent design' - It would become the death of science
2005-09-28 Witness: intelligent design has identified God as designer
2005-09-27 Biology expert testifies. Professor: Intelligent design is creationism.
2005-09-27 Defending design in Dover, Pennsylvania (A creationist perspective - for a change)
2005-09-27 Grammar Analysis Reveals Ancient Language Tree
2005-09-27 On second day, evolution trial [Dover, PA] delves into topic of faith
2005-09-27 Science and politics: a dangerous mix
2005-09-27 Scientific support for 'intelligent design' disputed (MSM Gay Agenda alert)
2005-09-27 Trial Over 'Intelligent Design' Resumes
2005-09-26 Creationism, Christianity, and Common Sense
2005-09-26 Creationism, Intelligent Design, and Evolution
2005-09-26 Dispute over evolution goes on trial in U.S. court
2005-09-26 Does Genesis hold up under critics scrutiny? (Creation/Evolution)
2005-09-26 New Analyses Bolster Central Tenets of Evolution Theory
2005-09-26 The Problem With Evolution
2005-09-26 With world watching, trial starts
2005-09-25 In Evolution Debate, Creationists Are Breaking New Ground
2005-09-24 The trouble with Darwin (Bush's I.D. comments changed Australia's Educational Landscape)
2005-09-23 Ultimate thread on Dover, Pennsylvania's Evolution v. Intelligent Design trial
Crevo Warrior Freepdays for the month of September:
1998-09-11 Agamemnon
2005-09-17 Arnhart
2001-09-06 atlaw
2001-09-15 CalConservative
2004-09-22 coffee260
2004-09-15 Diana in Wisconsin
2001-09-17 Dimensio
1998-09-29 dirtboy
2005-09-26 Dr. Dyson
2005-09-27 Edward Fletcher
2003-09-25 gobucks
2001-09-14 Heartlander
2004-09-12 HighlyOpinionated
2004-09-21 JamesP81
2004-09-13 johnnyb_61820
2003-09-30 Kleon
2002-09-08 Logic wings
2004-09-09 LouAvul
2004-09-10 ManyWritersOneAuthor
2002-09-26 MineralMan
2004-09-16 ml1954
2003-09-14 neverdem
2004-09-09 NonLinear
2004-09-28 NVD
2004-09-18 Right in Wisconsin
2003-09-09 RightWingAtheist
2005-09-04 RunningWolf
2005-09-01 SirJohnBarleycorn
1998-09-17 tallhappy
2003-09-25 truthfinder9
1999-09-23 Tumbleweed_Connection
2001-09-14 ZGuy
In Memoriam. ALS |
Bring back Modernman and SeaLion!
Why should godless ideas be foisted on Christian/Jewish/Muslim children in our public schools?
Machines, such as junkyard cranes, are used by designers and engineers and technicians to make other machines. Often one machine is made -- a prototype. The other machines copy its design. Perfect parallel. That is, if you adult enough to accept it, and not some brat whining.
The residents voted her out. She obviously is bitter and has an agenda.
Yes, why is atheism the ONLY acceptable religion of the State? Especially wrt/ schools and displays.
Oh, how things have changed in 200 years. Would our Founding Fathers recognize the US today?
BINGO!
God forbid a religious idea should come into a school.
Everyone knows Christians should be nice little socialists and pretend God doesn't exist once they cross the doors of a state school. Act one way in school, then another at home. This way the state can encourage tha they become nice little hypocrites.
"Let the words of Christ dwell in you richly - in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another, with psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with praise in your heart to the Lord".
I missed the part of the verse at the end where it says, "unless you are in a public school".
OF course, Aric 2000 and Ogmios makes one warrior. As, I suspect, so do bluepistolero and Gore3000. And how many reincarnations of medved were there? :-)
You mean, godless ideas like physics?
I think I lost count at 15...
You have a billion-year-old human fossil to show us?
I guess you also don't think "godless ideas" like math, chemistry, physics, history, etc. should be "foisted" onto religious students.
Prove that YOUR GOD exists already! Science is not "revealed truth" and is based in the physical, unlike your God.
Aric2000, still over on LP, says not.
As, I suspect, so do bluepistolero and Gore3000.
Very likely.
And how many reincarnations of medved were there? :-)
At least eight or nine, so far.
Is this considered evidentiary testimony in a Dover courtroom? "I feel"????
That statement should have been quickly objected to.
Oh, and evolution is based on facts? No, it is based on theory which means guesses. Now that deserves to be taught as truth in public schools. NOT!!!
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