Posted on 11/13/2005 3:49:41 PM PST by Crackingham
U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum said Saturday that he doesn't believe that intelligent design belongs in the science classroom. Santorum's comments to The Times are a shift from his position of several years ago, when he wrote in a Washington Times editorial that intelligent design is a "legitimate scientific theory that should be taught in the classroom."
But on Saturday, the Republican said that, "Science leads you where it leads you."
Santorum was in Beaver Falls to present Geneva College President Kenneth A. Smith with a $1.345 million check from federal funds for renovations that include the straightening and relocation of Route 18 through campus.
Santorum's comments about intelligent design come at a time when the belief that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by a higher power, an alternative to the theory of evolution, has come under fire on several fronts.
A federal trial just wrapped up in which eight families sued Dover Area School District in eastern Pennsylvania. The district's school board members tried to introduce teaching intelligent design into the classroom, but the families said the policy violated the constitutional separation of church and state. No ruling has been issued on the trial, but Tuesday, all eight Dover School Board members up for re-election were ousted by voters, leading to a fiery tirade by religious broadcaster Pat Robertson.
Robertson warned residents, "If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected him from your city."
Santorum said flatly Saturday, "I disagree. I don't believe God abandons people," and said he has not spoken to Robertson about his comments.
Though Santorum said he believes that intelligent design is "a legitimate issue," he doesn't believe it should be taught in the classroom, adding that he had concerns about some parts of the theory.
There are huge gaping holes in the lineage of single celled organisms to man. You guys have no answer for that that cannot be shot down. Therefore, it is a falsehood to claim that the theory of man's assencion from single celled organism is anything more than a faith based belief system.
Deal with it.
Does this mean I don't qualify as a troll in your estimation? How sad.
That is false on several levels. First, belief in intelligent design as a scientific concept destroys the very foundation of scientific reasoning. Second, universal common descent is hardly a faith-based precept. It is supported by: the universality of the genetic code and other cellular features as well as the phylogenetic tree based on fossil evidence.
There is no proof whatsoever that man evolved from a single celled organism. There are plenty of fairy tales, but when push comes to shove, it's nothing more than a pipe dream.First things first: Do you accept that man evolved from an ape that was similar to today's chimpanzee?Those who have swallowed that pipe dream hook line and sinker are experiencing nothing more than a faith based experience.
I don't need it, and could care less. Reality is inexorably on my side.
I realize what a crushing blow it is to be confronted with the reality of your faith based belief system.
Oh please. Where on earth did you get the idea that just because you say something means you have to be taken seriously?
And you should be thankful that I'm willing to take your rhetoric and turn it into a properly scientific statement..
And you should be thankful that I'm willing to take your rhetoric and turn it into a properly scientific statement..
Santorum in panic mode and abandoning his principles Barf Alert!
I'll send you the bill for the new keyboard.
I hate it when I stutter!
There was a time when Santorum was a House member and during his first term in the senate when he either was as conservative as I am or he was an excellent actor (take your pick) but I happen to believe he was conservative because he lives his life that way. When reporters or anyone thought they were nailing him, he answered them with truly conservative answers that they used because they believed they could hurt him with his own words, but most normal people thought what he said was appropriate which made him popular because he not only had the right answer, but he wasn't afraid to give it in an "in your face" manner. Sometime after his 2nd term began, he started to be just a little less conservative and since '04 when he campaigned for Specter, he has become truly embarrassing IMO. All I can figure is some fool has sold him on the idea he can be reelected appealing to the same people Specter does (HA!) or he just has the most dreadful instincts of anyone I've ever seen who is in a panic.
I accept Christ based upon spiritual faith. Has it been proven that Christ was the son of God? No.
I accept God as an article of spiritual faith. Has it been proven that God exists? No.
Science is not about faith, it is about empricial observations. You're having trouble with that concept.
Stop trashing language and the meaning of words. Thinking that the Theory of Evolution is an accurate portrayal of the reality of how species differentiated is not "faith."
"Faith" is a belief in the supernatural. Evolution rejects the notion of a supernatural.
You can always try for inclusion as a subspecies.
Name calling stopped bothering me in about the third grade. That's about when I began to question things that were told to me, that couldn't be sustained by fact. I am willing to admit my faith in Intelligent Design is just that. Sadly, you can't come to grips with your faith based belief system. I can live with that.
The theory of man evolving from a single celled organism doesn't bother me. Teaching it in our schools with exclusivity is like denying the famale children in the Middle East not to be able to attend school. It's just an arbitrary demand by people who can't even be honest enough to admit to themselves that their beliefs are based on faith, not reality.
Santorum is moving so far left he will be to the left of Specter.
You are inadvertently correct that the possibility of evolution is astronomical, but I'm pretty sure you meant to say infinitesimal.
"There is no proof whatsoever that man evolved from a single celled organism. There are plenty of fairy tales, but when push comes to shove, it's nothing more than a pipe dream. "
There is no proof whatsoever that man was created by God. There are plenty of myths written by men in books but when push comes to shove, there's absolutely nothing tangible to prove either the existence of a God, nor its hand in the creation of matter.
One wet iota of evidence that ID is "based in science." One single, tiny little bit of evidence that it is anything but fantasy. Any. . . Single . . . Bit . . .
Belief in something that can't be proven can only be sustained based on what?
You're loathe to admit that 'evidence' is not conclusive. Therefore your theory cannot be proven. You don't like it that I use that word. I don't blame you.
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