Theory of intelligent design making its way into Broward textbooks (Florida)

Sun-sentinel.com ^ | December 9, 2005 | Chris Kahn

[mlc9852]

Broward County on Thursday narrowed its choices for high school Biology I textbooks to two finalists, both of which have been under scrutiny by Christian conservatives who want to change the way students learn about the origin of life.

Both have edited passages about evolution theory during the past few years after receiving complaints from the Discovery Institute. The think tank sponsors research on intelligent design, which argues life is so complicated, it must have been fashioned by a higher being. One of the books also has added a short section on creationism.

[Elchwurst]

Intelligent Design?

leck mich am arsch *lol*

[Clemenza]

This is odd, as Broward is the most liberal county in the state. Nevertheless, since a large percentage of its student body consists are blacks and immigrants whose parents take care of the Limo Liberal retirees, maybe I shouldn't be surprised.

Needless to say, the schools in Broward County, like those in the rest of Florida, s-ck!

[mlc9852]

That's quite a broad generalization and having gone to school in Florida, I disagree.

[RogueIsland]

Both have edited passages about evolution theory during the past few years after receiving complaints from the Discovery Institute.

Revising a science text on the basis of anything the Discovery Institute has to say is like revising a pharmacology text based on input from Scientologists.

[Clemenza]

Look at test scores compared to the rest of the country. The schools in Florida are AWFUL. That is one of the reason I went to a private school when I moved down there during my high school years.

[thomaswest]

I am always amused when creationists/IDists attack evolution, but accept the Germ Theory of Disease and run to the doctor for every tummy ache.

[Oztrich Boy]

*lol*

Well, refering to the Discovery Institute: "The think tank sponsors research "

[GSlob]

Was it the Broward county with butterfly ballots? If yes, then the antillectual level exhibited in 2000 makes it entirely predictable.

[metmom]

You can culture germs in the lab. I haven't seen anyone create a new species yet, even with all the breeding that humans have done with plants and animals for so long. All humans have gotten so far is variation within each species.

[dhuffman@awod.com]

Hence FloriDUH

[NonValueAdded]

No, slightly north of there in Palm Beach County. And it was the elderly voters who got confused about the butterfly ballot.

[mlc9852]

That was Palm Beach County.

[mlc9852]

At least these people are smart enough to live somewhere warm!

[doc30]

Pinging...looks like FL is jumping on the ID band wagon next. I wonder if this is related to the new pro-creationsist education commissioner recently appointed by Jeb. Scary thing is that this is in the general area where the new Scipps institute is going to be build and heavily subsidized by FL. How hypocritical that the children of the very researchers FL hopes to attract will be taught the opposite of what the parents do for a living. I work in R&D in FL and we have a very hard time attracting talent because the schools here are so terrible. No scientist or engineer want's their kids to go to schools in such an abysmal state, hence, they are very reluctant to relocate here. THis will just further highlight the state as being FLori-duh when it comes to education.

[brightforestway]

You can culture germs in the lab. I haven't seen anyone create a new species yet, even with all the breeding that humans have done with plants and animals for so long. All humans have gotten so far is variation within each species.

They tried to recreate macroevolution in the lab with fruit flies which breed new generations about every two days and they kept at it for twenty or thirty years. All they ever got was fruit flies.

[megatherium]

It's dirty pool to pressure school districts to alter text books for high school children to promote a 'scientific' theory that has almost no support in the scientific community! ID should gain some substantial scientific support before elementary texts are rewritten.

[megatherium]

Fruit fly experiments were used to track down "homeobox" genes, that control the basic body plan of these animals. Thus researchers produced fruit flies with legs where the antennae were supposed to be, and so forth. It turns out a very small number of genes controls body plan layout in an animal. Thus it only takes tiny mutations to change the whole body plan of an animal, which is one reason why evolution can actually happen. This is what the fruit fly researchers discovered, in the 1980s I believe.

I once read a critique of evolution that mentioned the homeobox research. It mentioned the fly with legs instead of antennae, correctly saying it was not a new species. I broke out laughing -- of course it wasn't a new species. But the critic of evolution missed the point: the experiment provided tremendous evidence for evolution. In nature, relatively small mutations, most of which are indifferent as to the survivability of the individual (a common myth of anti-evolutionists is that most mutations are harmful), can make substantial changes in an animal that natural selection can act upon.

[mlc9852]

Ah, so sad to see the Darwinists upset. Again, the vast majority of Americans believe in God as the creator so I guess you all still have a lot of work to do since evolution has been taught for quite some time now and people just aren't buying it. I am thrilled to see students exposed to more than Darwinism.

[mlc9852]

Bull crap! Florida has some of the top universities in the country and the majority of their students are from Florida. You whining crybabies afraid someone might not fall in line with the Darwinists. Florida also has some of the top research hospitals in the country. And for those who decide not to move there - even better. It's overcrowded enough already. Let them move to Massachusetts where they will be appreciated.