Attorney: Despite Dover Ruling, Intelligent Design Won't Go Away

Agape Press ^ | 1/6/06 | Jim Brown

[wagglebee]

(AgapePress) - A pro-family attorney is expressing dismay over a Pennsylvania school board's decision to drop a science policy that generated widespread controversy and national media attention. The newly elected Dover Area School Board has voted unanimously to rescind a policy designed to inform students that the theory of intelligent design, or ID, is an alternative to Darwin's theory of evolution.

Last month a federal judge declared the Dover Area School District's policy unconstitutional, saying it violated the Establishment Clause, or separation of church and state. Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, says the ruling and the recent school board vote have effectively inoculated the teaching of evolutionary theory in the Pennsylvania school system against any and all criticism.

"The judge specifically ordered the school board never to denigrate or disparage the theory of evolution," Thompson contends, "which now makes that theory sacrosanct and violates one of the major principles of America -- that no official, high or petty, should establish dogma or orthodoxy in a method of thinking."

The Law Center spokesman says he was astounded by the court's ruling. "Our founding fathers would be rolling over in their graves if they realized that this First Amendment language that they adopted would now be used to destroy a policy that a local school board made regarding students being made aware of the theory of intelligent design," he asserts.

However, Thompson points out, regardless of the court ruling and the school board's vote, the issue of ID theory is not likely to go away because other school boards across the United States are even now weighing the evidence and considering the idea that Darwin's theory of evolution has a lot of gaps in it. Also, he notes, many in the academic and scientific communities are realizing that evolution does not explain the complex biological systems scientists are now discovering through advanced technology.

Thompson is hopeful the ruling and the Dover Area School Board's vote will generate even more discussion about the theory of intelligent design and other alternatives to evolution.

[wagglebee]

"Our founding fathers would be rolling over in their graves if they realized that this First Amendment language that they adopted would now be used to destroy a policy that a local school board made regarding students being made aware of the theory of intelligent design,"

Because the left refuses to believe in God, they think "truth" can be adjudicated.

[wagglebee]

Intelligent design ping.

[Herford Turley]

There is no such thing as separation of church and state. I can't seem to find that anywhere in the Constitution. So, I'm thinking this is all made up.

[fizziwig]

"The judge specifically ordered the school board never to denigrate or disparage the theory of evolution,"

This is what really gets me....you can't even criticize evolution at all...its absoultely perfect in every way...

Pathetic.

[wallcrawlr]

"The judge specifically ordered the school board never to denigrate or disparage the theory of evolution," Thompson contends, "which now makes that theory sacrosanct and violates one of the major principles of America -- that no official, high or petty, should establish dogma or orthodoxy in a method of thinking."

Revelation 4:11Intelligent Design
See my profile for info

[Coyoteman]

the issue of ID theory is not likely to go away because other school boards across the United States are even now weighing the evidence and considering the idea that Darwin's theory of evolution has a lot of gaps in it.

And those school boards just happen to have an extra $1-2 million sitting around for legal fees when the lose the inevitable lawsuit?

[peyton randolph]

Yet another Dover ID whiner thread ping.

[wagglebee]

There is no such thing as separation of church and state. I can't seem to find that anywhere in the Constitution. So, I'm thinking this is all made up.

That's because the left's allegiance is to a different constitution (see Article 52).

Constitution of the Soviet Union

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

I think it is pitiful where men with their very finite minds argue about how an infinite mind does things!

[shuckmaster]

students being made aware of the theory of intelligent design

There's no such thing as a "theory of intelligent design". It's just a big lie fabricated by dishonest people who are trying to destroy whats left of our education system.

[wagglebee]

It's absurd, the theory of evolution has been around for a hundred and fifty years, and there is not a shred of evidence to support it.

[Right Wing Professor]

It's absurd, the theory of evolution has been around for a hundred and fifty years, and there is not a shred of evidence to support it.

Hard to believe there are people alive that are this ignorant. Millions of fossils, gigabytes of gene sequences, and he hasn't heard of any of it.

[roadking95th]

One thing that is being overlooked and under reported is the judges ruling on the worthiness of ID. I do not have the ruling in front of me, so I can not quote him directly, but he made a statement containing the following idea. "ID deserves to be EXAMINED, DISCUSSED, AND DEBATED" If not in the classroom, where? It is legal for the District to have a book in the library, but they can not tell of its' title or contents? How is this possible!

[RunningWolf]

Thanks for that link wagglebee.

Wolf

[Just mythoughts]

Oh that little TOE system of education is something really intelligent to write home about. The animals are in charge of the zoo.

[GSlob]

"If not in the classroom, where?" - In a theology classroom, of course. Surely they teach theology at the nearest seminary, or even in a Sunday school. Just not in a science classroom.

[Paradox]

Of course not, there is no ends to which the human mind will fool itself when it sees facts contradicting an emotionally held viewpoint.

[GSlob]

"I think it is pitiful where men with their very finite minds argue about how an infinite mind does things!"
That's why one should avoid theology like a plague. Judge Jones ordered Dover Board to do just that.

[roadking95th]

Work with me here, GSlob. Let's suppose that ID is correct. Science, at its' essence, is merely the study of nature/universe. So, in this study, one would find facts and evidence supporting ID. Therefore, ID should be taught in the classroom. The Dover case was not even doing that, it was only mentioning an alternative theory.

[cdgent]

If this is a direct quite of the judge's ruling (I haven't read all of the court document yet) then he is clearly mistaken in his effort. The theory of evolution today is not even the same as it was a few months ago (I'm referring to the version that would be used by a molecular biologist, not the popular media.) As new evidence becomes available (genotypes of different species, fossil and dating information, etc) the theory is revised and refined to accommodate.

The difference is that a theory (under the scientific method) must both provide testable predictions and be disprovable if those predictions fail to be realized. Claiming observations to be the work of an intelligent designer does neither- we can't make predictions since we have no idea what He will do tomorrow, and any conflicting evidence can be said to be an intentional feature of His design. Evolution, in contrast, MUST be revised when conflicting evidence is found, in order to remain a useful theory. Notice I said conflicting, not missing. Gravity is still not completely understood, but that doesn't make it any less useful (or correct) for predicting the orbits of the planets.

The base issue is that we should teach science in schools, and id is not science. All of creation and evolution may be the design of a Creator, but that is not provable (or disprovable), and as such is not science. Science, for its part, should be more forthright where its theories have shortcomings- such as the line between evolution (does happen) and the origin of life (no idea how it happened).

CDG