Posted on 03/07/2006 2:34:37 PM PST by SirLinksalot
Darwin smacked in new U.S. poll
Whopping 69 percent of Americans want alternate theories in classroom
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Posted: March 7, 2006 5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
A new poll shows 69 percent of Americans believe public school teachers should present both the evidence for and against Darwinian evolution.
The Zogby International survey indicated only 21 percent think biology teachers should teach only Darwin's theory of evolution and the scientific evidence that supports it.
A majority of Americans from every sub-group were at least twice as likely to prefer this approach to science education, the Zogby study showed.
About 88 percent of Americans 18-29 years old were in support, along with 73 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of independent voters.
Others who strongly support teaching the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory include African-Americans (69 percent), 35-54 year-olds (70 percent) and Democrats (60 percent).
Casey Luskin, program officer for public policy and legal affairs with Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture said while his group does not favor mandating the teaching of intelligent design, "we do think it is constitutional for teachers to discuss it precisely because the theory is based upon scientific evidence not religious premises."
The Seattle-based Discovery Institute is the leading promoter of the theory of Intelligent Design, which has been at the center of challenges in federal court over the teaching of evolution in public school classes. Advocates say it draws on recent discoveries in physics, biochemistry and related disciplines that indicate some features of the natural world are best explained as the product of an intelligent cause rather than an undirected process such as natural selection.
"The public strongly agrees that students should be permitted to learn about such evidence," Luskin said.
The Discovery Institute noted Americans also support students learning about evidence for intelligent design alongside evolution in biology class – 77 percent.
Just over half – 51 percent – agree strongly with that. Only 19 percent disagree.
As WorldNetDaily reported, more than 500 scientists with doctoral degrees have signed a statement expressing skepticism about Darwin's theory of evolution.
The statement, which includes endorsement by members of the prestigious U.S. National Academy of Sciences and Russian Academy of Sciences, was first published by the Discovery Institute in 2001 to challenge statements about Darwinian evolution made in promoting PBS's "Evolution" series.
The PBS promotion claimed "virtually every scientist in the world believes the theory to be true."
"His name is Flipper, Flipper......"
I remember one that included Bubbles.
Then WHY, in God's name, are you FIGHTING it so???
Nothing changes...
Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
A minion of the great FSM!
Ever hear of extinction? Ever hear of mass extinction?
Kinda like - "How do you make a small fortune in Vegas?"
It's EASY!!
First, you come to town with a large fortune....
Is that when all the candles go out at the Catholic Church?
-thon end
Indeed we do.
And many of them don't like non-science taught as fact.
Indeed we don't.
Some of them post here.
Indeed we do.
I'm not at all certain that 'many Christians' should not in fact read 'most Christians,' except that (1) I have yet to find a reliable poll on the topic, and (2) what would that prove, anyway?
Ever read post 435?
I know I'm way late to respond to your post, but I nearly choked on my coffee when I read it.
Have I got this right? The teaching of evolution and a refusal to teach ID is a war on the Gospel of Jesus Christ?! What a load of horsefeathers.
If there was scientific evidence for ID then it would be taught in a science class. Otherwise, you need to go and find some other class to teach in it - like Religious Studies.
Why don't you and the rest of the ID community put more effort into supporting a search for some scientific evidence for your hypothesis before rushing to get something taught in a science class that, currently, has no basis in science?
Anyway, didn't God say "without faith I am nothing"? Yet here are the ID-ers arguing "We don't need faith in the existence of God, as we have biological proof of His existence. Look how complicated life is!" Talk about confused.
Your biggest problem is that you seem determined to treat the ToE as an attack on your faith. IT IS NOT. The ToE is a theory of how life changed over time; it does not explain the origin of life nor the creation of the universe. So why are you acting like it's trying to take over your turf?
There's still plenty of room in the universe for God AND the ToE.
I went back over about twenty pages of your posts and failed to find anything of substance at all. If you have an actual point of view, a theory or hypothesis you support, I haven't seen it.
I didn't read 435 before I read 388, if that's what your are asking. I don't see any additional insight in 435. Extinction is a fact of life. Climates chang at varying rates at varying times. Nearly all the species we know about are extinct. This is particularly true of the larger animals. You will have to attach some numbers to your musings if you want to be taken seriously. What climate change events, occurring over what period of time, do you think were too rapid?
BTW, I was answering your questions- "Ever hear of extinction? Ever hear of mass extinction?" Yes, I had heard of them.
I understand this. What I don't understand is where the problem is. Life is not infinitely plastic, and evolution does not always occur at rates sufficient to prevent extinction.
Evolution is, in effect, a problem solving strategy, a game strategy. It doesn't win every deal.
Thanks, that is what it is all about. Evolution is only about life. Creationism [or maybe 'originism'] is a more general theory of existence including matters other than life. Life exists. So do other things. Science, self-limited by its own techniques, has to 'live' with things it cannot explain.
What kind of fish?
Just kidding.
There are some good books about. When you aren't too busy frying fish try "The Monk in the Garden" about Mendel and the creation of the field of genetics and then a contemporary story, "Genome Wars" mainly about Craig Venter's group but also about Francis Collin's group as the two groups set out to sequence the human genome in competition with each other.
And another fantastic book is "Time, Love and Memory" which is about fly genetis done by Seymour Benzer of Cal Tech.
A comedian I see.
Of course I am borne out again in my accuracy.
People should not make claims based on no evidence what so ever, should they?
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