Students Learn Intelligent Design

HARRISBURG, Pa. - High school students heard about "intelligent design" for the first time Tuesday in a school district that attracted national attention by requiring students to be made aware of it as an alternative to the theory of evolution.

Administrators in the Dover Area School District read a statement to three biology classes Tuesday and were expected to read it to other classes on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Thomas More Law Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., which was speaking on the district's behalf.

The district is believed to be the only one in the nation to require students to hear about intelligent design - a concept that holds that the universe is so complex, it had to be created by an unspecified guiding force.

"The revolution in evolution has begun," said Richard Thompson, the law center's president and chief counsel. "This is the first step in which students will be given an honest scientific evaluation of the theory of evolution and its problems."

The case represents the newest chapter in a history of evolution lawsuits dating back to the Scopes Monkey Trial in Tennessee nearly 80 years ago. In Georgia, a suburban Atlanta school district plans to challenge a federal judge's order to remove stickers in science textbooks that call evolution "a theory, not a fact."

The law center is defending the Dover district against a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of eight families by two civil-liberties groups that alleged intelligent design is merely a secular variation of creationism, the biblical-based view that regards God as the creator of life. They maintain that the Dover district's curriculum mandate may violate the constitutional separation of church and state.

"Students who sat in the classroom were taught material which is religious in content, not scientific, and I think it's unfortunate that has occurred," said Eric Rothschild, a Philadelphia attorney representing the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit.

Biology teacher Jennifer Miller said although she was able to make a smooth transition to her evolution lesson after the statement was read, some students were upset that administrators would not entertain any questions about intelligent design.

The district allowed students whose parents objected to the policy to be excused from hearing the statement at the beginning of class and science teachers who opposed the requirement to be exempted from reading the statement. About 15 of 170 ninth-graders asked to be excused from class, Thompson said.

There is NO contradiction in the Bible. Unlike evolutions theories don't have to "evolve". You are so blind and so willing to believe the absurd. It's sad.

However, the Bible and religion did evolve.

As I read many of the post of the creationists, I see a tremendous amount of credence given to a single Biblical verse or an interpretation from a particular scholar. The rub is how does anyone know if that verse is really the correct one. Is it argued from an imprinted engram, or is it argued from a personal revelation? From many observations, I have come to the conclusion that the environment directly influences the worldview taken on by the individual that this individual grew up in. This also includes the fundamental belief systems imprinted into the brain over the years. So people end up taking a particular stance on a many thousand year old writing colored by personal experiences and or a long-term environment that was inhabited.

I constantly hear from the various churches, “baby steps”. Why is this? It is because we learn this way. We have to allow the brain to build those neural interconnects to over a period of time. It’s not unlike flying an aircraft. What was so terribly difficult at first becomes absurdly simple as our brains adapt to the new directives we are imprinting on it. This is the same with the different religions. Over time people imprint the “truth” that is then defended vehemently because it’s “known to be true”.

So here is the rub. How can we determine on a pure faith based belief system, which is the correct model or “truth”? When I ask this question I get answers like; the Bible told me, my pastor stated it, or I prayed and God himself told me. Well, if there were immutable truths, wouldn’t everyone get the same answer when they prayed or read the same book? Since there is an ongoing fierce argument between the different religions, obviously this is not the case.

Now we will throw another monkey wrench into the equation. There have been a number of councils that have determined what is “truth” in scripture and what is not: i.e. the Church Councils at Hippo (393) and Carthage (397, 419), the council of Nicea, etc. So here is another rub, if the word of God has been handed down, why the requirement for the councils?

There also seems to be contradictions in the Bible. For example, the resurrection stories from each of the different Gospels. They are different enough that just to say they were seen from different perspectives does not wash. I always have wondered which is the correct one or the “truth”. If there is that kind of discrepancy in the very thing that defines Christianity (the resurrection itself), how can we not suspect the other verses in this same book? I get answers like the Bible is divine because God stated it was. Well where did he state that but in the Bible. This is not unlike me writing a letter and then stating in that letter that it’s divine because God says so. Would you take that seriously? This is in effect what you are doing with the Bible.

For example:

Matthew 28: Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulcher. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled the stone back and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his rainment white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.

Mark 16: Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, brought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to each one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. .

Luke 24: But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel; and as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” .

John 20: Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “they have taken the lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went towards the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. .

So were there one or two angels, did an angel sit on the rock, was there an earthquake, were there guards, were there two men, did the disciples run to the tomb? Etc.

The resurrection is the very linchpin of all Christianity! And yet the stories in each of the Gospels for this single most pivotal event in the entire Bible are a far cry from each other. If these verses have this kind of disparity, how is it possible to argue the fine nuances of the others?

Now we will throw a final monkey wrench into the works. There is a body of knowledge that has been painstakingly complied over thousands of years we refer to today as science. Unlike a belief system, science is a series of models that describe the universe we inhabit from both observation and experimentation. Again unlike an immutable text such as the Bible, science will revise its models as new evidence comes to light. This also gives rise to the false belief that science is shiftless sand that has no firm foundations. This is far from the case. Over the millennia we have made discoveries that we continue to build on as we obtain further knowledge and understanding. Do old ideas get thrown out? Of course! However, not without coming up with a better model to fit the observed phenomena in question. Take gravity for instance. It is a theory and no matter how much evidence accumulates, it will always remain a theory. One of my problems is that we don’t revise (or at least re interpret) the Bible as new facts come to light.

Now if an atheist looks at this, he will see a group of individuals or a church blindly following a faith system that has been handed down over thousands of years that ignore the basic findings of science. For example, there is not one shred of Geologic evidence for a word wide flood approximately 4-6 thousand years ago. However, there are groups that vehemently will defend such to their dying breath just because the Bible told them so. No wonder he/she (the atheist) sees the religion as a foolish waste of time.

So the question is where is the line drawn? Parts of the Bible already have been modified or rejected from what once was considered scripture via the councils. So why not take into account the findings from the scientific community?

Here's what I was looking for:

Scientific creation recognized officially
as a scientific theory for the origin of life
Raelian Theory about the creation of all life on earth by intelligent beings has long been dismissed as unscientific despite the great number of scientists who have joined the Raelian Movement after having carefully reviewed the other available theories.
This "Raelian Theory" is also gaining more and more interest in the scientific community as a similar theory is being developed called the "Intelligent Design theory", which hypothesizes that no new living entity can happen by chance.
On August 4th, 2004 an article by Dr. Stephen C. Meyer, Director of Discovery Institute's Center for Science & Culture appeared in a peer-reviewed biology journal published at the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington (volume 117, no. 2, pp. 213-239).
In this article, entitled “The Origin of Biological Information and the Higher Taxonomic Categories”, Dr. Meyer argues that no current theory of evolution can account for the origin of the information necessary to build novel animal forms. He proposes intelligent design as an alternative explanation.
This article represents a major breakthrough as being published in a peer reviewed journal, it can be used as a reference and free the numerous scientists who were obligated to refer to evolution in explaining their discoveries.
Raelians are rejoicing over this event and will make sure that more articles are published in that domain so that biologists can look at living entities not as the result of random mutations but more as sophisticated creations in which every detail has been thought of and has a reason to exist.
"Biology will go so fast once biologists stop being blinded by the evolution theory and I am sure that in ten years from now scientists will look back and wonder why they accepted evolution for so long" said Dr. Boisselier, spokesperson of the Raelian Movement

See also: The Raelian Movement supports the academic debates about the Theory of Intelligence Design VS. the Theory of Evolution.

Hey gobucks, here's an Intelligent Design advocacy group for whom it really is all about the sex!

Sensuality is the Solution

Today's world is like a baby playing with fire, we have the technology to liberate humanity, but we have not yet developed an understanding of how to use it wisely. Such lucid vision in today's times of confusion is essential to ensure that humanity does not destroy itself with its own toys and this is the gift of Sensual Meditation offered by the Elohim, our loving parents from space. It is this exercising of the senses (meditare means to exercise in Latin) which allows us to escape from the depths of survival mode and activate our higher brain centers. It is that which allows us to develop the insight into what is around and inside us, to cultivate the panoramic vision and decide what is the best course of action to take, to steer this baby called humanity forward through the quagmire of confusion which is clouding the vision of so many people today, and help us build a world where no one needs to slave to live, where everyone is entitled to free food, shelter, clothing, education and peace and where everyone can spend their time to develop their abilities, discover their true selves, commune with others and feel connected to the universe.
Sensual Meditation

Today we have the technology to live in such a paradise and we have the revolutionary mind empowering philosophy of Sensual Meditation, but the governments, the religious institutions and the leading economic consortiums don't want to relinquish their power, they are addicted to it like opium. Thus they are conspiring to keep us in a primitive state when they know full well that we could very easily build a world of plenty and fulfilment for everyone within 7 years. It is up to you to demand this from your politicians, from your religions, from where you work and at any other opportunity and point your finger sharply when you see anyone trying to holds us back from it. If you don't ask, you don't get.
Come and meet Rael at the Sensual Meditation Seminars

The Elohim teach us that pleasure, happiness, humour and love are the basic foods of consciousness and their gift of Sensual Meditation teaches us how to awaken our potential and bring these into our lives, so that we each become gardens of fulfilment with all our flowers blossoming.

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