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
--------------------------------------------------------
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."
The Christian spirit is a spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Should I mention this when I observe contrary behavior by a creationist on one of these threads?
The entire idea of judging someone by what they say, as opposed to what they do, is truly an absurdist notion.
Your critical analysis would be better received if, instead of simply asserting that the rest of us are dummies, you would state the correct interpretation of the evidence.
Do you believe, for example, that the fossil record and the DNA evidence requires a supernatural explanation?
And convenient.
No.
OK, then I assume your criticisms of evolution center on details of interpretation.
Good point.
Liberals only "tolerate" those ideas and values that fall under their approved umbrella.
Of course, when it comes to this particular topic, there are many on this forum who are just as adamant in their commitment to censorship.
Being an atheist (or a Christian, or a Jew, or a Muslim, etc.) shouldn't be a 'bet' at all. Someone that professes to be a particular religion just to cover their bases is merely pretending to believe out of fear, not faith.
In other words, people choosing not to be atheist for this reason are doing nothing more than buying 'afterlife insurance' from whatever God salesman that happened to win their business.
So with that in mind, who is being more honest - someone who follows what they believe even if that means not believing in God, or someone that pretends to believe in God just in case?
When have I criticized evolution?
If you think there is evidence contradicting evolution, post it.
Please explain. Remember, there have been 10,000+ mutually contradictory creation myths and deities in the recorded history of man. An atheist only disbelieves one more of them than you do. Is disbelieving all the others also a sucker's bet on your part?
Oooh, *that's* gonna leave a mark...
Meanwhile, an even bigger "sucker's bet" is trying to reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into in the first place...
All points of view? Really? Regardless of their objective standing as active and productive scientific ideas? What does that mean for standards of intellectual honesty and academic integrity? How would you prevent such rampant intellectual relativism from spreading to all scientific theory, and (further) infecting all educational topics?
For instance nobody "knows" (by the strict criteria your comments suggest) which culture is really best, or that one is better than another. Therefore freewheeling, anti-Western, relativist multiculturalism is justified?
Perhaps you should read through some of your posts from the last week or two and ask yourself why you seem to be so misunderstood. I see you duking it out with creationists, evolutionists and moderators. Surely we are not all dolts.
Perhaps your style of posting is confrontational without adding any clarity or information to the discussion.
I can see many places where you have accused others of ignorance without making clear what the informed position would be.
That's garbage, you all need to stop playing the victim.
No one is forcing evolution down your throat, if you don't like the fact that evolution science is taught is public schools, take your kids out of public schools.
Home school them, send them to religious schools, do whatever you want to do.
It's your right to do so.
Just like other people have a right to decide that they want their kids to learn about evolution from a science teacher in a public school, and about God's creation from a member of the clergy in a Church or synagogue. Or even not to learn about religion at all.
You want to believe in Creation exactly as the Bible says that it happened?
I will not only respect your right to do so, and to raise your kids to believe in the same thing, but I will lay down my life in defending those rights.
If you want to debate the issue of Creation vs. evolution, we can do that to...and while I will defend my points, and state my reasons why I believe in whatever it is that I believe in, I will still respect your right to believe on what you believe in.
However, you see to think that my beliefs are an attack on your beliefs because they run contrary to one other, and that you have a right to inject your beliefs in places where those beliefs are not being spoused...you don't, but you are actively trying to do so. So if there's anyone attacking anyone else out there, it is believers in Creation who are attacking the places where evolution is taught; no one is trying to force Churches to teach evolution, why can't you show the same respect?
The rest of your post is one long, weird combination of ad hominem attacks (not very Christian of you), and the rantings of an individual with very low self-esteem, and a clinical case of paranoia.
Get over yourself.
Don't call me shirly and don;t be so sure.
I've seen plenty of physical proof to convince me of the validity of the theory.
I've yet to see God make a man from dirt, or a woman from a rib.
The fact that you will not accept the overwhelming amount of proof supporting the theory of evolution, does not negate the proof, or its existence.
And that's fine that you don't believe in it, that's your right.
Now, all you have to do is show me the same amount of respect.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.