Let the teachers decide and have educational freedom. A real open mind is not one that attempts to support one dogma or another. There are scientific studies that support the concept of ID through the study of the inherent complexity not just of biological organisms but also the universe. This would not be an issue if Scientists were not constantly trying to write atheism into Science and making stupid comments about how some such and such finding rules out the concept of God.
Society has been hurt by the idea of secular reductionism on origins not just of our species but also of our universe. I personally think it is good for people to believe themselves the product of divinity and thus aspire to that. The positives far out weigh any quaint ignorance that results and it surely is better than the bitter message that distilled calls the young to not think of themselves much better than animals. Are we surprised that they often behave worse.
Human exceptionalism I believe is important. Humanity even by the analysis of someone who sticks strictly to scientific analysis and avoids the best they can the philosophical debate can clearly see that Humanity arose under very special circumstances. It was not simple modification but radical change that resulted in modern humanity and we still do not know what caused that radical change from a strictly Scientific standpoint. We know that several groups of genes involved in the development of the complexity of human brains were the product of a “special event” and that also now the evolution of genes in human brains have slowed to a crawl. There are other interesting things. Humans have 46 chromosomes and apes have 48. It appears that in humans a special event occurred which led chromosomes to fuse.
http://www.hhmi.org/news/lahn3.html
There is no reason for scientists to take such a hostile view to human exceptionalism. If they did not take such extreme views not supported by the evidence in an attempt to purge a God they see in a negative light then the current battle in schools and society would not be such a divisive one. They can no more disprove God than a fool can blot out the sun by putting a bucket over his head and it is not their job to do such a thing. Their job is to present their findings and leave it at that not to prove an atheist dogma or a religious dogma. Yet I can not count the times I’ve seen them go off telling evolutionary stories as if to provide some primer on atheism to young minds.
That said I do not see any great threat from belief in a creator. The foundations of all the modern sciences were the result of the pursuits of mostly religious men. Newton, Copernicus, Galileo, Bacon and on and on all managed to make scientific progress all while to their deaths holding a belief in a Creator. People of faith can always take comfort that people of much greater intellect and study than they were believers and are believers.
Very well said. And it should also be noted that it is the Temple of Darwin who fears a presentation of the evidence on both sides, not the other way around.