‘Religious alternative’ to evolution cannot be taught in public school classes
HARRISBURG, Pa. – “Intelligent design” is “a religious alternative masquerading as a scientific theory” and cannot be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district, a federal judge said Tuesday, ruling in one of the biggest courtroom clashes on evolution since the 1925 Scopes trial.
Dover Area School Board members violated the Constitution when they ordered that its biology curriculum must include the notion that life on Earth was produced by an unidentified intelligent cause, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III said.
“We find that the secular purposes claimed by the Board amount to a pretext for the Board’s real purpose, which was to promote religion in the public school classroom,” he wrote in his 139-page opinion.
I’m sure all the atheists are jumping for joy right now. As a person who happens to believe in God AND Evolution, can I say something?
I wholeheartedly agree with this judge’s decision. This “Intelligent Design” garbage was merely a repackaged form of “Creationism”. It accepts the (two!) Biblical accounts of Creation without question, and with no scientific basis to back it up.
Well, sorry. When we’re digging up 65 million year old dinosaur fossils, I think the old fable of making the world in seven days 6,000 years ago needs a little work. It may have satisfied a tribe of nomads enslaved in Egypt… but we have long since outgrown that.
The Bible is not the end-all-be-all of religion. There 20,000 other religions in the world, accepting a Universe created with order and laws and some form of Divine power causing the spark. And none of them accept the Bible’s authority either. Someone wanted a quick and easy answer a long time ago, and that was what they came up with. Even among those who *DO* regard the Bible as the “Word of God”, not all parts are taught to be taken literally in certain denominations.
Science doesn’t make any claim as to whether there is/isn’t/wasn’t a Creator. Science merely tries to unlock secrets and how things work. Is evolution a “theory”? Of course it is. So is the THEORY of Relativity, which no one seems to question. The process of when something goes from “Theory” to “Law” are very complicated steps… but believe me, for it to go to “Theory” alone, it has to be pretty solid.
I’m just happy that some judge decided to go with common sense.
Knowledge is power. Science and religion *shouldn’t* clash if both of them are accurate.
And if you’re going to push a fairy tale about a man, woman and serpent in a garden, well, you better have some empirical evidence before you teach it to my kids.
Oh and atheists? Before you call me “stupid” again for what I believe/don’t believe. You haven’t got the first CLUE what I believe and how I came to my conclusions. Grow up.
If I wanted my kids taught that, I’d take them to sunday school, do not spend my tax dollars to have someone shove their religious beliefs down their throat.
(however, I feel the same way when someone tries to bring the whole ‘jesus birthday’ into the schools too…if you want to teach my kids about that, start with the orignial origins please)
Here, here, =e=. And shall we check with Pat Robertson to see how the weather is in Dover, PA?
Turning around the logic of the first commenter here, if I happened to want my children taught something other than a scientific theory, can I get my tax dollars back. I’m considering the messages of the Holy Spirit on The Christian Prophet blog which are concerned with dictatorship in public schools and judicial dictatorship. On the fun side, the message on The Holy Inheritance blog said we were all created by love.
Personally, I think I was created by a night of too much drinking. 😀
But you know what would be cool? Just once, having the Holy Ghost help me to win the lottery!
I was created after a night of my dad drinking whilst my parents were sucker spearing. They were camping and mom got cold. The rest is history.
Religion and public schools don’t mix because not everyone shares the SAME religion. If you want your child to learn religion. send them to a religious school and church. ‘Nuff said.
Never read the post -e-
Just dropping in to wish you a Merry Christmas and all that is good for 2006. Feel free to drop in for virtual VX anytime! 😉
MERRY CHRISTMAS, ERIC!
*MWAH*
It is possible to combine intelligent design and evolution in one package, but the ideal requires a complete re-think of man’s image of himself.
My rather more detailed thoughts on the idea of intelligent design and evolution as a whole are here.
Pi.