Intelligent Design

Washington Post reports Battle on Teaching Evolution Sharpens

Propelled by a polished strategy crafted by activists on America's political right, a battle is intensifying across the nation over how students are taught about the origins of life. Policymakers in 19 states are weighing proposals that question the science of evolution.

The proposals typically stop short of overturning evolution or introducing biblical accounts. Instead, they are calculated pleas to teach what advocates consider gaps in long-accepted Darwinian theory, with many relying on the idea of intelligent design, which posits the central role of a creator.

In Seattle, the nonprofit Discovery Institute spends more than $1 million a year for research, polls and media pieces supporting intelligent design. In Fort Lauderdale, Christian evangelist James Kennedy established a Creation Studies Institute. In Virginia, Liberty University is sponsoring the Creation Mega Conference with a Kentucky group called Answers in Genesis, which raised $9 million in 2003.

Clearly the Main Stream Media and some teachers oppose giving children both sides of the issue, and letting them think for themselves.

• The Sun News says 'Intelligent design' shouldn't be taught .... The claim is that Darwinian processes cannot account for the history and diversity of life because life shows evidence of complex design, and that Darwinian processes could not produce design without "intelligent" input. Ergo, presumably, there must be, or must have been, an intelligent designing agent. Nevermind who. For this claim there is, so far, zero evidence. [Other than the fact that we are here. Why are they so frightened with the thought that a Creator may have wanted us to be here, and created us (in his image)]
• MainToday says Experts support intelligent design.... Many great scientists of the past believed in biblical creation. A partial roster of great minds that accepted biblical creation includes Kepler, Pascal, Newton, Leibnitz, Mendel, Pasteur and Maxwell. There is no shortage of scientists or scientifically literate folks who believe in intelligent design and/or creation science. I hope Devine and others read this and will dig a little deeper. They might emerge with more respect for these theories or with changed beliefs.[Unlikely. If their minds are closed, it will be hard for them to change]
• RegisterGuard says Separate faith, science: Intelligent design is not a science class subject. There is an intelligent way to teach intelligent design in U.S. public schools: Offer it in religion, humanities, history, philosophy, American studies, social studies, current events or political science classes. In those classes, intelligent design can be appropriately examined for what it is: a faith-based theory that an intelligent designer - let's cut to the chase and call such an entity God - is the only plausible explanation for the emergence of complex organisms that do not appear to have developed gradually through Darwinian natural selection. [How many public schools have classes in religion, humanities, history, philosophy, American studies, social studies, current events or political science? This is just an excuse to force a Secular Humanistic curriculum on children. They claim that the First Amendment calls for "Separation of Church and State" when really all it prohibits is a state sponsored church. But almost all faiths, other than Atheist or Secular Humanist, believe in a creator, so teaching Intelligent Design certainly is not Establishing a State Sponsored Religion]