Bush endorses teaching `intelligent design' theory in schools

KR Washington Bureau reports President Bush waded into the debate over evolution and "intelligent design" Monday, saying schools should teach both theories on the creation and complexity of life.

The debate is between Evolution and Creationism. Intelligent Design merely says that the Darwinists may be right about Evolution being the way it happened, but that there was an Intelligent Designer (God) controling the process.

In a wide-ranging question-and-answer session with a small group of reporters, Bush essentially endorsed efforts by Christian conservatives to give intelligent design equal standing with the theory of evolution in the nation's schools.

He is certainly right that if students are to be taught an Athestic view of Evolution, they should also be taught the Intelligent Design approach to Evolution. but it is not Evolution OR Intelligent Design, it is Creation by an Intelligent Designer using Evolution.

On other topics, Bush said he has no idea how Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts would vote in a case challenging the legality of abortion because he never asked him about it. He also defended Baltimore Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, who was suspended Monday for using performance-enhancing steroids. Bush declined to state his personal views on "intelligent design," the belief that life forms are so complex that their creation can't be explained by Darwinian evolutionary theory alone, but rather points to intentional creation, presumably divine. The theory of evolution, first articulated by British naturalist Charles Darwin in 1859, is based on the idea that life organisms developed over time through random mutations and factors in nature that favored certain traits that helped species survive. Scientists concede that evolution doesn't answer every question about the creation of life, but most consider intelligent design an attempt to inject religion into science courses.

That is because the Secular Humanists in charge of the schools are so afraid of the recognition of a Creator that they lie about what ID really means.

Bush compared the current debate to earlier disputes over "creationism," a related view that adheres more closely to biblical explanations. As governor of Texas, Bush said students should be exposed to both creationism and evolution. On Monday the president said he favors the same approach for intelligent design "so people can understand what the debate is about."

Betsy Newmark blogged I wish federal politicians, even the President whom I usually like, would stay out of state responsibilities. And one of those responsibilities is clearly educational curriculum. The proper answer to a question about whether schools should teach intelligent design is that that is an issue for local and state school boards and not one for the president of the United States. Unfortunately, that was not Bush's response to that question. This is yet another issue where school choice seems to be the best answer.

I have no problem with Bush expressing his opinion, but I agree that local school boards should decide what to teach, and I like the idea of School Choice.

If a school's policy on science education is very important to a family, let them have lots of choices so they can pick the one best suited to their wishes.

Jon Henke blogged Being exposed to alternate ideas is fine. We ought to come up with some sort of non-federally funded means of exposing people to these alternate ideas. Perhaps a place they could go voluntarily. Maybe every Sunday. We could call it "Church". Science class, however, is not a place for "diversity". It's a place for, you know, science.

I would be overjoyed if the school system felt that schools were not the place for pushing diversity, and if they got back to the basics, but if we are going to have diversity pushed every where else, why avoid the science classroom