“Churches create atheists:” Unintelligent design
Something tells me my head will be hanging from the corinthians for this one.
In a much discussed case that began this past Monday in Dover, PA-and one sure to receive world attention in the coming weeks-a battle kicked-off between the teaching of evolution in public schools and that of a new approach known as Intelligent Design.
Dover’s school board voted last year to require high school biology teachers to include “alternatives” to evolution while teaching students the origin of life, particularly the idea of Intelligent Design, something scientists view as a religious sermon disguised as science.
In 1987, the Supreme Court ruled that teaching creationism in public schools was based on religious doctrine and was therefore unconstitutional.
Advocates of Intelligent Design argue it is simply another angle of science that uses research to explore the possibilities that a complex world owes its existence to a higher being.
Not only is this new quasi-science supported by President Bush, it has caught the enthusiasm of school boards in 20 U.S. states.
So, what’s the problem?
According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Intelligent Design cannot even be considered a theory. No matter where your beliefs lie, anybody who has taken a freshman biology class at GC&SU knows that science has certain criteria; Intelligent Design has no natural explanation and it is certainly not testable.
And of course, the Religious Right is having one hell of a time, this being their best shot to irrecovebly blur the vital boundaries between church and state in this country. It seems after being attacked by religious zealots four years ago, some feel the need to send America into the dark realms of a theocracy, which I find baffling. .
The repercussions of this “theory” are far more dangerous than any snakes these guys have ever handled. For instance, one part of this agenda includes teaching students that the earth is merely a few thousand years old as their interpretations of the Bible suggest, a brand of idiocy that’s as unsettling as it is laughable.
Our culture is stupid enough, and Intelligent Design could be the final nail in the coffin.
The chief argument for Intelligent Design just doesn’t cut it either. They say there are too many holes in evolution. I agree, but where evolution has holes, religion has craters; you can’t even compare the inconsistencies.
Do I believe in God? Yes, and I pray every day of my life, and I also believe the importance of His separation from the state. Science classes are supposed to teach science and churches are there to speak the gospel. The two should simply stay out of each others’ houses. For now, evolution is what science teaches; want an alternative to science? Go to church!
The religious masses feel threatened about what their kids are being taught, but they continue to ignore the ugly truth: classrooms don’t create atheists, churches do. See this debate for what it really is: a culture war.
Come on, let me know what you think.
Brian Shreve
Columnist
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Sep 30 2005. Filed under Opinion.
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