the world just gets weirder

oh boy....

THE BATTLE over attempts to introduce a version of creationism into the curriculum of American schools has become focused on a small town in Pennsylvania.
 Biology teachers at a high school in Dover have rejected the instructions of local officials to read a statement in class today questioning the theory of evolution.
 They had been ordered by the town’s elected school board to preface their usual class on evolution with a statement, saying “Darwin’s Theory is a theory ... not a fact. Gaps in the theory exist for which there is no evidence.” As an alternative, the statement mentions “intelligent design”, an updated form of creationism which argues that life on earth is too complex to have developed at random.
 The teachers asked to opt out of making the statement and it will be read instead by a school administrator before a biology class early next week.
 The Dover school board’s actions make the town the first in the US to promote “intelligent design” in competition to evolution. It has become the subject of a lawsuit by a group of parents that has pitted the Christian right against the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The case is due to be heard in the next few months.
 “Intelligent design is more than an attack on evolution. What these folks are proposing is to allow faith and miracles and supernatural creators to be considered as science,” the ACLU’s legal director in Pennsylvania, Witold Walczak, said.
 A supreme court decision in 1987 banned the teaching of creationism on the grounds that it would violate the separation of church and state.
 The Dover school board decision is one of a series of signs that the movement is making a comeback. Mr Walczak predicted that it would gather steam as Christian conservatives drew inspiration from President Bush’s re-election.
 A CBS/New York Times poll at the time of the election found 55% of Americans believed God created humans in their present form, 27% believed in evolution guided by God and only 13% believed God was not involved in human evolution. And 65% backed teaching creationism alongside evolution.
 The Dover school board and its supporters argue that “intelligent design” is not covered by the 1987 supreme court decision because it is not inherently religious, but a scientific challenge to Darwinism.
 “Religion has nothing to do with intelligent design,” said Carl Jarboe, a former chemistry professor and school board supporter. “I am alleging there is not one piece of scientific evidence that supports evolution."

They might as well teach Tolkiens version of the creation of the world. Just as relevant.

Here's a summary of the creation theorie according to JRR Tolkien. 

http://www.livejournal.com/users/camwyn/328358.html

though I'm just fine learning Evolution

Exactly, it's unfair to ban one and let the other theory, that was the whole point of my long post but Aqualung said it clerly in one phrase.

Iván

The Darwin theory is not all proven (though IMO very accurate), the theory of intelligent design, however is completely unfounded. No proof other than speculation and man's inability to grasp the complexity of life.

It's to difficult to comprehend, therefor it has to be the act of a god

the Darwin evolution theory requeres no faith, basic understanding of cellular/moleculair biologie is all you need.

BTW. good post Ivan. but your post revolves around the right of religion, which is clear, but other religious interpretations of the origin of life should also be mentioned in biologie class, not just the intelligent design theory for that matter. Theological debate and teachings don't belong in a biologieclass, nor in a scienceclass or topographic-class. these discussions, interpreting the science in a religious context should be held in theological classes. 

Law of the numbers.

The Universe is infinitly great, with infinite stars, with infinite planets which could contain life.

Add to that the buildingblocks of life (which is for all we know organic-matter), there is proof of organic molecules being the residual trash from emerging or dying stars.

So there's bound to (0.0000000001% of infinitive is infinitive) be an infinitive number of Life-sustainable planets, with all the right ingredients for life to begin.

One of Men's flaws is, we think we are ment to be, or how can it be possible that we exist, for the odds of us existing is 1 in a zillion, but we forget, we are one of the possible products to come out of this chance.

I have no problem with the first half of the statement - evolution is a theory, and one which is not fully proven by empirical data. The available evidence tends to support it, but my belief in it is based on intuition and faith.

As for the argument for intelligent design - Charles Darwin was himself an ordained clergyman who was able to reconcile a faith in God with evolution. His real problem with his theory was that natural selection could be used to argue against the idea that all men are created equal, something Darwin passionately believed in. Darwin was not a creationist, but would have supported intelligent design.

A surprising number of leading scientists have also been able to reconcile their spiritual beliefs with hard science, among them Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, and many leading theologians have been able to accommodate evolution and the big bang theory with their beliefs.

The point is that it is perfectly possible for science and religion to co exist in any education system. It is impossible, however for creationism to exist alongside science, open mindedness, tolerance or sanity. This kind of blinkered fanaticism is dangerous anywhere, and is positively poisonous in schools.