jim rozen wrote:
In article .com, Gus says...

With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open
mind.

No, they're not. The ID proponents love to cast this debate into
the 'open mind' or 'fairness' form.

Nothing can be farther from the truth. They don't want to teach
all the alternative viewpoints of how life came to be in the universe.
Their sole mission is to teach a single version: the fundie
christian story told in one particular version of the bible.

But this is quite unpalateable in the press, so their favorite
tactic is "teaching to the controversy" which means they want to
stir up a false schism that makes it appear that science and
religion have a fundamental opposition. Again, this is not true.
But the plaintive cry of 'fairness' is sounded again and again.

There are plenty of evolutionary biologists who also have faith.

And there are plenty of religions that have zero, zip, none (nada)
trouble with the idea that religious dogma controls in matters of
faith, and science controls in the realm of the material world.
To put it another way, there are plenty of religions that feel
that god wasn't a watchmaker who rolled out the world exactly as we
see it now after a 7 day installation period. They rather think
that he made the rules, wound the thing up, and let the rules
play out as planned - and one of those rules was evolution.

The creationist ID folks basically want their story pushed
to the head of the line and installed as fact in school curricula.
This is quite at odds with the normal way that scientific though
works. But it suits their agenda.

Gus, seeing as you are such an expert on creationism g can
you explain what would happen if those folks got their wish, and
had evolution ousted from classrooms all over the country - like
it has been in Kansas?

In particular, how do you explain what happens when the folks from
Kansas wind up taking the GREs, or the MCATS, or for that matter
the SAT exams? What's going to happen when they flunk the biology
sections because they've been taught fairy tales in their science
classes? Remember, the rest of the world still teaches science
as science, and expects their students to know and understand
evolution, speciation, natural selection, and how those concepts
have influenced our medical and scientific fields.

What do you do, Gus? Do you convice the shrubbie to pass a federal
law to prevent GRE questions about evolution?

This has been done before you know. At one time some state legislator
passed a law that said that pi was exactly equal to three. g

Maybe while you're at it you could likewise pass some laws that say
we have to return to the theories of geocentrism, and phlogistion.
And you can rest assured your doctor will graduate from medical school
knowing about the four Humours. And not much else.

Ater all, those are still "theories" too.

I can go along with much of what you said but I think you take it a
little too far. I don't understand the fear of even mentioning a
different theory from Darwinism. Wouldn't that make science class a lot
more interesting?

I don't believe that these ID boogymen want to totally replace
Darwinism in the class. From what I can see, all they are doing is
trying to mention an alternative. Why all the fear?
I believe that the ID folks believe that evolution works up to a point
but doesn't answer all the questions. I don't see any evidence that
they want to throw it all out.

I agree that schools need to teach what's necessary to pass the
required exams, etc., but I don't believe that it's necessary to treat
Darwinism has the Holy Script and have a judge rule that it's illegal
to point out it's weaknesses.

When the voters threw out the school board, that's great. That's how it
should work, not some theology judge making it all up.