Intelligent Design

I was curious about the highly publicized court case in the Dover School District concerning “Intelligent Design.” After some research, I found that the whole case revolved around the School Board’s decision to have the following statement read in biology class before teaching Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

"The Pennsylvania Academic Standards require students to learn about Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and eventually to take a standardized test of which evolution is a part.

Because Darwin's Theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered. The Theory is not a fact. Gaps in the Theory exist for which there is no evidence. A theory is defined as a well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations. Many such theories exist in science, such as the theory of gravity, the atomic theory of matter, and the germ theory of disease.

Intelligent Design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin's view. The reference book Of Pandas and People is available for students who might be interested in gaining an understanding of what Intelligent Design actually involves.

With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind. The school leaves the discussion of the Origins of Life to individual students and their families. As a Standards-driven district, class instruction focuses upon preparing students to achieve proficiency on Standards-based assessments."

Following the court decision, the ACLU website published this:

HARRISBURG, PA - "Intelligent design" is a particular religious belief, not a valid scientific theory, and teaching it in public school science classrooms violates the Constitution, according to Judge John E. Jones III's ruling today in Kitzmiller v. Dover.The verdict in the landmark federal case, which was the first legal challenge to teaching "intelligent design," is a victory for the 11 parents from Dover, Pennsylvania who were plaintiffs in the case and their attorneys: the American Civil Liberties Union, Pepper Hamilton, LLP, and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. The judge's decision strikes down a controversial Dover Area School Board policy adopted in October 2004 that required high school science teachers to present "intelligent design" as an alternative to evolution. Judge Jones ruled that the policy violated the plaintiffs' religious liberty and that the school board acted to promote their own religious views rather than advance science education.

from (http://www.aclu.org/religion/intelligentdesign/23158prs20051220.html)

I admit that I cannot be totally objective with respect to the theory of Intelligent Design. Personally I don’t understand how any intelligent person can NOT see the obvious extreme order of the universe/nature/science and believe there is no intelligence behind its existence.

But I believe I AM being objective when I claim there is NO logical basis for this court decision. The judge’s ruling that Dover School District TAUGHT Intelligent Design in the science classrooms is ABSURD! The 182 word statement that was READ in the classrooms was merely stating FACTS; Darwin’s Theory is just that – a theory, and stating that there was a reference book available for anyone interested, was a fact. They were TEACHING Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. They were making available a reference book for anyone interested in further research on Intelligent Design; they were not teaching Intelligent Design.

I doubt there would be ANY controversy if a statement was read in a classroom that Hitler’s Mein Kampf was available for anyone interested in further research into Nazism. And am I being cynical if I said that the ACLU would never offer their legal services to parents that might want to take legal action if that were to occur?