University of Kansas Evolutionists Fight Back
There are some people in Kansas taking a hard line against those supporting the inclusion of intelligent design in science classes. A course being offered next semester by the university religious studies department is titled "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies."How non-religious folk who advocate that intelligent design be taught in science classes?
"The KU faculty has had enough," said Paul Mirecki, department chairman.
"Creationism is mythology," Mirecki said. "Intelligent design is mythology. It's not science. They try to make it sound like science. It clearly is not."
Earlier this month, the state Board of Education adopted new science teaching standards that treat evolution as a flawed theory, defying the view of science groups.
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Critics say intelligent design is merely creationism _ a literal reading of the Bible's story of creation as the handiwork of God _ camouflaged in scientific language as a way to get around court rulings that creationism injects religion into public schools.
John Calvert, an attorney and managing director of the Intelligent Design Network in Johnson County, said Mirecki will go down in history as a laughingstock.
"To equate intelligent design to mythology is really an absurdity, and it's just another example of labeling anybody who proposes (intelligent design) to be simply a religious nut," Calvert said. "That's the reason for this little charade."
[Thanks to T. Lo for the tip]
posted by Fenton Harwick III at 5:32 AM
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2 Comments:
I don't think it serves the cause of the anti-Creationists to oppose teaching that group's philosophy in our public schools, but I think they could have a very good time by demanding equal access to all the Sunday Schoolers -- you know, 15 minutes of Adam and Eve, then 15 minutes of random selection. I mean, if fairness is what they're after and they're not really interested in the separation of church and state. Whattaya think?
I hear ya, but the stupid thing is this shouldn't be a debate. I'm sorry to burst everyone's delicate little bubble but the Bible is not on equal footing with science so it serves no purpose to even discuss it in any serious scientific way.
It's up to the individual to figure out a way to merge the real world with the fantastical voyage that is the Bible. Evolution is a truth (not a creation myth) and it needs to be taught straight up.
I'm not saying that the Bible is total nonsense. Shoot, if you want to teach the good book, go ahead and teach it in History class in the context of an ancient direct source. I did my grad work in the study of ancient material culture and we used the Bible all the time to discuss bronze age Mesopotamia. For example, the Arch of the Covenant (you know, from Indiana Jones) was probably a real piece of furniture, but who knows if Moses stored his God-given tablets in it.
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