US school in eye of creationist storm

[emad]

Julian Borger in Washington
Thursday January 13, 2005
The Guardian

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.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1389316,00.html

[Coastie for Truth]

1. That was a County where

Santorum ran very strongly, as did his clone Pat Toomey.

[One_Life_To_Give]

2. Time for another asteroid

I read stories like this and think maybe after 60 million years it is time.

[RubyDuby in GA]

3. This is the last time I'm going to tell you people

It's Georgia's job to look like fools regarding this subject. Stop trying to hog all the spotlight. Jealous Bastards.

:)

[aden_nak]

4. Good science always asumes an absolute negative.

/slap

Nothing like conclusively saying that life couldn't possibly be random as one of the founding principles of your theory. If you start with an absolute negative as an assumption, the rest of your work is generally worthless. Because you can't prove an absolute negative. That's the whole point of the term.

Life could NOT have evolved randomly into the system that currently exists. Prove it. Go ahead, prove that something which is based on random mutation is IMPOSSIBLE. I'll wait.

[GOPFighter]

5. Those poor damn kids!

THIS is what their high school will forever be known for.

[franksumatra]

6. it is our national right to be stupid and ignorant

it is one of our freedoms, to believe in whatever entity we choose, and to practice our various religions freely. guaranteed in the constitution. that's fine with me, until some of the nuttier ones gain way too much power in government and start to mess with america, like the current crowd is doing.

if people want to ignore science and silly facts and evidence, they have that right. but to force it on children and deliberatley mock science as theory is just cultish.

[progressiveBadger]

7. Exactly

Welcome to DU!

[Benhurst]

8. This should work out just fine for the students in Dover.

Unenlightened ignoramuses , they will be perfectly prepared for their lives as cannon fodder and breeders for the Bush Crime Family.