This morning I read an article in World magazine entitled “Dover Disruption.” Evidently the citizens of Dover, Pa. didn’t want to wait for Judge John E. Jones III to rule in their present lawsuit regarding the statement mentioning Intelligent Design in their ninth-grade curriculum; they went ahead and took action for themselves. This past Nov.8th, the good citizens of the Dover Area School District narrowly voted to replace members of the board with a pro-evolution panel committed to keeping ID out of science classrooms.
A similar situation in another state also made headlines on Nov. 8th when the Kansas State Board of Education adopted a science curriculum that includes well-established challenges to the theory of evolution. These new standards will not propose alternate theories, such as ID, but will refrain from teaching Darwinism as an unchallenged fact.
What we see here are two very different approaches to the same issue. One is willing to teach true science, honestly telling students what we know and what we don’t know, unafraid of controversy, while the other would rather hide the truth, teach something as fact when it is not, and would rather brainwash young minds rather than educate them. So, my question is: who is really afraid of the truth in this on-going situation?
Born again Christians, who believe the Bible, are continuously portrayed by non-believers, as simple, ignorant, uneducated, and completely not up to par with the rest of our well-developed, well-informed society. We have obstinately refused to be enlightened, choosing rather to glory in our “ignorance” and our simplistic belief in God’s word. This is how we are portrayed.
So, naturally I find it very amusing and even satisfying when a blatant example as mentioned above illustrates in broad day-light just who are the ones who are really afraid of an honest look at all the evidence. Anyone who has studied this debate, and who was willing to take an honest, objective look at all the evidence has to admit that it takes a WHOLE lot more faith to believe that all of what we see around us could have just happened by chance, rather than even entertaining the idea that a master Craftsman and Creator intelligently designed it all.
If you want to blindly believe that all the wondrous variety and complexity of this universe happened from an explosion of space trash millions of years ago, then go right ahead. Just remember that the likelihood of that happening is the same as Webster’s dictionary resulting from an explosion in a print shop. People who have the truth are never afraid of it.
5 comments:
If you wonder why Christians are looked at as simple and ignorant, perhaps you should consider the comments of Pat Robertson, shortly after this decision. Yet, I though that intelligent design wasn't supposed to be teaching about God as the creator... the truth comes out.
And "intelligent design" seemed to forget a few people, such as your infallible president.
oui, very well said.
Then, wouldn't you agree that in a PUBLIC school, perhaps both sides can be presented, while neither is presented as fact?
Most important, we need to keep church and state seperate, for the protection of both.
Sure, I can agree that both can be presented. An interesting fact, When I was in college, I was the only Christian in my biology class, and evolution was presented as a rock-solid fact, in fact the professor just rejoiced in it. And yet only like 2 other people believed it be true, out of a class size of 35-40. I was so surprized, I asked a couple of people why they didn't believe in it, they said.. its just reasonable; it doesn't make sense.
About the whole church and state issue, we probably don't agree. This issue is so misunderstood, that most people believe the phrase "separation of church and state" is in the constitution or some gov't document. When in fact, it was in a personal letter by T.Jefferson to a group of Danbury Baptists who were afraid that Congress would establish a state church as in England. And Jefferson was assuring them it would not happen. Continuing to teach the Judeo-Christian values which our country was founded on, and even the Biblical basis for which it was founded, and even thanking our Sovereign who by His grace allowed it to be, is not establishing a state church. Just like saying a kid can't pray "in Jesus' name" at his h.s.graduation because of "separation of church and state" is a lot of bologna.
great debate crall and travis! and Travis, thank you for not being afraid of science!
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