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Pennsylvania
Parents Fight Teaching of 'Intelligent Design' |
Posted:
09.28.05
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Parents of public high school students in Dover, Pennsylvania
have taken the school district to court for requiring teachers
to discuss "intelligent design" -- the argument that
an unknown force was involved in the creation of complex creatures
like humans.
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The lawsuit filed by 11 parents charges that the policy violates
the principle of separation of church and state. They argue that
intelligent design is little more than a modified "creationism"
which says a divine being created life.
The legal battle is the latest in a national debate over how
the origins of human life should be taught in public schools.
 In
October 2004, the Dover Area School District voted to require
science teachers to read a statement before lessons on evolution
explaining that there is a difference between theory and fact,
and presents intelligent design as an alternative theory. You
can read the statement in full here.
Although the Dover School District is the first district in the
nation to require science teachers to mention intelligent design
in their classes, several schools around the nation are considering
it.
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Darwinian
evolution |
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Charles Darwin first proposed the theory of evolution in the
1859 book, "Origin of Species." Darwin's natural selection
theory argues that living organisms change over time in order
to adapt to their environment.
Evolutionary theory also suggests that humans evolved from apes
in a slow and random change over millions of years.
Many religious institutions oppose that theory, arguing that
the Bible lays out how God created man as well as plants and animals.
By the early 20th century, some states had enacted laws that
banned the teaching of evolution in public schools.
When  Tennessee
teacher John Scopes was arrested for challenging one of these
laws in 1925, the case became a nationwide spectacle.
Though Scopes was found guilty for violating the law at the time,
the trial was considered a victory for evolutionists since it
increased pressure on states to accept the growing view of evolution
as a scientifically valid theory.
In 1968, the U.S. Supreme Court prohibited laws banning the teaching
of evolution in public schools in Epperson v. Arkansas, citing
that it was a violation of the separation of church and state.
The court further ruled in 1987 in Edwards v. Aguillard that
school districts cannot require that equal time be given to the
teaching of creationism when evolution is taught.
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What is intelligent
design? |
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Proponents of intelligent design assert that Darwin's theory
cannot explain the incredible intricacies of complex life forms,
such as humans; therefore, such life forms must be the design
of an intelligent cause, rather than an undirected process.
 The
Discovery Institute, a think tank that supports intelligent design,
does not think educators should teach the scientific arguments
for intelligent design. Instead, they should "teach the controversy,"
so that students know about the alternatives to evolution.
Another organization, the Foundation for Thought and Ethics,
has published a pro-intelligent design textbook for high school
students titled "Of Pandas and People."
In early August, President Bush said that he felt that both evolution
and intelligent design "ought to be properly taught ... so
people can understand what the debate is about."
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A heated
debate |
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Critics of intelligent design, which include a majority of scientists,
argue it is merely another name for creationism, the belief in
the literal Genesis story of the Bible.
According to the critics, teaching intelligent design in public
schools violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment
which states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion."
 Many
scientists also denounce intelligent design as being a theory
without any actual science behind it.
Kenneth Miller, a Brown University biology professor and author
of a high school science textbook, testified: "To my knowledge,
every single scientific society that has taken a position on this
issue has taken a position against intelligent design and in favor
of evolution."
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The public's
beliefs |
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Public opinion polls have consistently shown that much of the
American public does not agree with the scientific community.
In a March 2005 poll conducted by NBC News, 57 percent of respondents
believed that the "biblical account of creation" was
the most likely explanation of the origin of humans; only 33 percent
believed it was evolution.
The courts, on the other hand, have regularly argued that teaching
theories such as creationism and intelligent design would violate
the Constitution.
For now, the fight is in federal court and could soon wind up
in the U.S. Supreme Court.
--
Compiled by Brian Wolly for NewsHour Extra
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Yes it's true that he came to the United States illegally, but ever since that he has only done positive things. He has a job, pays taxes, does volunteer work, raised a family, and so many other things.
