> -----Original Message----- > From: Matthew Small [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 5:03 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: RE: Bush wants religion taught in the science classroom > > How about as a theory that does not mention Jesus Christ, Allah, Budda or > Loki? If we're talking about science, it is, another theory of how life > developed on Earth, regardless of whether or not you choose to believe it.
But it simply isn't that. If you teach it as science then it must adhere to scientific principles. It doesn't. 1) There are no tests which can be constructed to test the hypothesis. 2) The hypothesis makes no predictions about future observations which could be cataloged. 3) The hypothesis begins with a desired outcome and selects data which seem to support it (but doesn't). In short ID says "here are examples of things that couldn't possibly arise from chance" and then assigns a nebulous intelligent designer to them. It poses no mechanisms, no ramifications and no qualifications. Every major argument posed by IDers has been successfully challenged by evolutionary theory. This doesn't, of course, "prove" evolution. It simply shows that the extreme of demanding a designer isn't required by the observable phenomenon. > Put another way, it should be either all or none. The teaching of > evolution > directly conflicts with many, if not most, religious explanations. To > teach > only evolution would be in effect a religious/anti-religious movement > (atheism?) which serves to undermine the religious teachings that the > parent > conveys onto the child. There is no real reason to consider the teaching of evolution as anti-religious. Science it about studying what you can see and test: its conclusions are fundamentally natural. Religion is about trusting in what you can't see or test. Its conclusions are fundamentally supernatural. > Further, even if you consider this purely religion, rather than science, > the > Constitution says that no prohibition to practice religion will be > condoned. > That part of the Constitution is usually forgotten in the effort to > atheize > (my new word) the US. Teaching only science in science classes is hardly a prohibition to practice religion. Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:167685 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
