Yay for Kansas!

[JenBKR]

Oops! Lady's Human - I think we posted at the same time

[Edwina's Secretary]

I hope they teach the constitution as well!

Fails to answer my question though! What if there is another theory? Say...unintelligent design. Must that be taught?

Here's one a very dear friend of mine sent me!

Intelligent Design

[JenBKR]

Fails to answer my question though! What if there is another theory? Say...unintelligent design. Must that be taught?

Um...what exactly would that be?

EDIT: I think I misread your question - oops! I guess it's hard to say what would happen IF there was another theory, obviously they don't have to teach it since only evolution is taught in most public schools now. For such a loaded question such as where we come from, all credible theories should be taught and kids should be able to make up their own minds.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Sorry...I edited it into my reply above...

But seriously...unintelligent design....think of mosquitos....what is intelligent about the design of them????

[Lady's Human]

Actually, it can be argued that Mosquitos are very intelligent design. They are efficient disease vectors, hence a built in curb on population.

I think leaving the debate in the schools at intelligent design vs. evolution would be sufficient. Two competing theories would be taught, leaving kids to figure out their own beliefs.

[Maresche]

I have no problem with intelligent creation being taught in public schools as long as it is in a Religion class not a science class. In my mind there are no cold hard facts that this is the way the world was created, you have to take it on faith. While evolution may not be correct as we currently understand it, there are certainly more facts contributing to it veracity (fossils, skeletons, genetics, etc).

In my opinion (which does not coincide with Mr. Webster) a theory can be backed up with some form of verifiable fact.

A belief cannot be.

I have no issues with anyone who believes intelligent creation in whatever religious guise it falls under. I have a problem with teaching children something as a fact when it is more an article of faith. Intelligent design does have a place in public schools, but not in the science lab.

[caseysmom]

Very well said Maresche and I completely agree.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Intelligent design is not a scientific theory. It is a belief. It does not belong in a science curriculum. And you fail to answer the question. Why stop at two?

[Lady's Human]

ES, in the strictest scientific terms, both evolution and intelligent design are no more advanced than hypotheses. Frankly, given the lack of evidence suppoting either one, they both belong in philosophy, neither belongs in the science lab. Most theories are backed up by factual evidence, and have at least been partially proven in a lab. Laws have been tested and proven in the lab or on paper (or both). Something like the origin of life is at current unprovable by either means. Scientists have re-created the original theoretical primordial soup and come up with nothing becoming life in their experiments.

[Lady's Human]

ES, evolution has been called the largest religion of modern times by some, in other words evolution is a belief, not a proven law or fact.

As to using the mosquito as an example of intelligent population control, it's very simple. A disease carried by the mosquito eliminates the weak members of the population, leaving the strong to reproduce, and keeping a broad gene pool available for breeding.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Well...since I believe the earth is flat I would like that taught in schools as well.... as an alternative theory of course. And there are people who believe you can make gold from lead...so we better teach that as well after all....it hasn't been proven that you can't! It just hasn't been done correctly yet. And there are people who believe that some races are inferior to others. So should we teach that as well? When do you stop.

Religion should be taught in the home....or the religious school....

[CathyBogart]

I would like to point out that evolution does not state that we descended from apes, or, even more ridiculously, that we descended from MONKIES. It says that all of the great apes (humans, chimps, gorillas, orangs, bonobos) descended from a COMMON ANCESTOR.

That's a BIG pet peeve...when people use the "descended from monkeys" thing against evolution....because if you pay attention it says nothing of the sort.

Also, every science teacher I have ever had has mentioned both theories, and almost all of them seem to think that they go hand in hand pretty well. I'm inclined ot agree.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

I would like to point out that evolution does not state that we descended from apes, or, even more ridiculously, that we descended from MONKIES. It says that all of the great apes (humans, chimps, gorillas, orangs, bonobos) descended from a COMMON ANCESTOR.

That's a BIG pet peeve...when people use the "descended from monkeys" thing against evolution....because if you pay attention it says nothing of the sort.

Also, every science teacher I have ever had has mentioned both theories, and almost all of them seem to think that they go hand in hand pretty well. I'm inclined ot agree.

Then why do they wave those charts with a monkey gradually growing into a human under our noses? You know the monkey, ape, neanderthal, caveman, modern man chart????

By the way, a COMMON ANCESTOR, means they decended from the same thing. If the chart shows a monkey first, they would have decended from a monkey. And why did some of them stay monkeys?

Sandra, I use the term theroy for evolution because to me, evolution is not a proven fact. A species may adapt to a degree, but when I was in school, back in the stone ages (with nary a caveman in sight), we were taught evolution meant that species could evolve into another one aka monkey into man. Of course, we ARE in Kansas!

[momoffuzzyfaces]

I hope they teach the constitution as well!

Fails to answer my question though! What if there is another theory? Say...unintelligent design. Must that be taught?

Here's one a very dear friend of mine sent me!

Intelligent Design

They won't be teaching the Bible or any other "religion" just that some believe there is some intelligent design. They will not say that is THE answer. I'm sure if some want it taught that we all came in space ships from Mars, that may be considered too, eventually. Of course, then we are back to the where did the Martians come from problem!!!

By the way, is not the Flying Spaghetti monster intelligent?

I think the main idea is to present two independent views on creation and leave it to the individuals to decide for themselves what they believe.

[Edwina's Secretary]

If the mosquito as a means of population control is an example of intelligent design...I must question just how intelligent it is. Woldn't it be more intelligent simply to design a smaller population?

But MOFF...with all due respect...Intelligent Design IS a religious belief. And if you start teaching beliefs...where do you stop?