Post by Said1 on Sept 26, 2005 8:37:26 GMT -5
Depending on the presentation, I would have no problem with both being taught in class. It would make a great in class debate and assignment topic. 
Continued @ www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/26/AR2005092600149.html
Evolution Debate Heads to Pa. Court
By MARTHA RAFFAELE
The Associated Press
Monday, September 26, 2005; 4:29 AM
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Eighty years after the Scopes Monkey Trial, the latest legal chapter in the debate over the teaching of evolution in public schools is to unfold in federal court.
The Dover Area School District on Monday was to start defending its policy of requiring ninth-grade students hear about "intelligent design" before biology lessons on evolution.
Clarence Darrow, left, and William Jennings Bryan sit beside one another at the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tenn. in this 1925 file photo. Darrow was one of three lawyers sent to Dayton by the American Civil Liberties Union to defend John T. Scopes, a biology teacher, in his test of Tennessee's law banning the teaching of evolution. Bryan testified for the prosecution as a Bible expert. (AP Photo)
Clarence Darrow, left, and William Jennings Bryan sit beside one another at the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tenn. in this 1925 file photo. Darrow was one of three lawyers sent to Dayton by the American Civil Liberties Union to defend John T. Scopes, a biology teacher, in his test of Tennessee's law banning the teaching of evolution. Bryan testified for the prosecution as a Bible expert. (AP Photo) (AP)
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Dover is believed to be the first school system in the nation to require students be exposed to the concept under a policy adopted by a 6-3 vote in October 2004.
Intelligent design, a concept some scholars have advanced over the past 15 years, holds that Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection cannot fully explain the origin of life or the emergence of highly complex life forms. It implies that life on Earth was the product of an unidentified intelligent force.
Critics say intelligent design is merely creationism _ a literal reading of the Bible's story of creation _ camouflaged in scientific language, and it does not belong in a science curriculum. Eight Dover families are suing the school district, alleging that the policy violates the constitutional separation of church and state.
"The intelligent-design movement is an effort to introduce creationism into the schools under a different name," said Eric Rothschild, a Philadelphia attorney representing the families.
The history of evolution litigation dates back to the famous 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, in which Tennessee biology teacher John T. Scopes was fined $100 for violating a state law that forbade teaching evolution. The Tennessee Supreme Court reversed his conviction on the narrow ground that only a jury trial could impose a fine exceeding $50, and the law was repealed in 1967.
In 1968, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned an Arkansas state law banning the teaching of evolution. And in 1987, it ruled that states may not require public schools to balance evolution lessons by teaching creationism.
The clash over intelligent-design is evident far beyond this rural district of about 3,500 students 20 miles south of Harrisburg. President Bush has weighed in, saying schools should present both concepts when teaching about the origins of life.
In August, the Kansas Board of Education gave preliminary approval to science standards that allow intelligent design-style alternatives to be discussed alongside evolution.
Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, which lobbies for the religious freedom of Christians and is defending the school district, said Dover's policy takes a modest approach.
It requires teachers to read a statement that says intelligent design differs from Darwin's view and refers students to an intelligent-design textbook, "Of Pandas and People," for more information.
By MARTHA RAFFAELE
The Associated Press
Monday, September 26, 2005; 4:29 AM
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Eighty years after the Scopes Monkey Trial, the latest legal chapter in the debate over the teaching of evolution in public schools is to unfold in federal court.
The Dover Area School District on Monday was to start defending its policy of requiring ninth-grade students hear about "intelligent design" before biology lessons on evolution.
Clarence Darrow, left, and William Jennings Bryan sit beside one another at the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tenn. in this 1925 file photo. Darrow was one of three lawyers sent to Dayton by the American Civil Liberties Union to defend John T. Scopes, a biology teacher, in his test of Tennessee's law banning the teaching of evolution. Bryan testified for the prosecution as a Bible expert. (AP Photo)
Clarence Darrow, left, and William Jennings Bryan sit beside one another at the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tenn. in this 1925 file photo. Darrow was one of three lawyers sent to Dayton by the American Civil Liberties Union to defend John T. Scopes, a biology teacher, in his test of Tennessee's law banning the teaching of evolution. Bryan testified for the prosecution as a Bible expert. (AP Photo) (AP)
Who's Blogging?
Read what bloggers are saying about this article.
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Dover is believed to be the first school system in the nation to require students be exposed to the concept under a policy adopted by a 6-3 vote in October 2004.
Intelligent design, a concept some scholars have advanced over the past 15 years, holds that Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection cannot fully explain the origin of life or the emergence of highly complex life forms. It implies that life on Earth was the product of an unidentified intelligent force.
Critics say intelligent design is merely creationism _ a literal reading of the Bible's story of creation _ camouflaged in scientific language, and it does not belong in a science curriculum. Eight Dover families are suing the school district, alleging that the policy violates the constitutional separation of church and state.
"The intelligent-design movement is an effort to introduce creationism into the schools under a different name," said Eric Rothschild, a Philadelphia attorney representing the families.
The history of evolution litigation dates back to the famous 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, in which Tennessee biology teacher John T. Scopes was fined $100 for violating a state law that forbade teaching evolution. The Tennessee Supreme Court reversed his conviction on the narrow ground that only a jury trial could impose a fine exceeding $50, and the law was repealed in 1967.
In 1968, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned an Arkansas state law banning the teaching of evolution. And in 1987, it ruled that states may not require public schools to balance evolution lessons by teaching creationism.
The clash over intelligent-design is evident far beyond this rural district of about 3,500 students 20 miles south of Harrisburg. President Bush has weighed in, saying schools should present both concepts when teaching about the origins of life.
In August, the Kansas Board of Education gave preliminary approval to science standards that allow intelligent design-style alternatives to be discussed alongside evolution.
Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, which lobbies for the religious freedom of Christians and is defending the school district, said Dover's policy takes a modest approach.
It requires teachers to read a statement that says intelligent design differs from Darwin's view and refers students to an intelligent-design textbook, "Of Pandas and People," for more information.
Continued @ www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/26/AR2005092600149.html