12.20.2005

Look... a whole entry without ONE cussword



(Photo caption: Doesn't really have anything to do with the story. Just thought it was funny.)

To: You
From: Guess
Date: Duh
Subject: [Insert 30 seconds of thinking up a vapid subject line.]

“A Pennsylvania school district cannot teach in science classes a concept that says some aspects of science were created by a supernatural being, a federal judge has ruled.” -- CNN reporting on the Intelligent Design (ID) case in Harrisburg, Pa.

Deep breath. OK ...

It’s totally ludicrous to fathom that this battle is being fought in 21st century courts. This case should have taken place in 1932 and been used as a precedent for today.

Do me a favor. One night, take a drive on a dirt road toward the outskirts of town, away from light pollution. Park your car and gaze at the sky.

Amazing isn’t it? You can’t help but feel paltry compared to the world surrounding you, and questions are sure to pop in your head. Using evidence and theories from years of research, scientists today turn to evolution to attempt to draw a blueprint of how we got here.

Others point to their Bible or anoint some intelligent authority with the honor of being the creator of life. That’s fine ... for them. These “others” have private schools that their children can attend that teaches this. Not public schools.

Not only is it farcical, but it’s completely arrogant to shove your beliefs in the faces of others. And the worst thing is, these people — parents and school board members of Dover School District in Pennsylvania — are trying to veil the fact that ID, or as I like to call it “modern creationism,” is based on dogma, not fact.

Evolution is a theory, yes. How do scientists approach theories? With facts, and more facts, searching, more facts, and intense studies. However, the school board still doesn’t buy it. “Because Darwin’s Theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered. The theory is not a fact,” the board said in a statement in October 2004, which was approved with a 6-3 vote. “With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind.”

Isaac Newton has this “theory” about gravity, so I guess we shouldn’t teach that either.

I understand that evolution, alone, cannot explain everything in this world. We live in a complex environment. However, ID does no better job explaining the inexplicable. It was Clarence Dorrow, a famous defense lawyer and stout agnostic that said: “I do not consider it an insult, but rather a compliment to be called an agnostic. I do not pretend to know where many ignorant men are sure — that is all agnosticism means.”

It’s human fundamentalism at its core to question. But why, after inspecting the intricacies of this world, would you want to sum it all up with the notion that one being created it? That’s no fun. That, my friends, is a cop-out. Plain and simple.

You may disagree with me. But there’s no reasonable explanation or suggestion for why it should be constitutional that ID be taught in schools. Period.

You really want your kids to have an open mind? Have them open a book besides the Bible. Otherwise, this world will never evolve into something other than a state of repugnance and futility.

1 comment:

Lindsay said...

I had wanted to blog about this topic but didn't know exactly how to word it. This is a great post to me... Prolly my fave so far. It's well-worded and carries a few of my own sentiments.

Gotta love the church sign generator.