Screaming Penguin - Source Does Matter

Man the evolution "debate" in the states is just hilarious. Its especially bad in Georgia, where I live, but other states have had their share of the idiocy as well (Kansas, Tennesse, hell every state that voted for Bush ;)). Despite what people WANT to think and what they like to make believe the jury is NOT OUT on evolution. Evolution is the keystone theory of biology (and yeah in science its called a "theory" but that doesnt mean it is not factual, see the definition of theory in the scientific context). Lets go over that sentence again for the zealots, its factual and its SCIENCE, two things that creation, ID, etc are not.

Now dont get me wrong here. This is not some disrespect for religion, or for "creation" or "ID" themselves (although I personally do not concur with either). Many religions are perfectly consonant with evolution, and with gravity (also a "theory") and with nuclear physics (atomic "theory") and with the germ "theory" of disease and so on.

What the indictment is of, is when religion tries to masquerade as science. As soon as religion wants to be in a scientific textbook, or classroom, etc, then its gets put on the same stage as evolution, a scientific stage. One that is very rigorous and demanding and involves actual observation, actual study, actual evidence (which yes, there is a great deal of for evolution). Evolution is a body of observable facts and scientific study over a great period of time, with peer review and error bars and so on (its science).

Its fine to teach creation or ID in a theology or philosophy class but the plain FACT OF THE MATTER is that its NOT SCIENCE. And guess what, publicly funded schools dont teach theology (for very good, although eroded by the Bush administration, reasons). There are "scientists" and groups that fight for creation or ID and want it in school textbooks and so on, but none of them, NOT ONE, have a SINGLE LEGITIMATE scientific study or paper on "creation" or "ID" that has been peer reviewed and ACCEPTED. ZERO. Its not the jury still out.

We keep hearing about putting other "theories" of human evolution in textbooks just to be "fair". Well its exactly NOT FAIR to put something that is not accepted science in a SCIENCE book or a SCIENCE class.

Now states that keep pushing this issue are becoming laughing stocks and they should (colleges are stating they will not accept students that are not properly prepared and so on). Changing science classes in public schools over some ideology, any ideology, anything that is not scientific is frankly something the proponents of creation/ID KNOW is foolish and its a specious attempt to get religion into schools.

See the linked CNN article for the Georgia "Cobb" county debacle of "stickers" in the books. And Join AU to help fight to maintain the separation of church and state.   Some worry evolution dispute hurts image