If nothing else, proponents of Intelligent Design are tenacious. Having suffered a stinging defeat last year by a Federal District Court in Pennsylvania, the rank and file have regrouped and begun another assault on the classroom, this time in rural California.
The New York Times reported Wednesday (see California Parents File Suit Over Origins of Life Course) a special education teacher at Frazier Mountain High School in Lebec (who also happens to be the wife of the pastor at the local Assemblies of God church) has proposed a four week elective course originally entitled Philosophy of Intelligent Design. The official course description states, "This class will take a close look at evolution as a theory and will discuss the scientific, biological and biblical aspects that suggest why Darwin's philosophy is not rock solid."
Excuse me? Darwin's "philosophy?" Get it? Having failed miserably in their attempt to cloak Intelligent Design as "science" and therefore Evolution's "equal," they now want to dress ID up as "philosophy" while simultaneously dismissing over 140 years of scientific proof of evolution as mere 'philosophy.' Well, if you can't elevate Intelligent Design, might as well demote Evolution. The goal, of course, is to spin ID and Evolution as somehow equivalent so the argument of 'teaching both sides of the debate' resonates with the public.
Fortunately, a group of parents in Lebec saw through this latest farce and filed suit, aided by lawyers with Americans United for Separation of Church and State (God Bless'em!). Interestingly, the parents stated 23 of 24 videos scheduled to be shown to students were "produced or distributed by religious organizations and assume a pro-creationist, anti-evolution stance." Worse, the syllabus listed two evolution 'experts' who would speak to the class. One is a local parent (who is now part of the group filing suit); the other is DNA co-discoverer Francis H. Crick. I guess the pastor's wife didn't realize Crick died in 2004. Worse still, the local school board has approved the proposed course by a 3-to-2 vote.
It's déjà vu all over again, folks!
As a biologist, geneticist, physician and former Chief of Medical Operations at NASA, I do a lot of public speaking to lay audiences on the "new genetics" as well as other topics. I am always amazed when a member of the audience asks, "Dr. Logan, do you believe in evolution?" My answer is always the same. I smile and ask, "Do you believe in gravity?" I then try to respectfully point out the sometimes subtle but significant difference between a fact and a belief. We still don't know all the nuances, mechanisms and qualities of gravity (the same is true of electricity), but our temporary ignorance does not negate gravity as an irrefutable FACT.
The next question is almost always the same, "Do you believe in God?" I pause. "Yes," I answer, "but I may not believe in your God." I'm not sure we puny human beings have the capacity to understand God as a concept, much less as a reality.
But I am sure of one thing: God belongs in the churches, not in the schools.
To paraphrase a famous quote: Eternal vigilance is the price of separation of church and state. Don't let your guard down. We may have won a battle or two, but the war is far from over.