First Impressions:
Intelligent design isn’t a science

Evolution vs. stupidity is a pun on the recent debate of teaching evolution vs. intelligent design in public school districts. Intelligent design, an extension of creationism, states that the development of life has an intelligent creator. Darwin’s theory of evolution states that species (including humans) have evolved by natural selection, meaning that those who are better adapted to the environment will live and procreate. Darwin was not an atheist: He believed that God did create life, but that evolution was simply the process by which it developed.

In September, the debate reached a new level in Dover, Pa. An article by Laurie Goodstein stated that the “school board... voted last year to require high school biology classes to hear about ‘alternatives’ to evolution.” The debate caused 11 parents in Dover to sue the school district, as it’s seen as infringing upon the separation of religion and public schools.

There is a clear separation of church and state that is outlined in our Constitution. There’s nothing wrong with people having their own religious beliefs about life and its creation. But whether you beat your Bible or burn it, you cannot teach religion in public schools. That’s what parochial schools are for. Otherwise, it’s a violation of the liberties on which this country stands. According to J. Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Pennsylvania, the ACLU is bringing forward “six experts in history, theology, philosophy of science and science to show that no matter what the perspective, intelligent design is not science because it does not meet the ground rules of science, is not based on natural explanations, is not testable.”

It’s sad that theologians, philosophers and scientists need to tell us that intelligent design is not a science. Is this country so stupid that it can’t figure that out on its own? This is the same argument over again. There is a clear separation of church and state, and it’s impossible to legislate morality and religion. Moral debates go around in circles because anybody intelligent knows that, regardless of one’s personal stance on moral/religious issues, it would be catastrophic to make a moral decision. These debates allow the even dumber argument that intelligent design should be taught in schools.

— Jenny Stanwix