From the article:
---------------------------------
DAVE DENTEL
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Dover Area School Board member William Buckingham placed himself in an unenviable
position earlier this month when he objected to the use of science texts that teach
evolution, but don?t mention creationism.
It isn?t easy to challenge the double orthodoxy that evolution is pure fact and that
religion has no place in state-funded education. Indeed, by doing so Buckingham has
exposed himself to the very real risk of being characterized on one hand as an
ignoramus, and on the other as a raving Christian zealot.
But considering what?s at stake, perhaps for the moment we can grant Buckingham the
benefit of the doubt. After all, we are talking about fundamentals of public
education.
To begin with, it is simply untrue to say that Darwin?s theory stands unchallenged
today. Yes, most scientists probably agree with the statement that evolution has
occurred. Exactly what this means, however, remains a matter of debate.
Biological adaptation and variation, for instance, offer reasonable explanations for
why polar bears thrive in the Arctic, or why, in the Galapagos Islands, finches with
larger beaks survive periods of drought when finches with smaller beaks die.
On the other hand, it is gospel truth to state that there are many educated,
reputable critics of Darwinism today (both in and out of the scientific community)
who question whether random mutation combined with natural selection can explain
such historical facts as the origin of life, the development of various species, and
especially, the emergence of human beings as existential, rational creatures.
A few of these critics include law professor Philip Johnson, biochemist Michael Behe,
and gadfly science journalist Richard Milton. (For those who like their science
mixed with a heady dose of irreverence, I highly recommend Milton?s Web site at
www.alternativescience.com.)
---------------------------------------
Read the rest at http://ydr.com/story/reader/30537/
J. Spaceman
--
My email address (notreally@jspaceman.homelinux.org) is fake. Email sent to it will
only get caught in my spam tarpit.
.
|
