From the [Eastern] Virginia Chapter of Americans United
This Richmond Times Dispatch Headline says it all:
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?c=MGArticle&cid=1128768843782&pag\
ename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&path=!news&s=1045855934842
Virginians react to evolution ruling
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Dec 21, 2005
Judge rules against Pennsylvania biology curriculum
Walter Witschey Director, Science Museum of Virginia
The outspoken director of the Science Museum of Virginia, Walter
Witschey, said that "while 'intelligent design' has a place in Sunday
School or in discussions of faith and comparative religion, [the
judge] has rightly ruled that creationism under the intelligent-design
banner is not science and must not be taught in K-12 science classes."
Robert S. Alley Retired professor, University of Richmond
Robert S. Alley of Richmond, a retired University of Richmond
professor who taught religion and humanities, said creationism and
intelligent design are "just not appropriate to teach in public schools."
"Schools are not designed to take sides on that issue," Alley said.
"The creation story in the Bible is a collection of myths. . . .
Persons of faith have a right to believe it. That doesn't mean it can
automatically be taught in schools."
Randy Bell Associate professor, University of Virginia
The Pennsylvania ruling will make it more difficult for a public
school board to mandate a similar policy in Virginia, said Randy Bell,
associate professor and program coordinator for the University of
Virginia's secondary science teacher education program.
Not that attempts are less likely, he said. "I don't think that those
who are against teaching evolution in schools will back off from this
ruling. . . . I don't think it's going to make the problem go away,"
he said.
"It's going to continue to be a challenge to address evolution in
secondary public schools and biology classrooms."
Jill Losee-Hoehlein Virginia Beach biology teacher of the year
Jill Losee-Hoehlein of Virginia Beach, Virginia's biology teacher of
the year and president of the Virginia chapter of the National
Association of Biology Teachers, said she was delighted by the news.
"Evolution is the groundwork of all biology," said Losee-Hoehlein,
department chairwoman at Great Bridge High School in Virginia Beach.
"People don't really understand what the word 'theory' means to a
scientist and what 'evolution' really means. . . . I think perhaps
that's a lack of our teaching it correctly to our students."
Jacqueline T. McDonnough Director, Summer Governor's School for Life
Sciences and Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University
Religious belief and scientific theory should not be confused, said
Jacqueline T. McDonnough of Virginia Commonwealth University, director
of the summer Governor's School for Life Sciences and Medicine.
"Teaching intelligent design is the same as teaching creationism,
which has a religious base," she said. "When we teach about evolution,
we're teaching what we have evidence for. Intelligent design is a
belief that we have to have a higher power because life is too complex
to come about from random chance."
-- Compiled by staff writers A.J. Hostetler and Alberta Lindsey
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Posting and reading from alt.politics.usa.constitution OR alt.education
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Hampton Roads [Virginia] SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members, there are members from
all over the U.S. and a couple from overseas as well]
***************************************************************
.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
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THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
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