Intelligent Design Theory: Science or Religion?

why is it that god simply cannot have started the evolutionary process?

OGIONIK wrote:

why is it that god simply cannot have started the evolutionary process?

If an all-powerful god is capable of creating us, why waste his time with such a time consuming process? Why not just... do it?

Intelligent design has place in science lessons, says Church of England
(Donald MacLeod, Education Guardian, June 1, 2007)

The row over teaching the theory of intelligent design in science lessons was reignited today by the Church of England's new head of education.

The Rev Jan Ainsworth, who is responsible for more than 4,600 Church of England schools, said intelligent design could form part of discussions in science lessons under the heading of history of science.

Intelligent design - the argument that living species are too complex to have evolved through Darwinian natural selection and must have a "designer" - is dismissed by the vast majority of scientists.

Ms Ainsworth told the Times Educational Supplement: "While it is not something I would subscribe to, it is a recognition that there are different ways of looking at the evidence.

"You would get howls of protest from the scientific community, which would say there is absolutely no place for it in the curriculum. But you could do it in history of science," she added, pointing out that religious education lessons in Church of England schools include discussions of different beliefs.

The church today hastened to play down the significance of her comments.

The long-running battle between creationists and Darwinists over teaching evolution in schools in the US - dating to the 1925 "Monkey Trial" in Tennessee - has spilled over into the UK in recent years.

Earlier this year the government instructed schools in England not to use teaching materials promoting creationism and intelligent design circulated by the privately-funded group Truth in Science.

Ms Ainsworth's comments follow a long-running row over claims that some of Tony Blair's flagship city academies teach creationism in science lessons. The prime minister has dismissed concerns over the issue.

A spokesman for the Church of England said Ms Ainsworth was "simply representing the fact that some schools currently discuss intelligent design within the context of lessons exploring how our understanding of science has developed historically".

He continued: "Ms Ainsworth was not suggesting that intelligent design should be taught as a scientifically-based theory, but merely stating that some schools do include the topic on their history of science curriculum, and that she does not propose to prevent them from doing so.

"She believes that schools should take a lead from the national curriculum, and use discretion in enhancing this with discussions about the theory of intelligent design where appropriate," he added.

The Christian think-tank Ekklesia criticised Ms Ainsworth for flirting with intelligent design which was "creationism masquerading as science" and "appallingly bad theology".

Creationism includes a belief that all forms of life have always existed in their present form, and that the world was formed in 4004 BC, rather than 4,600 million years ago as scientists believe. Intelligent design is less explicit about God creating life and does accept the greater age of the Earth.

In the US there have been robust battles over the teaching of evolution and creationism in schools. This year the Kansas school board banned creationist teaching in science lessons.

In 2005 intelligent design was roundly condemned in a court judgment as a purely religious theory, which should not be taught in American schools under the constitutional separation of church and state. The case was brought over the teaching of intelligent design in schools in Dover, Pennsylvania.

Last year, the world's leading scientific institutions issued a joint statement calling on schools to stop denying the facts of evolution. The national science academies of 67 countries warned that scientific evidence about the origins of life was being "concealed, denied, or confused".

UK UPDATE

Quote:

Intelligent design has place in science lessons, says Church of England
(Donald MacLeod, Education Guardian, June 1, 2007)

Ms Ainsworth told the Times Educational Supplement: "While it is not something I would subscribe to, it is a recognition that there are different ways of looking at the evidence.

ISU president upholds denial of tenure
(By LISA ROSSI, Des Moines Register, June 2, 2007)

Ames, Ia. - Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy has upheld the university's decision to deny tenure to a professor who has advocated a controversial concept called "intelligent design."

Geoffroy, in a statement Friday afternoon, said the professor, Guillermo Gonzalez, "did not show the trajectory of excellence that we expect in a candidate seeking tenure in physics and astronomy - one of our strongest academic programs."

Geoffroy added: "Denying tenure is never an easy thing to do. But for the sake of our students and the university, we must get it right. Recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty who are leaders in their fields is the most important way that Iowa State can improve the rigor and reputation of our academic programs and can increase the number of research programs that are among the very best."

But Geoffroy said that Gonzalez's advocacy of the "intelligent design" concept was not a factor in the decision to turn down his request for tenure.

"I based my review strictly on what he submitted himself as part of his dossier when he requested tenure," Geoffroy said. "I did not consider any of the issues that have been circulating around about intelligent design."

Advocates for Gonzalez have accused the university of denying him tenure because he has gained national attention for his advocacy of intelligent design as a legitimate science.

The intelligent design theory supports the notion that an "intelligent designer" was involved in the evolution of life. Critics say the theory is a repackaged version of creationism.

After the university rejected Gonzalez for tenure, he filed an appeal with Geoffroy. The president had until June 6 to issue a decision.

Tenure is basically a lifetime appointment to teach at the university.

Calls to Gonzalez and members of the Discovery Institute, an organization that advocates for discussion of intelligent design in the classroom, were not returned Friday.

Geoffroy said because the issue of tenure is a personnel matter, he could not share a detailed rationale for the Gonzalez decision.

However, Geoffroy said he focused his review on Gonzalez's overall record of scientific accomplishment as an assistant professor at ISU.

Geoffroy said he considered refereed publications, Gonzalez's level of success in attracting research funding and grants, the amount of telescope observing time he had been granted, the number of graduate students he had supervised, and the overall evidence of his future career promise in the field of astronomy.

The Des Moines Register reported Thursday that university records showed that Gonzalez had raised significantly less research and grant money than his peers in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Iowa State has sponsored $22,661 in outside grant money for Gonzalez since July 2001, records show. In that same time period, Gonzalez's peers in physics and astronomy secured an average of $1.3 million by the time they were granted tenure.

Gonzalez has said he has published 68 peer-reviewed papers during his career.

Gonzalez has also pointed to ISU's physics and astronomy tenure policy, which said promotion to an associate professor requires potential to achieve a national or international reputation, a standard demonstrated by the publication of 15 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY UPDATE

Quote:

ISU president upholds denial of tenure
(By LISA ROSSI, Des Moines Register, June 2, 2007)

Iowa State has sponsored $22,661 in outside grant money for Gonzalez since July 2001, records show. In that same time period, Gonzalez's peers in physics and astronomy secured an average of $1.3 million by the time they were granted tenure.

wandeljw wrote:

UK UPDATE

Quote:

Intelligent design has place in science lessons, says Church of England
(Donald MacLeod, Education Guardian, June 1, 2007)

Ms Ainsworth told the Times Educational Supplement: "While it is not something I would subscribe to, it is a recognition that there are different ways of looking at the evidence.

When people say that, it's clear that they are reciting creationist propaganda.

What evidence exactly can be looked at differently? Has she found a rock with God Was Here engraved on it? What piece of scientific evidence does anyone who says this have that can be interpreted differently.

I've challenged RL on this repeatedly in multiple threads and he has never offered an example to support the statement.

It's clear that the lady Ainsworth has been indoctrinated into the propaganda of creationism, right down to the "I don't believe it, but..." way of sliding this bit of crap into the cultural lexicon.

The only "evidence" that I have heard of is claims of "irreducible complexity" (the eye, the flagella) which have been handily disposed of by knowledgable scientists... there seems to be a dire shortage of knowledgable creationists to refute the evolutionarily sound explanations.

The ID guys are swiftly running out of playing field. Every time theyd pose something, it was quickly proven false.

Nobody knows what an electron is or how it can be in two different places without any time lapse. It is an "effect" isn't it?

Religious students' rights clarified in bill

Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, a watchdog group that says it monitors the "religious right," accused the lawyers who helped write the bill of trying to lay the foundation for more religious discrimination suits.

Kelly Shackelford of the Plano-based Liberty Legal Institute, a group that represents people in religious discrimination cases, dismissed that idea, saying he has plenty of work and doesn't need Howard's bill to sue school districts.