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MEDIA ALERT
October 7, 2005
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jamie Rich (816) 931-0738 -- info@fairnessproject.org
"Intelligent Design" Mandates
Schools to Teach Atheism
Kansas Religion Professor Says
(Kansas City, MO) In his national monthly column, Dr.
Robert N. Minor, Professor of Religious Studies at the
University of Kansas, argues that mandating the teaching
of Intelligent Design in the public schools will also
require that schools begin to present the evidence for
atheism.
"Requiring our schools to present the theory of
intelligent design changes the whole structure of science
classes,” says Minor. "Instead of the current
approach, our schools will have to give arguments both
for and against a designer. Not everyone concludes that
the complications in the universe are orderly or concludes
there’s intelligence behind it.”
“Teaching evolutionary theory as a scientific
explanation to understand and predict biological change,
would no longer be enough," writes Minor. “The
new mandate that results is one that requires teachers
in the end to also start presenting arguments against
the existence of an Intelligent Designer, too. It actually
requires schools to argue against the right-wing’s
view of God.”
Minor reminds readers in his "Minor Details"
column that: "The first new question about which
the schools will be required to present 'both sides'
is: Does evidence such as the human body, for example,
actually prove in any way that an intelligence has designed
it?"
“I think those who call for the teaching of a
theory they have newly-dubbed ‘Intelligent Design’
don’t realize that there are scientific and theoretical
questions about whether there is evidence for a design,”
Minor said in an interview. “Many scientists have
also noted that there are many ‘stupid’
features of the universe.”
“So, though the right-wing assumes a ‘yes’
answer to the question of whether the human body, for
example, is evidence that there is a design behind it,”
Minor adds, “our science classes will be drawn
into showing the evidence against it as well.”
“Science teachers now will have to point out
what would be “design” flaws such as the
human spine, the existence of the appendix, the susceptibility
of human beings to viruses such as the common cold,
the fragility of certain joints in the body, the fact
that human bodies at some point flip into a non-renewable
mode. They’ll have to teach how people use such
evidence to conclude that there is no Designer at all,”
Minor writes.
“I don’t think these are the consequences
that the religious right-wing wants when they call for
teaching all sides. I don’t think they have thought
through the fact that our schools will have to show
students the evidence against a Designer. That’s
a whole new argument that follows from demands for teaching
the evidence for “Intelligent Design.’”
The President didn’t realize he was calling for
the schools to show evidence against a Creator when
he said on August 1st: " I think that part of education
is to expose people to different schools of thought.
You're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed
to different ideas, the answer is yes."
“Yet that’s exactly what must happen. If
you teach evidence for it, you’ve got to show
the evidence against it. And you can’t insert
religious answers to explain these flaws. You’ve
just got to give students the evidence that there is
no intelligence there as well,” Minor said.
To read Minor's column go to http://www.fairnessproject.org/Stupid_Design.html
###
Professor Minor makes a lively, insightful guest. For
a media kit and copy of the book contact the distributor,
“The Fairness Project,” at the above address
email or fax number, check out www.fairnessproject.org,
or contact the author directly at rminor@ku.edu. |
