Sunday, November 13, 2005

It's The Pits For Dover, PA School Board

The 8 member school board in Dover, Pennsylvania, put their city on the map with their policy to teach intelligent design in the classroom, along with evolution. So the voters crossed party lines to vote for candidates they liked, therefore, succeeding in voting them all out! If they had not crossed over, more than likely all eight would have been voted back in, since all ran on the republican side, and 70% of the town is republican. Dover CARES succeeded in bringing in all eight of their candidates.

The town was tired of being protrayed as Northern version of Dayton, TN, where 80 years ago, a teacher was tried for trying to teach evolution in the Bible Belt. Christians attending the same church went against one another. There were dueling lawn signs by neighbors.


The election came only four days after closing arguments in a six-week trial of the Dover school board and administrators in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg, about 25 miles to the northeast. Eleven parents had sued the Dover board on constitutional grounds, claiming that intelligent design was an outgrowth of religious creationism. The case will be decided by Judge John E. Jones III, who said he expected to rule by early January. Intelligent design holds that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by some kind of higher force.

The policy that was put forth did not tell teachers they had to teach intelligent design, but just to mention it in a 4 paragraph statement that would be read to students. Also, the statement said that 'evolution is not a fact'.

The case won't be affected by the election. But, the newly-elected board may decide to reject the policy. But, most of the Dover people just want this to go away!

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2 Comments:

Norma said...

I'm always torn by the ID arguments. I happen to be a 6 day creationist myself, so I don't consider the ID theory either Biblical or scientific! I'm wondering if God would honor a more honest approach?

Barbara said...

Norma, I don't see where ID helps students to understand creation as we believe it any more than evolution teachings causes me to believe that we evolved. There's no scientific 'proof' for either, that I see.

I believe God would like for His people to not be so ashamed to say 'God made the world and all that is in it, period'. I think, if you teach evolution in science, then you should be able to teach the opposite - that some believe we were 'formed from the dust of the ground'. That's biblical. But, it's not going to fly in the scientfic field; therefore, it will never be taught that way.