Bush "being praised" for "defending free speech" on life's origins

[Bluebear]

(AgapePress, Reliable news from a Christian source) - President Bush is being praised for stating that public school students should be exposed to different schools of thought on the subject of the origins of life.

Earlier this week, the president told reporters that schools should feel free to include alternative theories to Darwinism, such as intelligent design, in their science curriculum. "You're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas," he told reporters, "and the answer is yes."

And while Bush did not reveal his personal views on evolution, his comments drew the ire of several critics, among them liberal Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank and Barry Lynn, the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. But Dr. John West with the Seattle-based Discovery Institute says the president should be praised for defending free speech on evolution....

"There are only a tiny minority of people who don't believe that, who don't believe in free speech on evolution," he explains. "Unfortunately, they happen to be in some of the places of power. And so it's very good and we're very pleased that President Bush has come out on the side of academic freedom on evolution -- not on the side of censorship."


http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/8/52005f.asp

[achtung_circus]

1. Free speech is one thing,

camouflaging religious dogma as pseudo-science is quite another.

If Intelligent Design is to be discussed in school, let it be in comparative religion, not biology.

[OrlandoGator]

2. Who designed the designer?

That's the only question you have to ask whenever someone seriously tries to present "Intelligent Design" as an explanation of our origins as a species.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

3. Proof of Intelligent Design?

I read somewhere that when you look at the proferred evidence for ID, it basically boils down to "Wow."

[OrlandoGator]

9. The crux of ID is that complex organisms were designed that way.

It introduces a paradox...because using that logic, any entity that was sophisticated enough to design a species must have itself been designed. This is simply using their own rationale.

And it creates an endless do-loop.

[w13rd0]

4. If they want us to take "Intelligent Design" seriously...

...they should be prepared for those that argue that human evolution is the result of "intelligent design" on the part of alien intelligences. After all, it's about as plausible and there's as much scientific evidence supporting it. How will they feel when their childrens teacher starts telling their kids about theories that the greys made subtle alterations to the dna of primates to bring about homo sapiens? Or maybe it was the Thetans. I mean, hell, why not?

[Liberal In Texas]

11. Absolutely. If we're going to start throwing wild speculation and mystic

beliefs into science, we won't have science anymore. We'll have nothing more than the primitive mythology of a thousand years ago. Some progress.

[stevietheman]

15. It's turtles all the way down. :) n/t

n/t

[msongs]

5. my grandma said its not nice to gape at people, so what is agape?

besides some kind of christian cult thing?

Msongs
www.msongs.com

PS - the content of the article is not worth talking about except to see that christianity-only beliefs do not replace science in schools. these people do NOT want to see any beliefs from islam or buddhism or hindu taught in USA public schools to their little christian kiddies.

[Bluebear]

6. Agape is the kind of love that Christ taught, unconditional

While not Christian, I do admire Jesus as a teacher..and a big detractor of the current nuts using his name to break down our country! :hi:

[Geoff R. Casavant]

10. Three kinds of love

in the Greek language -- "eros" is romantic love, "filios" (sp?) is love between family members, and "agape" (pronounced AH-gah-pay or ah-GAH-pay) is universal love of all people (closest English synonym is philanthropy).

[mcctatas]

7. Bush defending free speech??!

Isn't that kinda like James Dobson defending women's rights?! Hard to defend something you don't support, although I suppose as long as it's speech he approves of.......

[Incitatus]

8. Hmm

There is some guy who wrote a book that says the holocaust never happened. Maybe his ideas should be taught in history class.
We wouldn't want to violate his right to free speech, right?:banghead:

Or, maybe we can teach the Christian Science approach to medicine in our schools as well.

[kestrel91316]

12. How about free speech for medical personnal who

want to discuss abortion as an option and use of condoms to prevent STDs??

I'm waiting for an answer, George.

[shpilk]

13. Let's be fair ..

W's pushing "people ought to be exposed to different ideas" as his new mantra. Let's ask the people who were wearing "Defend our Civil Liberties" tee-shirts, or any pro-peace buttons at any Bush campaign rally. Ask them about the reaction of the GOP security goons {some of them law enforcement officers paid with taxpayer money, BTW} at these rallies when they to express their "different ideas".

In taxpayer funded classrooms, the equivalent Creation and Intelligent Design theories of Confucianism, Taoism, Inuit, Hindu, Arapaho, Rastas, Buddhists and the thousands of all the religions of the world must be given their equal time, in each and every class where ID/Creationism is mandated by local, State or Federal government.

To do otherwise is to establish religion, a direct violation of the very principles our nation was founded upon. Free speech has a place and has a price .. in a taxpayer funded classroom, be prepared to give everyone, and every interest equal time.

Of course, the other alternative - to TEACH SCIENCE, and only science - is always available. Beats the hell out of having a 2500 hour course on comparative religion in order to discuss biology and physics in Junior High, doesn't it?

[Dudley_DUright]

14. So now "academic freedom" means they are going to force

science teachers to teach material that is manifestly not science. I can only shake my head at their Orwellian use of language. :eyes:

[usregimechange]

16. Don't fall for it, this has NOTHING to do with free speech

Teachers can say what they want. School board may not use their offices to promote fundamentalism.