Sorry to my few readers out there for the lack of postings in the last couple of weeks. I have been working hard on two pieces, which should be submitted any day now. The first is Part 2 of our union discussion and the second piece is another installment of our debate over the future of Progressivism.

In the meantime, I’d like to wade into a conversation we are seeing at several of the sites in our Blogroll. The conversation concerns Intelligent Design, Creationism and Evolution. I see two distinct arguments coming from left-leaning ‘progressives’ and I would like to address both.

First off, I have been enjoying the conversations over at The Barefoot Bum. He has several posts on the subject so I won’t link specifically to any of them here, but they are all good reads. BB is an avowed and nearly militant atheist, but he seems to have a level head concerning the whole debate. He has drawn clear lines in the sand and only proposes action when that line is crossed. I respect his position on this subject immensely.

My new friends at the uber-liberal Submitted to a Candid World are also discussing ID and related issues, though their discussion seems to center more around debunking ID than fighting to keep ID out of schools.

So where does The Big Stick stand on the debate?

I believe that evolution is good science. An an anthropologist by training I believe the evidence in favor of evolution is solid and although there are still a lot of gaps in our knowledge, evolution is here to stay. Should evolution be taught in classrooms? Absolutely. Should teachers explain that it is still disputed by some scientists? Absolutely. Should other competing theories be taught as well? Absolutely. Is Intelligent Design one of those theories?

No.

ID cannot be verified through any currently available scientific methods, nor will it be because it relies on something specifically un-scientific, i.e. the supernatural. This precludes it from any science class taught in public schools. Period. It should really be that simple. But it isn’t.

The problem with ID is not in the beliefs of it’s proponents. I have no problem with people of faith wanting to attribute supernatural causes to the natural world. In fact, I am one of those people. I see the hand of God in nature much more than in any church I have attended, but I know that ID is a spiritual belief. It should remain as such.

Although there are unfortunately some conservatives who disagree, it is my opinion that scientists don’t spend a lot of time trying to preach their theories to the masses. Yes, they like to publish stuff and they can’t refuse an interview by NPR, but for the most part their findings lead to more questions than answers and most of them prefer it that way. On the other hand, we have the ID folks who don’t seem to be content with having their own beliefs. They have to spread the word.

The reason that liberals have taken up arms against ID proponents and are wasting countless gigabytes of internet space trying to discredit ID is because they see their schools under attack. On this point I have to agree. Evangelicals across the US are trying to push ID through as science. This is a blatant attempt to get religion into the public schools and one which must be stopped. Progressives must honor their commitment to education by not allowing ID to become part of any public school’s science curriculum. To allow it is to open the door to a host of pseudoscences which will leave our students the laughing stock of the world.

It is my belief that Progressives, liberals and those conservatives who respect the integrity of science must all draw a line in the sand. On one side is the world of spirituality and faith. This is where ID belongs and so long as it is there we should not only respect it but also protect it by keeping the government out of churches. On the other side is the world of science and provable facts. This is where evolution and other strong scientific theories should be scrutinized by students and scientists. We must also protect this side by keeping evangelical Christians out of our public school science classrooms.

So, to all those liberals who are trying to persuade ID proponents that their ideas are bunk…I say, why? Let them have their beliefs so long as they aren’t hurting anyone else. You will never successfully change their mind if they are committed to their beliefs. Hold the line on our schools and defend them on the basis of good science.

And to all those Christians who are pushing for ID in schools. Stop it. If you push beyond the boundaries of your faith, we will fight you till the end. ID is not evil, but is also isn’t science. Let’s be clear on that.