CNN.com - Scientists enlist clergy in evolution battle - Feb 20, 2006

*Busy Busy Busy*

Don't expect any updates for the near future as I confront an epic battle first with my public law assignment due on Friday and then on Monday, my Trust & Equity Assignment.

Anyway,the above post is kind of old news (1 day at least) but I figure it's worth a mention. But what I would like to point out is a number of inaccurate things in the report.

American scientists fighting back against creationism, intelligent design and other theories that seek to deny or downgrade the importance of evolution have recruited unlikely allies -- the clergy.

Actually, it's not true that the clergy are 'unlikely allies' of Evolution/Science. Science has always been seen by the more progressive elements as being a way to discover God's creation. Sure, some of the stuff may contradict what's in the Bible, but surely nothing is beyond God. I think it's an unfalsifiable proposition but I admire sincere people of faith.

If one looks back to the 70s and the battle against Creation-Science, there were a number of organisations with ties to organised religion that were not only against it but willing to stand on the side of Science. For example, there was Americans United for the Separation of Church and State as well as the American Jewish Committee that was willing to stand agains these laws.

There are of course good reasons why this should be so. ID is at its heart a nudge-nudge-wink-wink advocacy of Biblical Creationism. It was very clear from the subpeonaed text for ID that the way ID was introduced into the text was by way of the ctrl-F i.e. find and replace button. Paragraphs after paragraphs with exact the same words except for Intelligent Design replacing Creationism. And all happening when the Supreme Court decided that teaching Creationism violated the Establishment Clause.

And the way their argumentation goes, it's primarily an argument from ignorance and increduity. And the more Science and these kids know, the more they are in fact likely to doubt this Intelligent Designer, not something that the clergy would want.

So I leave you with this parting comment:

"The intelligent design movement belittles God. It makes God a designer, an engineer," said Vatican Observatory Director George Coyne, an astrophysicist who is also ordained. "The God of religious faith is a god of love. He did not design me."

Peace.