Because “intelligent-design” creationism is an issue near and dear to my heart, I’m pleased to announce that the issue is finally going to court.
While political controversies have been fought repeatedly among local school board members and state education officials in recent years, ID’s role in science curricula has never led to a lawsuit. That is, until now.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and attorneys with Pepper Hamilton LLP filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of 11 parents who say that presenting “intelligent design” in public school science classrooms violates their religious liberty by promoting particular religious beliefs to their children under the guise of science education.
“Teaching students about religion’s role in world history and culture is proper, but disguising a particular religious belief as science is not,” said ACLU of Pennsylvania Legal Director Witold Walczak. “Intelligent design is a Trojan Horse for bringing religious creationism back into public school science classes.”
The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United Executive Director, added, “Public schools are not Sunday schools, and we must resist any efforts to make them so. There is an evolving attack under way on sound science education, and the school board’s action in Dover is part of that misguided crusade. ‘Intelligent design’ has about as much to do with science as reality television has to do with reality.”
This issue has been brewing for many years, but this lawsuit may be the cornerstone of the ID fight. A court ruling on the issue will, we can hope, send the creationists back to the drawing board in trying to figure out how best to undermine quality science (and church-state separation) in public schools.
This particular case deals with the Dover Area School Board, in a rural Pennsylvania town, which was the first district in the country to mandate the teaching of “intelligent-design” creationism in its biology curriculum.
What’s worse, Dover biology teachers will now also be required to read a statement to students that includes what may be the least scientifically-literate message used in a public school in decades:
Because Darwin’s Theory is a theory, it is still being tested as new evidence is discovered. The Theory is not a fact. Gaps in the Theory exist for which there is no evidence. A theory is defined as a well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations.
Intelligent design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin’s view. The reference book, Of Pandas and People is available for students to see if they would like to explore this view in an effort to gain an understanding of what intelligent design actually involves. As is true with any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind.
The lawsuit can’t, of course, just challenge the school board for being ignorant and teaching junk science. It’s a tragedy for the students who deserve a quality education, but it’s not against the law. Using the science curriculum to promote religion, however, is.
The lawsuit argues that teaching students about “intelligent design” in public school science classes entangles government with religion and violates the separation of church and state. Of Pandas and People, the alternative book available for students, was authored by advocates of so-called creation science and published by a Christian think-tank that aims to preach “the Christian Gospel and understanding of the Bible.”
And that’s why I think this lawsuit is going to work out well.
In fact, there’s already something of a precedent here. In 1987, the Supreme Court ruled (in Edwards v Aguillard) that an “equal time” provision — teaching real science alongside creationism — is a violation of the First Amendment because it was a form of state-sponsored religion. With this in mind, Dover’s ID policy is on terribly shaky legal ground.
And if you’re new to this issue, and don’t really understand what “intelligent-design” creationism is all about, I’d encourage you to check out some of the articles I’ve written on the subject, which should help bring you up to speed.