Kansas Repeals Evolution Ruling
Education Board Repeals Science Guidelines Questioning Evolution, A Blow To "Intelligent Design" Advocates
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Former Chairman Steve Abrams, left, votes to adopt new science standards while former Education Commissioner Bob Corkins monitors the vote during a meeting of the Kansas Board of Education in Topeka, Nov. 8, 2005. (AP)
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The new guidelines reflect mainstream scientific views of evolution and represent a political defeat for advocates of "intelligent design," who had helped write the standards that are being jettisoned. The intelligent design concept holds that life is so complex that it must have been created by a higher authority.
The board removed language suggesting that key evolutionary concepts are controversial and being challenged by new research, and approved a new definition of science that limits it to the search for natural explanations of what's observed in the universe, reports CBS Radio affiliate WIBW in Topeka. The new guidelines are the fifth set of science standards for Kansas public schools in eight years.
Also approved was a new definition of science, specifically limiting it to the search for natural explanations of what is observed in the universe.
"Those standards represent mainstream scientific consensus about both what science is and what evolution is," said Jack Krebs, a math and technology teacher who helped write the new guidelines. He is also president of Kansas Citizens for Science.
The state uses its standards to develop tests that measure how well students are learning science. Although decisions about what is taught in classrooms remain with 296 local school boards, both sides in the evolution dispute say the standards will influence teachers as they try to ensure that their students test well.
John Calvert, a retired attorney who helped found the Intelligent Design Network, said under the new standards, "students will be fed an answer which may be right or wrong" about questions like the origin of life.
"Who does that model put first?" he said. "The student, or those supplying the preordained 'natural explanation'?"
There have been debates or legal battles in several other states over evolution and the intelligent design argument, but none has inspired comedians' jokes or parodies like Kansas' ongoing battle has.
Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" had a four-part "Evolution Schmevolution" series in 2005, and hearings that year drew journalists from Canada, France, Britain and Japan.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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See all 236 CommentsNot all people of faith dismiss evolution. Some of us actually believe that the theory of evolution is the best scientific explanation and want that to be taught in the science classrooms. We also believe that creationism or -as we would call it now- intellegent design is best taught in church or - if it is taught in school - an elective philosophy course.
But then, not all people of Christian faith are fundamentalist Chrisitans. Some of are even *gasp!* Episcopalians!
Posted by singinrick at 07:56 PM : Feb 13, 2007
Where does the athiest slam come from? These are people who are subscribing to science, not atheism, preacherman.
Who knows, maybe one day science will discover God acutally exists. Now wouldn't that be better, to think that science discovered God, rather than to force science to cower before the religious extremists who require them to adopt something they cannot physically prove?
"intelligent design" is bibull thumper doublespeak.
Idiots may fall for "intelligent design" as a new wrapping paper for the package, but the rest of us know a snow job when we see it.
Posted by singinrick at 07:56 PM : Feb 13, 2007
Science will always win over fairy tales among the non-brainwashed.
If you want to believe in god or buddha or allah, more power to you.
But science is science.
If you TRULY believe in god, then you have to believe that god created the world and all in it-- as well as science.
Evidence of evolution has been seen time and time and time and time again.
Evidence of a non-corporeal being has NEVER been seen let alone proved.
Please, right wing morons, keep your stupidity away from me or my kids school.
As it happens, most evolution scientists, most scientists period, believe in God. By a substantial margin. Science and god are not incompatible.
Some might well believe that if you want to know God, studying his works, with a completely open mind about how and why they came about, is a good thing. That's what a scientist does. Without regard to who, they just try to understand how things work. If you believe in God, you see a marvelous architect who set up a system of rules (physics), and set things in motion, creating a wonderful complexity, and many self-guiding rules.
Evolution is solid, it's the scientific, unbiased either way, theory of how everything evolves. It's been tested, challenged, and found true over and over. Religious leaders, such as the Pope, say it is good. It doesn't say God exists, and it doesn't say he doesn't. It doesn't even say that the Bible is wrong, just that maybe it's an anaology for more primitive times for how God really did it.
I'm always glad to see the forces of anti-science, anti-truth beaten down. Religious stories belong in church.
Oh well....still doesn't change the truth. Congrats atheists....ya happy now? Posted by singinrick
With singinrick the world is either white or black; no shades of gray, no color. Either you are a (fundamentalist) Christian, or you are nothing. singinrick suffers from the "Christian nation myth" that pervades the Christian religion.
Many of our founding fathers espoused Deism, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Ethan Allen, James Madison, and James Monroe.
So, singinrick, our founding fathers would be quite 'pleased' to see that our Great Nation has resisted the "Christian right" pressure to infuse their beliefs into our government.
Have you never heard of the "Jefferson Bible," singinrick? Obviously not, otherwise you would not have said "Our founding fathers would be devastated..."
Stay in your 'mythos' world and don't try to understand the secular world; you'll be a lot better off.
http://www.angelfire.com/co/JeffersonBible/
Why are you trying to shove your fundamentalist Christian dogma down Dr. Ostrem's throat? She said that she is a Christian and a scientist and that she's "always thought that people who believe God needs us to defend faith AGAINST science seem to have a poor grasp of both."
I also let you know that not all people of faith dismiss evolution. I include myself in that group that has faith but also accepts the theory of evolution and its place in the science classroom. And yes, Rick, some of us recognize that intelligent design is NOT science.
Truth is not all of believe the exact same things...and yes, that includes Christians.
Goodnight, rick....
Anyone who has studied religious history, as opposed to just 'being religious,' knows that Jesus was all about love and forgiveness, caring for the sick and poor, teaching the Torah, etc. A student of religious history would know that Jesus was a Jew his entire life and would have not wanted a religion named after himself. He was a humble man and did not see himself as the "Son of God."
Jesus would be devastated if he were to jump in a time machine to the future and see what these religious nut cases have done to the religion named after him. In fact, he would be arrested for being a homeless vagrant.
Posted by singinrick at 10:08 PM : Feb 13, 2007
Hey preacherman, I never try to convert you to atheism, but you're always trying to convert me to your way of thinking.
What would you call that?
People of faith do not all have stagnant beliefs....that is why it is called a SPIRITUAL JOURNEY!
I'm done with you.
I didn't know that Darwin was one of the founding fathers!!!
So I'll say it again...you are FREE to believe in whatever you want!
Posted by singinrick at 10:21 PM : Feb 13, 2007
You also say that you'll pray for me, hoping I will see the truth of the one true God, yada, yada, yada.
Don't you Christians believe that you go to hell for lying, rick?
Goodnight, rick
May the peace of God be with you.
Posted by singinrick at 10:27 PM : Feb 13, 2007
Now that's a noble task indeed. There is entirely too much reasoning in the world.
George Bush, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Swaggert, Jimmy Baker, Pat Roberston, the pedophile Catholic priests, ad infinitum, support Christianity; however, some of their actions suggest they are not true believers. In fact, Bush used religion to gain power.
Your quotations prove nothing. In fact, they prove the opposite. If the founding fathers believed so strongly in religion, as you suggest, then we certainly would be living in a theocracy.
Posted by singinrick at 10:31 PM : Feb 13, 2007
And do you pray that I will be happy with in atheism rick, or that I'll come and drink the Kool-Aid as you do?
Posted by jackfly3 at 10:37 PM : Feb 13, 2007
I can't speak for anyone else, but I have read both testaments and prefer to subscribe to science.
I must admit, when I read in Genesis that only Noah and his offspring survived the flood, I had to ask myself "who in their right mind is going to believe that three races all sprang from Noah's loins?"
It went downhill from there.
Since Christianity was founded nearly 100 years after Christ died, and the Bible came much later, it's not likely that anyone who heard Jesus say that was still alive.
Considering the humility of Jesus, it's not likely that he thought that, let alone said it.
Jesus didn't write the bible, men did.
Posted by singinrick at 10:40 PM : Feb 13, 2007
Better for who, rick? Jehovas Witness' like yourself?
You love to mention the founding father's intention that this be a Christian nation. If true rick, why is there not one single mention of God or Christianity in our Constitution?
Posted by singinrick at 10:43 PM : Feb 13, 2007
I rest my case. I could care less if you drink the Kool-Aid forever, but you want me to change my beliefs.
Thanks for proving my contention.
I didn't say the 'wanted nothing to do with CHristianity.' I said they were deists.
If they wanted to be in power then they wanted everything to do with Christianity. But that doesn't mean they were devout Christians.
Yesterday a Christian; today a deist; tomorrow a born-again...
Your quotations prove nothing.
The Jefferson Bible exists--explain that.
Posted by nynative1340 at 10:49 PM : Feb 13, 2007
Jefferson also owned a Quran.
Not true. We're all not atheists, or agnostics, or fundamentalists, or Catholics, or Baptists, or Amish, or Mennonites.
Mennonites let their young men drink alcohol before the age of baptism. Does that go against your grain?
The Declaration of Independence says we are all created equally, not that we are endowed by a creator.
It does not speak of divine creation. We are created by our parents.
Posted by singinrick at 10:56 PM : Feb 13, 2007
So you believe that Caucasians, Negroids, and Mongoloids all sprang from Noah's loins, rick?
Look, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you. Let's talk.
This thread isn't about the war, it's about creation vs evolution.
Good night, and God Bless you.
Posted by singinrick
I realize that, rick. Funny how you will turn every thread into religion and, in your opinion, it should be no big deal. Why is that?
People are created by their parents. There is no mention of a divine creator. Period. No mention of God in the Constitution. Period.
Posted by Scott4261 at 11:04 PM : Feb 13, 2007
Because rick has no thoughts of his own. He is told what to think.
Look, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you. Let's talk.
Posted by singinrick at 11:11 PM : Feb 13, 2007
Fortunately, for the rest of us, science textbooks will be used, not the Bible.
nutes-Hell-Bill-Wiese/dp/1591858828" Posted by singinrick
After reading the description, it doesn't seem to be something that would interest me, especially if it doesn't have any historical value. Although I did read the first book in the 'Left Behind' series. Interesting, but I considered it sci-fi.
I spent 15 years in hell, married to a nut-case Catholic hypocrite.
Anyway, it is obvious you will never expand beyond your narrow worldview, because you choose not to. And THAT, rick, is the true shame, because growth comes from new experiences.
Peace.
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