re: God's creation in the classroom

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read:

Dear God: Why do you allow so much violence in our schools. Signed, a concerned student.

Dear Concerned Student: I'm not allowed in your schools. Signed, God.

I thought this was very telling. However, I'm not so sure that even God would want intelligent design taught in our nation's science classes, as the Pennsylvania Appeals court decision rejected this past week. Why? Let's look at it from a practical matter.

There is no science in Intelligent Design. No scientific theory, no experiment to be conducted, and certainly no body of scientific work to show that intelligent design is a scientific issue worthy of discussion in our nation's science labs and schools.

That doesn't necessarily make it an irrelevant topic, mind you, just not for our nation's science classes. Now, if there is a school philosphy class, comparative religions class, or even a history or western civilization class, I am with you.

But science involves theories that can be proven with the scientific method. Once theories begin to be taken on faith, science ceases to be a discipline based on evidence and experimentation and more of something relying on an ethereal substance, like pseudo science.

Additionally, if we look at the latin word for educate - erudio - to polish, smooth / instruct, teach, - do we really want unwilling and disinterested science teachers glossing over the minimum they can get away with in relation to teaching of intelligent design? Student after student has a story of a teacher that has sparked their interest so much, that they never forget them. Surely a teacher who is forced to teach a belief that they may or may not adhere to will not spark the interest in faith that proponents of intelligent design are hoping for.

In addition, to truly do Intelligent Design justice, students would be better served learning from someone who has education in theology or divinity, and is trained for the headier issues that ID will confront them with.

In the end, it is much better to keep Creationism where it belongs, in the purvue of mom, dad and our family pastor or priest. And for those student who don't have such avenues, well, God pursues his children. He will find the way to reach them.