Intelligent Design Intelligent Design: Should We Teach It? Sarah-Kate Oliver Department of Biology; College of Arts and Sciences Abilene Christian University Belief about the origins of the universe and mankind is an important aspect of most world religions. While many ‘progressive’ Christians view the Genesis accounts of creation as mythical or allegorical, some ‘fundamentalist’ Christians claim it is a literal and historical account of the origins of life. The scientific community, on the other hand, views Darwin’s Theory of Evolution as the definitive explanation of the origin of all species on Earth including humans. As science has continued to line up behind evolution, it has been integrated into the public school curriculum. The question examined by this paper is: should the ‘plain sense’ or literal hermeneutic of the Genesis accounts of creation (commonly referred to as ‘Creationism’ or, more recently, ‘Intelligent Design’), be taught in public schools as an alternative explanation for the evolutionary understanding of the origins of life? Opinions about the orthodox way in mutations threatens their beliefs and the which to read and interpret Genesis 1-3 have notion of humans having been created “in been varied and dynamic throughout the God’s image”. Simply put, many Christians history of the Christian faith. Many early have come to view Darwin’s theory of Christians such as St. Augustine and St. evolution as inconsistent with some of the Thomas Aquinas did not interpret the central tenets of their faith. Consequently, Genesis account of creation literally, but the teaching in public schools of evolution rather as an allegory. More recently, as the scientific explanation for all species particularly since the Protestant reformation, on earth including humans has been, and many Christians read the creation account in remains, very threatening and problematic Genesis as the historical record of the for some believers. earth’s origin. Viewed in this way, a reading of the Genesis stories points the reader Creationism in Public Schools: A Brief toward the conclusion that all the creatures Legal History inhabiting the Earth were spoken into The integration of creationism into creation by God over the course of a few the biology curriculum of public schools has days. This conclusion is reinforced in John’s been a highly contested issue within the gospel through the “Logos” account which court system since the famous Scopes trial states “Through him all things were made; of the 1920s. The legal question hinges on without him nothing was made that has been the Establishment clause of the First made” (John 1:2 New International Amendment of the United States Version). For many Christians, a sense of Constitution. The Establishment clause is in spiritual identity and comfort is found in the place to protect the right of religious notion that they were specifically created by freedom, and does so by preventing the God. To them, the idea that modern life government from establishing a national forms evolved through a series of seemingly religion or passing legislation that favors random, incremental adaptations and Dialogue & Nexus | Fall 2016-Spring 2017 |Volume 4 1 Intelligent Design one religion to another.1 Since the 1920s, creation-science because it had been held in proponents of creationism have demanded federal courts that this was religious that it be included as a part of the required advocacy. Webster argued that prohibiting educational standards in almost every state. him from teaching creation-science was a Among some of the most notable cases violation of his first amendment right. The dealing with the teaching of “Creation court held that the school district had the Science,” are McLean v. Arkansas Board of responsibility to ensure that the Education, Webster v. New Lennox School Establishment Clause was not violated, and District, and Kitzmiller et. al. v. Dover. that Webster’s rights had not been violated.3 In 1981, McLean v Arkansas Board The 2005 case of Kitzmiller v. Dover of Education challenged the constitutional Area School District in Pennsylvania is legitimacy of Act 590, or the “Balanced perhaps the most notable case in recent Treatment for Creation-Science and years. Members of the Board of the Dover Evolution-Science Act.” This act was put in Area School District took issue with the place to mandate that schools give equal Darwinian theory of evolution explained in treatment to creation-science and evolution- the district’s biology textbook. The Board science. Upon examination of the definitions made the decision to require that biology of creation-science and evolution-science teachers read a disclaimer that discounted used within Act 590, the Court determined the esteem with which Darwin’s theory of that the definition of creation-science was evolution is held within scientific “unquestionably religious.” This decision communities and presented creationism as was based on the overwhelming similarity of an alternative theory for the origins of the creation science to the creation story told in universe. When parents of students within the first 11 chapters of Genesis. The Court the Dover Area School District caught word found that the religious motives behind the of this disclaimer, they filed a suit against Act put it in conflict with the Establishment the district claiming that the Board had Clause, and ultimately rejected the Act as violated the constitution by issuing this unconstitutional.2 mandate. The Court concluded that the The case of Webster v. New Lennox Board did, in fact, violate the Establishment School District in 1990 dealt with confusion Clause by requiring teachers to read the surrounding whether or not the District disclaimer.4 prohibiting the teaching of “creation- These cases do not provide a science” was a violation of a teacher’s First comprehensive history of the legal battle Amendment right to freedom of speech. Mr. between evolutionary theory and Webster, a history teacher in the New creationism; however, they provide insight Lennox School District, was investigated into the overwhelming number of cases that because of complaints that his teaching have been ongoing for close to a century methods violated the Establishment Clause now. Time and again, courts have upheld when he taught “creation-science” theory in that the teaching of creationism as science in order to refute a statement in the textbook a public school classroom violates the that the world is over four billion years old. Establishment clause due to the conclusion The superintendent of the school district that it is not science, but rather a religious dictated that Mr. Webster was not to teach teaching with evangelical motives behind it. 1 Establishment Clause Overview, 2011 3 U. S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 2 U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of 1990 Arkansas, 1982 4 U. S. Supreme Court, 2005 Dialogue & Nexus | Fall 2016-Spring 2017 |Volume 4 2 Intelligent Design Intelligent Design: The Theology science classrooms as they are both Against this backdrop of repeated “theories.” While it is a common legislative and legal failures, proponents of misconception among the general public that creationism in recent years have effectively a scientific theory and a hypothesis are one “re-branded” their belief with a new name: in the same, within the scientific community Intelligent Design (ID). ID suggests that the there is a clear distinction between the two. best explanation for the origin of the A hypothesis is a testable explanation of an universe is that it was designed by an observed phenomenon. A scientific theory intelligent entity.5 As proposed by its begins as a hypothesis and is only accepted advocates, ID is a retelling of two Biblical once it has been repeatedly tested and creation stories using scientific terminology supported by empirical data.8 Evolution is in an effort to make it acceptable for confirmed by data from numerous branches teaching in public schools.6 While most of biology including paleontology, genetics, advocates for Intelligent Design will not developmental biology, and molecular assign an identity to the “Intelligent biology.9 In contrast, ID offers little to no Designer,” the parallels between the creation empirical data in support of its claims. On story in Genesis and ID Theory are striking, the contrary, some of ID’s fundamental and it is not a far leap to conclude that the assumptions have been challenged by recent “Intelligent Designer” proponents of the research. movement have in mind is the God of the Behe offers “scientific” evidence of Christian Bible. The refusal to identify the ID in the form of irreducible complexity. In designer is merely an attempt to further Behe’s Darwin’s Black Box irreducible disguise this branch of creationism. complexity is defined as “a single system With the integration of evolutionary composed of several well-matched, theory into the curriculum of biology interacting parts that contribute to the basic classrooms around the country, evangelicals function, wherein the removal of any one of were in need of a theory that was compatible the parts causes the system to effectively with a literal interpretation of Genesis but cease the system to effectively cease was distanced enough from Christianity to functioning.”10 In other words, because a stand a fighting chance in the courtroom. ID system requires all components to serve a is the product of this requirement. function it cannot be reduced to a more Proponents of this