Stop the Intelligent Design Insanity!

I saw on the news last night that the Intelligent Design debate was coming our way this fall. And I’m thinking to myself… great. Because honestly? This discussion both bewilders and frustrates me, for the following reasons:

1. I do not remember discussing evolution during science class in high school in the context of “this is how the world began”. In biology, we never discussed the evolutionary relationship between monkeys and humans... and I know we never talked about how dinosaurs and humans roamed the earth together thousands of years ago. What I do remember is that our learning of the theory of evolution was focused on the evolutionary process and how it happens every day.

I found a good example in a local letter to the editor. He states: “For example, you can take hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes and add DDT to their environment. Because of mutations that occur in any organism with genes, some mosquitoes will live and their offspring will be immune to DDT. Evolution." Yes, that is evolution. Not this fight over how the world began.

Whether an all-knowing being “intelligently designed” the earth and everything on it or not, as ID teaches… evolution does exist… regardless of your belief structure and the specifics behind it. It exists every day and therefore co-exists with whatever else you choose to believe.

2. I believe that the theory of evolution and creationism can (and do) co-exist. I believe that the earth and everything living thing on it was created by God. But I also believe the vast evidence we find here on earth – that this process occurred over thousands of years. And I believe that it’s likely, that when the Bible states “7 days” – a day in God’s time is some timeframe much longer in our human measurement.

In searching for data that supports my beliefs, I came across a website called Theistic Evolution – One Christian’s Perspective. This is a good site for anyone interested in learning more about evolution as seen through a Christian’s eyes. He also addresses I.D.

3. I believe that if we do want to pursue teaching specific theories or beliefs of how the earth was created, including ID, this kind of discussion belongs in a philosophy class, not a science class.

But personally, I think it is fine to leave things as they are. Let science teach the principles of evolution. Let parents and churches choose to teach Creationism (or not). I plan on teaching my children Creationism, it isn’t that hard – it is all right there in the Bible. And I as the parent, I have the freedom of adding in my own personal beliefs, including that Evolution occurred by the hand of God.

4. Finally, I think Intelligent Design is disrespectful to both scientific and Christian beliefs. For example, it would lead one to wonder – why did the “Intelligent Designer” mislead us with things like fossils? Would a good and perfect being do something like this? Not the God the Bible represents. That is one of many insults to Christianity with this theory.

It is trying to hide Christian teaching under the veil of science, and in the process it disrespects Christian truths. ID is attempting to find evidence of God in the world of science – but all Christians know this is not where to find God.

So what to do? This debate will be had, no matter how crazy it drives me. So. I think whenever it really starts to get under my skin, I’ll just go to this link I stole from SBFH, who stole it from Mrs. Kennedy.

I will bow down to the Spaghetti Monster and ask that this whole silly debate be consumed by his noodly appendage. Bah.