http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article334460.ece
Teaching of 'Intelligent Design' is outlawed By Andrew Buncombe in Washington Published: 21 December 2005 The campaign to try to force schools in America to teach an alternative to Darwinism has suffered a severe setback after a judge ruled that to do so was a violation of the constitution. The judge also said that proponents of the so-called "Intelligent Design" (ID) theory had repeatedly lied about the religious convictions that drove them. In a ruling that will reverberate throughout the country, District Judge John Jones ruled the Dover school board in Pennsylvania had been wrong to insist a statement about Intelligent Design be read to pupils during biology. He said the policy represented "breathtaking inanity". "The citizens of the Dover area were poorly served by the members of the board who voted for the ID policy," the judge wrote, following a six-week trial. "It is ironic that several of these individuals, who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would, time and again, lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID policy." The ruling is a blow to Christian conservatives who, in more than 30 states, have been pressing for the teaching of Creationism. Many of the members of the Dover school board which voted for the measure were fundamentalist Christians. Proponents of Intelligent Design claim life is too complicated to have been created by accident. Opponents say that is a little-disguised version of Creationism, which the Supreme Court has previously ruled should not be taught in schools. The campaign to try to force schools in America to teach an alternative to Darwinism has suffered a severe setback after a judge ruled that to do so was a violation of the constitution. The judge also said that proponents of the so-called "Intelligent Design" (ID) theory had repeatedly lied about the religious convictions that drove them. In a ruling that will reverberate throughout the country, District Judge John Jones ruled the Dover school board in Pennsylvania had been wrong to insist a statement about Intelligent Design be read to pupils during biology. He said the policy represented "breathtaking inanity". "The citizens of the Dover area were poorly served by the members of the board who voted for the ID policy," the judge wrote, following a six-week trial. "It is ironic that several of these individuals, who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would, time and again, lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID policy." The ruling is a blow to Christian conservatives who, in more than 30 states, have been pressing for the teaching of Creationism. Many of the members of the Dover school board which voted for the measure were fundamentalist Christians. Proponents of Intelligent Design claim life is too complicated to have been created by accident. Opponents say that is a little-disguised version of Creationism, which the Supreme Court has previously ruled should not be taught in schools. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Know an art & music fan? Make a donation in their honor this holiday season! http://us.click.yahoo.com/.6dcNC/.VHMAA/Zx0JAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/