I agree that the judge overreached here, and that helping students so inclined reconcile the science with their faith is not what made the Dover program problematic. A sensible and constitutional policy would do precisely this, by explaining the methodological difference between scientific approaches to the question and common religious approaches to the question. Douglas Laycock University of Texas Law School 727 E. Dean Keeton St. Austin, TX 78705 512-232-1341 512-471-6988 (fax)
________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Marc Stern Sent: Wed 12/21/2005 9:40 AM To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics Subject: RE: Dover Intelligent-Design Case The excerpt below appears at p 44 of the ID cases slip onion .The judge, I think ,reads the disclaimer for more than it says ( I do no tread the disclaimer as saying that students cannot consider what id s taught in class or that they must accept their parents view) and in any event the proposition that a school can not tell students that ultimate judgments about the correctness of what it has taught are not within its domain strikes me as wholly wrong. Am I wrong? Marc D. Stern Second, by directing students to their families to learn about the "Origins of Life," the paragraph performs the exact same function as did the Freiler disclaimer: It "reminds school children that they can rightly maintain beliefs taught by their parents on the subject of the origin of life," thereby stifling the critical thinking that the class's study of evolutionary theory might otherwise prompt, to protect a religious view from what the Board considers to be a threat. Id. at 345 (because disclaimer effectively told students "that evolution as taught in the classroom need not affect what they already know," it sent a message that was "contrary to an intent to encourage critical thinking....
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