In support of Chris Green said let me just ask us a couple of questions: 1) How many of you would have predicted just 5 years ago that the Federal Government would even consider granting funds to "faith-based": abstinence-only programs; international AIDS plans, etc.
2) How many of us would have predicted there would be a White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. (Ok, I may be wrong on that one but I wouldn't have guess it was true). 3) How many of us would have predicted school systems attempting to remove sound scientific information (like the science within Biology supporting evolution as a scientific theory as opposed to the sparse support for creationsism and then presenting these as equally credible). I don't think most of us realize that there is a two fold reason for the funding of faith-based programs. It introduces the "inclusive process" of the faith-based programs, yes. But most of us forget that a direct and second benefit of this is that it diverts funds from legitimate scientific education (which, of course, the other side would represent as "faith-opposed" scientism or some such babble). Personally, I think the time for us to sit comfortably by and allow the obvious reason and power of scientific method to overwhelm the faith-based errosion of science has long passed. I'm quite convinced that the right is doing a far better job of making inroads into the rational/scientific than the scientific is making into supersition and ignorance of faith-based education (if not in absolute terms then at least in terms of progress from a single point in time). I don't mean to imply that there is no place for religious education but that it should not be operating in courses labled as science- The argument of the right that we should give equal shrift to creationism is, beyond it's underlying and hidden agenda, simply irrational resting as it does on the idea that all possible or remotely plausible (and I might add untestable) theories deserve equal time and attention in the scientific textbooks. That is so profoundly bizarre when you say it that way but it is, imho, the argument that reasonable school systems etc are falling prey to. Complacency only leads to a scientific education that is at best confusing and diluted, imho. (Oops! I'll let someone else jump in now!) :) Tim Timothy Shearon, Chairperson, Dept of Psychology Albertson College of Idaho [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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