2008 Woodie Awards
Say goodbye to unintelligent design, court nixes religion in the classroom
Staff Editorial
Issue date: 1/26/06 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
For the past 50 years, the division between church and state has evolved.
Even though it's not stated that there shall be a division of church and state in the Constitution, the idea is derived from Article IV, as well as the First Amendment and 14th Amendments.
The Supreme Court has also applied the "Lemon Test" from the Lemon vs. Kurtzman decision of 1971. In that case, the court held that government activity must serve a secular purpose; it must not advance religion over non-religion and must not involve excessive entanglement with religion.
Lately many fundamentalists and religious zealots have taken every step necessary to challenge the division between church and state, while their allies are trying to enforce it. This became especially apparent a few months ago at Dover High School in Dover, Penn. The Dover school board at the time mandated the teaching of intelligent design.
For people who haven't heard yet, intelligent design is the belief that an unidentified intelligent force created everything and evolution took over from there. Sound somewhat like creationism in disguise?
That's what Judge John E. Jones stated in December - he called it the "progeny of creationism" when he ruled the mandated teaching of intelligent design unconstitutional. He said it violated the establishment clause in the First Amendment.
"I'm still waiting for a judge or anyone else to show me anywhere in the Constitution where there's a separation of church and state," said William Buckingham in interiew with CNBC is a former Dover school board member who has since relocated to North Carolina.
Apparently, Buckingham's never taken a high school government class.
On Jan. 3, two weeks after Judge Jones made his ruling, the newly elected Dover school board had their final say over whether or not intelligent design was to be a required part of biology.
On a voice vote, the school board unanimously voted to rescind the policy. After the decision, Jennifer Miller, the ninth grade biology teacher, said she once again felt comfortable teaching what she has always felt comfortable teaching.
Meanwhile, a rural school district agreed to stop teaching a religious-based alternative to evolution. A group of parents sued the El Tejon School District in California and accused it of violating the separation of church and state by teaching a course entitled "Philosophy of Design." A minister's wife at Frazier Mountain High taught the class.
Ayesha Khan, the legal director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State said in a interview with MSNBC that the El Tejon decision "sends a strong signal to school districts across the country that they cannot promote creationism and intelligent design as an alternative to evolution."
The confrontation between the religious right and the rest has divided this country's schools. Even though tempers have flared and will continue to do so, one thing will always remains - science and the constitution will prevail.
Even though it's not stated that there shall be a division of church and state in the Constitution, the idea is derived from Article IV, as well as the First Amendment and 14th Amendments.
The Supreme Court has also applied the "Lemon Test" from the Lemon vs. Kurtzman decision of 1971. In that case, the court held that government activity must serve a secular purpose; it must not advance religion over non-religion and must not involve excessive entanglement with religion.
Lately many fundamentalists and religious zealots have taken every step necessary to challenge the division between church and state, while their allies are trying to enforce it. This became especially apparent a few months ago at Dover High School in Dover, Penn. The Dover school board at the time mandated the teaching of intelligent design.
For people who haven't heard yet, intelligent design is the belief that an unidentified intelligent force created everything and evolution took over from there. Sound somewhat like creationism in disguise?
That's what Judge John E. Jones stated in December - he called it the "progeny of creationism" when he ruled the mandated teaching of intelligent design unconstitutional. He said it violated the establishment clause in the First Amendment.
"I'm still waiting for a judge or anyone else to show me anywhere in the Constitution where there's a separation of church and state," said William Buckingham in interiew with CNBC is a former Dover school board member who has since relocated to North Carolina.
Apparently, Buckingham's never taken a high school government class.
On Jan. 3, two weeks after Judge Jones made his ruling, the newly elected Dover school board had their final say over whether or not intelligent design was to be a required part of biology.
On a voice vote, the school board unanimously voted to rescind the policy. After the decision, Jennifer Miller, the ninth grade biology teacher, said she once again felt comfortable teaching what she has always felt comfortable teaching.
Meanwhile, a rural school district agreed to stop teaching a religious-based alternative to evolution. A group of parents sued the El Tejon School District in California and accused it of violating the separation of church and state by teaching a course entitled "Philosophy of Design." A minister's wife at Frazier Mountain High taught the class.
Ayesha Khan, the legal director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State said in a interview with MSNBC that the El Tejon decision "sends a strong signal to school districts across the country that they cannot promote creationism and intelligent design as an alternative to evolution."
The confrontation between the religious right and the rest has divided this country's schools. Even though tempers have flared and will continue to do so, one thing will always remains - science and the constitution will prevail.