Who’s Afraid of Intelligent Design?

Angus Menuge’s makes the following insightful comment: “If science is a critical enterprise analogous to a series of legal trials, then all relevant evidence must be allowed its day in court.”1

We Americans pride ourselves on the idea of tolerance and allowing all voices on a subject to be heard. However, when it comes to teaching about origins in our public schools the only theory that is allowed to be taught is Darwinian evolution. If only our young high school students knew that many of the greatest scientists of all time believed that God was behind the scenes in the creation story, they would clamor to at least want to know why these scientists believed that God, and not Darwinian evolution brought life into existence.

As Menuge rightly states, other viewpoints, such as Intelligent Design (ID) and creationism, should be taught in our public schools so at least students can understand the strengths and weaknesses of the theory of evolution. I know that I believed in evolution because this was the only thing I was taught in school and all my peers believed in it. I was never presented any other theory of creation and as a result vital information was withheld from me. Since vital information on ID and creation was withheld from me I really was not in a position to evaluate Darwinian evolution since it was presented to me as the only game in town.

When I went to college I was a strong believer in Darwinian evolution and believed that you couldn’t be a scientist and not believe in evolution. I was always open minded but feel cheated that vital information was not presented to me in my college science classes. I am not saying that I would have become a Christian or accepted the idea of ID if I was presented with the following quotes from some of our greatest scientists of all time, but I would have at least realized that my belief system was wrong and that you can believe in God/ID and be a scientist:

“We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever.”2  –  Isaac Newton

“We must not build on the sands of an uncertain and ever changing science…but upon the rock of inspired Scriptures.”3  –  John A. Fleming

“The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator. Science brings men nearer to God.”4  –  Louis Pasteur

“The universe has been wrought for us by a supremely good and orderly Creator.”5  –  Nicolaus Copernicus

“I believe that the more thoroughly science is studied, the further does it take us from anything comparable to atheism.”6  –  Lord Kelvin

As a student of science, I had no idea that these great scientists believed in God, the Bible, creation, and certainly in an intelligent designer.

Who’s afraid of ID? I believe that our science education system is and in the name of tolerance we need to share ID in our public schools as well as creationism and let the student, not the establishment, weigh the evidence. Competition for ideas is so important to developing young minds that we need to break up the monopoly of evolution and let all the evidence be put out on the table!

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1 Angus Menuge, Who’s Afraid of ID? (Essay in Debating Design, Edited by William Dembski and Michael Ruse) (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2006), p. 43

2 The heavens mark the passing of Sir Isaac Newton (americanthinker.com)

3 Bible Quotes From Famous People (turnbacktogod.com)

4 Louis Pasteur Quote: “The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator. Science brings men nearer to God.” (quotefancy.com)

5 Nicolaus Copernicus Quote: “The Universe has been wrought for us by a supremely good and orderly Creator.” (quotefancy.com)

6 Atheist mythology debunked – the inherent predisposition o… | Flickr