Re: Judge Jones did NOT side with Discovery Institute

At 10:59 PM 12/28/2005, Ted Davis wrote:

>I changed the heading on this thread to make the most important point very
>clear, particularly to Janice, who started the thread with the erroneous
>heading.

From 2004

Discovery Calls Dover Evolution Policy Misguided, Calls For its Withdrawal
http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2341
By: Staff
Discovery Institute
December 14, 2004

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SEATTLE, DEC. 14 – The policy on teaching
evolution recently adopted by the Dover, PA
School Board was called "misguided" today by
Discovery Institute's Center for Science and
Culture, which advised that the policy should be withdrawn and rewritten.

"While the Dover board is to be commended for
trying to teach Darwinian theory in a more
open-minded manner, this is the wrong way to go
about it," said Dr. John G. West, associate
director of Discovery Institute's Center for
Science and Culture (CSC). "Dover's current
policy has a number of problems, not the least of
which is its lack of clarity. At one point, it
appears to prohibit Dover schools from teaching
anything about 'the origins of life.' At another
point, it appears to both mandate as well as
prohibit the teaching of the scientific theory of
intelligent design. The policy's incoherence
raises serious problems from the standpoint of
constitutional law. Thus, the policy should be withdrawn and rewritten."

Apart from questions about its constitutionality,
West expressed reservations about the Dover
School Board's directive on public policy grounds.

"When we first read about the Dover policy, we
publicly criticized it because according to
published reports the intent was to mandate the
teaching of intelligent design,” explained West.
“Although we think discussion of intelligent
design should not be prohibited, we don't think
intelligent design should be required in public schools.

“What should be required is full disclosure of
the scientific evidence for and against Darwin's
theory,” added West, “which is the approach
supported by the overwhelming majority of the public."

Discovery Institute’s Center for Science &
Culture is the nation's leading think-tank
exploring the scientific theory of intelligent
design, which proposes that some features of the
natural world are best explained as the product
of an intelligent cause rather than an undirected
cause such as natural selection. In recent years
a growing number of scientists have presented the
case for intelligent design theory in academic
journal articles and books published by major
academic presses such as Cambridge University
Press and Michigan State University Press. For
more information visit the Institute’s website at www.discovery.org/csc/.
Received on Wed Dec 28 23:03:11 2005