President Bush on Origins: Teach Intelligent
Design Alongside Evolution
By Pam Sheppard
President
Bush’s remarks on August 1st that endorsed public school children learning
about intelligent design alongside evolution are drawing praise from some and
criticism from others. His comments about the teaching of origins, made to
reporters from five Texas newspapers, made headlines around the world with
reports that either bashed or backed Bush’s statements.
When asked whether
he accepted the view that intelligent design (the idea that certain features
of living and non-living things were designed by an intelligent cause as opposed
to being formed through natural causes) was an alternative to evolution, Bush
told the reporters in a Washington Post article, “Both sides ought
to be properly taught … so people can understand what the debate is about.”
He then added, “Part of education is to expose people to different schools
of 
thought. You’re
asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, and
the answer is yes.”
Those critical of
Bush’s comments include the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), an
organization devoted to helping teachers teach evolution in public schools and
to combat creationists. Susan Spath, an NCSE spokesperson, said in a New
York Times article on August 3rd, “It sounds like you’re being fair, but
creationism is a sectarian religious viewpoint, and intelligent design is a
sectarian religious viewpoint.”
In the same
article, Spath added that intelligent design was viewed as more respectable and
sophisticated than biblical creationism but was fundamentally anti-evolution.
The Rev. Barry W.
Lynn, the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church
and State, said in the same Times article, that “when it comes to evolution,
there is only one school of scientific thought, and that is evolution occurred
and is still occurring.”
The Discovery
Institute, a Seattle-based intelligent design “think tank,” applauded Bush’s
remarks that “support freedom of inquiry and free speech about the issue of
biological origins.” Stephen Meyer, the director of the institute’s Center for
Science and Culture, told the New York Times, “It’s extremely timely and
welcome because so many scientists are experiencing recriminations for breaking
with Darwinist orthodoxy.”
According to a
Discovery Institute press release on August 2nd, President Bush’s comments are
consistent with what he told Science magazine in the fall of 2004. When
asked whether “‘intelligent design’ or other scientific critiques of
evolutionary theory [should] be taught in public schools?” Bush responded that
“it is not the federal government’s role to tell states and local boards of
education what they should teach in the classroom” but “of course, scientific
critiques of any theory should be a normal part of the science curriculum.”
But just days
later, some in Bush’s camp seem to be doing a bit of backpedaling. Bush’s
science adviser, John H. Marburger told the New York Times on August 3rd
that “evolution is the cornerstone of modern biology” and “intelligent design
is not a scientific concept.” He went on to say that Mr. Bush’s remarks should
be interpreted to mean that the president believes that intelligent design
should be discussed as part of the “social context” in science classes.
While design
arguments used in the Intelligent Design Movement may seem very appealing at
first, the central problem with the movement, as stated numerous times by Answers
In Genesis’ (AiG) newest speaker Dr. Georgia Purdom, is that it divorces the
Creator from creation. The Creator cannot be separated from creation; they
reflect on each other. (To hear Dr. Purdom's presentation on this topic,
download the podcast/MP3 of her talk at the 2005 Creation Mega Conference from
the AiG web site http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2005/0804bush.asp.)
The only real
hope for rebuilding the broken foundation of our once-Christian nation is
to return to the authority of God’s
Word, beginning with Genesis
1–11. This is where we find the only effective explanation and solution for
the problems found in our sin-cursed world.
Pam Sheppard is a staff writer for AiG – USA. For more information regarding
the work of AiG please visit their web site at www.answersingenesis.org.
