Gubernatorial Candidates and Intelligent Design
- on 10.30.05
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The Republican candidates for Governor are weighing in on whether Intelligent Design should be taught in Public Schools.
Here is the quick breakdown (Read the article for more detail):
Rauschenberger – Yes
Oberwies – No
Gidwitz – No Position, and it is a local issue
Brady – It is a local issue, but the Bible should play a larger role in schools
My opinion is simple. I believe it is a local issue that each school board should decide. I also believe the Bible can and should be taught in schools if approved by the local school boards. I only would like to see it taught as to its historical significance throughtout the world. I do not wish to see religion taught in Public Schools. That should be left to Private Schools and the home. As a matter of fact there is book that supposedly does an excellent job of teaching the Bible without religion.
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GOP candidates divided over ID By Christopher Wills SPRINGFIELD — The four Republicans vying for the party’s nomination for governor are divided over Illinois schools teaching “intelligent design” as an alternative to evolution, an issue with the potential to sway votes among the religious right. Steve Rauschenberger endorsed the idea Monday, saying it would enrich children’s education. “I think exposing students to credible, varied theories and teaching them critical thinking is a good thing,” said Rauschenberger, a state senator from Elgin. But Aurora businessman Jim Oberweis said intelligent design — the idea that some organisms are so complex that they must have been designed, perhaps by God — is not appropriate for public schools. “I think there is very strong scientific evidence of evolution. I believe that is what we should be teaching in our science class,” he said. Chicago businessman Ron Gidwitz wouldn’t take a position. He simply said it should be left to local school boards. Bill Brady, a Bloomington state senator, also called it a local issue. But he said the Bible and prayer should play a bigger role in public education. In interviews with The Associated Press, all four announced Republican candidates for governor said they hope the election revolves around more down-to-earth issues, such as jobs, taxes and corruption. Intelligent design is the latest front in a long war over the proper role of religion in public schools. Critics, including most mainstream scientists, argue there is no evidence to support intelligent design and that it is essentially a new label for religious accounts of creation. Supporters, however, generally stop short of saying intelligent design must be the work of God. President Bush and others argue that schoolchildren should be exposed to the idea as an alternative to the theory that natural selection drives evolution. Some states have seen intense disputes over the question. A Pennsylvania school district is involved in a landmark federal lawsuit on it. It has not been a major issue in Illinois. But it might become a factor as Republicans try to distinguish among candidates who agree on many other issues. “I think it could,” said Peter LaBarbera, executive director of the conservative Illinois Family Institute. “It is becoming more of an issue that will probably interest voters.” Brady was asked about intelligent design last week during an appearance on a Springfield talk radio station, WMAY-AM. He said it amounted to teaching the Bible. “I think we should teach the Bible in our schools,” Brady said. “One of the basic, fundamental voids we have in our school system is bringing God into the system.” Brady later told the AP he meant the Bible and other documents should be used to teach the history of religion and its role in society, although he supports allowing time for silent prayer in classrooms. Local school boards should be the ones to decide whether to teach intelligent design, he said. Gidwitz, the former chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, also refused to offer an opinion on intelligent design. “I don’t pretend to be a pedagogical expert,” he said. Oberweis said it would be reasonable to mention to students that some people believe evolution is guided by some undefined designer. But actually teaching the idea as science would be a mistake, he said. Instead, the state should offer vouchers to help pay for private school, so that parents who dispute evolution can send their children to religious schools that share their views, Oberweis said. Only Rauschenberger endorsed teaching intelligent design. Noting that scientific theories change over the years, he disputed the suggestion that it would take valuable classroom time away from subjects on which scientists universally agree. “When I went through school they were certain that dinosaurs were reptiles and cold-blooded and slow-moving,” Rauschenberger said. “Today it seems increasingly clear they weren’t, that they were much more closely related to birds.” A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has not formally launched his campaign for a second term, did not return a call seeking comment. |
I would add that the religion of evolution is taught in our schools now.
The Bible is the oldest historical document that the world has. It is also being proved for its accuracy all the time. It always seems to break down to people’s hang ups with their belief in God and His existence.