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Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial

Like much of the United States, Dover, Pennsylvania has become a town divided, split between those who accept Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and those who reject it. This rift between science and scripture nearly destroyed the community after a Dover high school student painted a mural showing the evolution of humans from ape-like ancestors. This idea that humans were descendants of primates managed to offend some of Dover’s township resulting in the mural being removed from the classroom.

Angry that only Darwin’s theory of evolution was being taught in the school, the local school board required that students hear about a controversial idea which was at odds with Darwin, called intelligent design.

This award winning NOVA special focuses on this particular case of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, which debates whether or not the idea of  intelligent design could be viewed as science and taught to the students of this school in science class. The film features many interviews with the judge in the case, witnesses, and lawyers giving us a concise understating of exactly how deep this issue ran amongst the community.

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  1. If either religion or science was complete, then there would be no room left for the other. Religion and Science are both still existing since neither of the two is complete.

    There is both an inside and an outside to this reality that we live within. However, the science folk just leave the outside to the religious folk who call the outside the spirit world. That has brought physics to an almost dead halt for over 100 years now. That left quantum mechanics as still being an unanswered big embarrassing mystery. Only a mathematical representation has been obtained.

    This maintains a separation between science and religion. Thus the debate goes on and on…..

    Plus the religious folk don’t know of the 4 dimensional Space-Time environment that we exist within. A four dimensional structure means all space and all time. Create this reality, and you create it all. Despite it all existing, its entirety changes.

    • AH, it’s amazing what your saying, we believers also want to know From non-believers, if we are desended from monkeys, why are there still monkeys ?

      • Because we’re not and never were descended from monkeys. Humans are apes, monkeys are not apes. Monkeys are monkeys, humans (homo) are homo sapiens sapiens, a family of great apes and contemporary of the now extinct homo neanderthalensis, an ancestor of the homo ergaster, itself from homo heidelbergensis, all the way back to the non-homo *and* non-pan australopithecus — the last common ancestor. We all — meaning hyoblitidae (gibbon species), pan (chimp/bonobo lineage), gorilla (duh), pongo (orangutan lineage), and homo (human lineage) are of the family known as hominidae. We have fossil records for all of this and it is very well and extensively documented.

        Apes (which includes humans) and monkeys split from a common ancestor over 6 million years ago. There is no “missing link,” and no “missing link” will ever be found; there is not one single transition into modern humans, but a gradual transition over millions of years. Evolution is merely mutations in genes; if a mutation is advantageous (such as binocular vision, or bipedalism) it means that the organism has a greater chance of survival and reproduction, passing on its own mutated genes to the next generation, and so on. It’s not adaptation, it’s not some moving hand, it’s simply random genetic mutation and are either advantageous, or not.

        There’s a myriad of traditional fossils that have been located.
        Australopithecus is the youngest transitional fossil found to date, though there’s likely something between that and homo habilis.

    • For a peak at proof of the existence of a higher power, go to…
      http://www.outersecrets.com/real/biblecode2a.htm

      Once there ( Assuming that your browser supports the Adobe Flash Player ),

      click on the two yellow flashing words, ” Watch / Listen “, and enjoy the show.

      Or, just read. The choice is yours.

      What you will see is that there appears to be the signature of God/Jesus Christ, in multiple variations, hidden within today’s KJV Bible.

  2. If you disagree with me then please do not call me names, and act as an adult and give an educated response with what you think the Bible is talking about in the book of Genesis when the Bible mentions The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that was already among The Garden of Eden, and it is Death, and the Beast that is the craftiest Beast and it is known as The Talking Serpent that is also already among The Garden of Eden. Ok, here is what I think, and again I have to give an opinion:

    In the beginning the Earth was created and it is referred to as The Garden of Eden; Human Beings evolved and they brought Superstition with them, and they worshiped the snake (serpent) because it would get old and scaly, and it would shed its skin and look young again as though it had Eternal Life; thus, Religion was born from Superstition, and it is referred to as The Talking Serpent because Religions talk in sermons about the path to Eternal Life, just as Religions preach their Religion is the path to GOD; thus, Eternal Life, and this is how the reference to The Talking Serpent came about. Then the Superstitious Evolved Human Beings created Governments that give you Laws that are handed down from The Talking Serpent (Religions) and the Governments were called, The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now because these two things were created by the Superstitious Evolved Human Beings they become “Ungodly” because they destroy The Image of GOD called, “Critical Thinking” and now Independent Thinking is replaced by the Slavery Thinking in which Religions and Governments do the thinking for the Superstitious Evolved Human Beings; thus, GOD is dead to the Human Beings as they now worship Religions and Governments.

    When Adam and Eve were placed on The Garden of Eden (Earth) they were warned to stay away of that which was already among The Garden of Eden; however, Religion “Converted” Adam and Eve to the Superstitious Evolved Human Beings ways, and now GOD’s plan for Adam and Eve is dead because Adam and Eve are now like the Evolved Superstitious Human Beings that worship Religion and Governments; thus, they worship The Talking Serpent and The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and Human Beings no longer evolve to the Higher States of Consciousness that GOD had planned for The Image Of GOD called Critical Thinking; therefore, The Human Beings are on a path of ruin in what is called, Armageddon in which Governments and Religions come together in the deadliest war known to man, and it is at this point where it is quite possible for Governments and Religions to bring extinction to Human Beings; thus, Death.

    Now, what do you think The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is, and what do you think The Talking Serpent is, and remember this is Old World Symbolic Language of The Middle East that has been converted to The Western Culture Language called English; so what do you think The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is, and what do you think The Talking Serpent is? EYE 5

  3. Any and every scientific theory is open to question at all times. This is what makes scientific theories so robust. To state that any scientific theory is excused from this constant examination and re-examination is to encourage science to act as though it were a religion where, once stated, no contradiction, no skepticism, no new evidence is permitted to challenge its premises.

    But the right to challenge any scientific theory does not, to my knowledge, include the right to have any competing or challenging position broadcast to the public on the same basis as a more closely examined and successfully defended previous theory. Once a challenging theory has been examined and adopted as worthy of consideration by qualified individuals it can seek acceptance and recognition by being given the same opportunities to be put before the public. This also applies to any scientific theories taught to students.

    Our students could never learn all of the, often ridiculous or obviously advantage seeking, notions that have been expressed by all the skeptics of the world. It is our duty to see to it that they are taught the best that we know of any subject in our public schools. Should any parent be skeptical of what their children are being taught it is entirely up to the parent to express their own skepticism to their children and to explain its origin. It is not the duty of the education system to do so.

    Both the intelligent design and the creationist theories have, so far, failed miserably to earn the respect of an appreciable portion of the knowledgeable and diligent men and women who work in this field. Thus those theories have not earned the right to be taught in our institutions of education.

  4. Why do we at this day and age have to even question evolution? What kind of an idiot one should be to even pose such a question? Must be some brain damaging degenerative disease.

      • It’s NOT a THEORY. It’s an indubitable scientific fact. An axiom. What astounds me is that great philosopher’s, scientist’s and pioneer’s WAY back in the what’s called the ‘long 19th C’ (roughly starting with Sturm und Drang consisting of great minds like Goethe etc.) laid the foundations for the complete natural destruction of anything remotely associated with an omnipotent, omniscient, benevolent (or malevolent depending on your choice of deity) entity called god, christ, allah, yahweh or whatever.
        From David Hume to Darwin to Newton to Goethe and Schopenhauer, these men set out not to destroy hope or faith, but rather to discover the truth. (And not all truth is relative. that is post-post modern nonsense, a way for people to dismiss facts).
        Nietzsche perhaps gave pause for thought when he said ” I refuse to believe in a God that requires constant praise.”
        Karma is one of the most ridiculous appeals to authority if you really conceptualise it.
        It exists for the purpose of roaming the ether, dishing out justice to those who have supposedly done wrong. The people who take comfort in karma are those weak willed tight fisted self righteous bead wearing elitists, who, because they lack the courage to confront the person or group they are angry with and seek revenge, instead do nothing and take comfort in the fantasy that roaming, intrepid karma will eek out the vengeance they so desperately desire.
        A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye is the basis for ‘karma’.

        • “Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done.” – Issac Newton

  5. man and female, there is no debate. that is not the easiest path to reproduce, it is the hardest…

  6. Riveting. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

  7. the fact that there even IS a debate is pathetic