A Tiny Island of Sanity in Kansas
Thanks to zarq for pointing this out: Lawrence, KS will teach Intelligent Design as Mythology.
LAWRENCE, Kansas (AP) -- Creationism and intelligent design are going to be studied at the University of Kansas, but not in the way advocated by opponents of the theory of evolution.
A course being offered next semester by the university religious studies department is titled "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies."
"The KU faculty has had enough," said Paul Mirecki, department chairman.
"Creationism is mythology," Mirecki said. "Intelligent design is mythology. It's not science. They try to make it sound like science. It clearly is not."
Earlier this month, the state Board of Education adopted new science teaching standards that treat evolution as a flawed theory, defying the view of science groups.
Although local school boards still decide how science is taught in the classrooms, the vote was seen as a major victory for proponents of intelligent design, which says that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by a higher power.
Critics say intelligent design is merely creationism -- a literal reading of the Bible's story of creation as the handiwork of God -- camouflaged in scientific language as a way to get around court rulings that creationism injects religion into public schools.
Lawrence is kind of like the San Francisco or Manhattan of Kansas, with all those troublesome "college intellectuals" running around. It's one of only two counties in the state to go blue in the past *4* presidential elections. My good friend ladyoneill lives there, and she's forever trying to convince me that Kansas can't be quite as bad as I imagine, because Lawrence is still holding on. Now I have a little hope. :)
LAWRENCE, Kansas (AP) -- Creationism and intelligent design are going to be studied at the University of Kansas, but not in the way advocated by opponents of the theory of evolution.
A course being offered next semester by the university religious studies department is titled "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies."
"The KU faculty has had enough," said Paul Mirecki, department chairman.
"Creationism is mythology," Mirecki said. "Intelligent design is mythology. It's not science. They try to make it sound like science. It clearly is not."
Earlier this month, the state Board of Education adopted new science teaching standards that treat evolution as a flawed theory, defying the view of science groups.
Although local school boards still decide how science is taught in the classrooms, the vote was seen as a major victory for proponents of intelligent design, which says that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by a higher power.
Critics say intelligent design is merely creationism -- a literal reading of the Bible's story of creation as the handiwork of God -- camouflaged in scientific language as a way to get around court rulings that creationism injects religion into public schools.
Lawrence is kind of like the San Francisco or Manhattan of Kansas, with all those troublesome "college intellectuals" running around. It's one of only two counties in the state to go blue in the past *4* presidential elections. My good friend ladyoneill lives there, and she's forever trying to convince me that Kansas can't be quite as bad as I imagine, because Lawrence is still holding on. Now I have a little hope. :)