Should the Intelligent Design Curriculum Become a Part of Your Child's Education?

On Tuesday, December 20, 2005 the Federal Court ruled against teaching the "intelligent design" curriculum in the Dover, PA school district. According to the US District Judge John E. Jones III "the Dover School Board violated the separation of Church and state when it voted to introduce Intelligent Design into science classes by requiring students to listen to a disclaimer critical of evolution." What makes this ruling so disturbing is the reasoning behind the decision and the objections that people have against it. Those who oppose the Intelligent Design say that it is an attempt to bring creationism and religion into public schools. As stated by Reverend Barry W. Lynn, American United executive director, "It means that school board members have no right to impose their personal religious beliefs on students through the school curriculum."

What is evolution? It is the central idea that all life on Earth shares a common biological ancestor. In this case, we are all a part of a descent through genetic inheritance. We are distant cousins of oak trees, humming birds and whales because we have a common denominator in our genetic make-up.

Where does God fit in the equation? According to scripture, God is revealed as a personal Being who created Adam and Eve "in his own image" (Gen 1:27). In the Bible he is an infinite, eternal, self-existent Being who is the First Cause of all that is. After God had finished creating, he observed it all and it was "very good" (Gen 1:31). God created all things in "the heavens and the earth" (Gen 1:1; cf. Isa 40:28; 42:5; 45:18; Mk 13:19; Eph 3:9; Col 1:16; Heb 1:2; Rev 10:6). God's creation was formless, empty and covered with darkness (Gen 1:2) before he used the power of his word for creation (Gen 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26). The entire Trinity, not just the Father, had a role in creation (Jn 1:1,3).

What is the purpose and goal of God in creation? God created the heavens and the earth as a manifestation of his glory, wisdom and power. David says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands" (Ps 19:1; cf. Ps 8:1). God created the heavens and the earth in order to receive back the glory and honor due to him (Ps 98:7-8; 148:1-10; Isa 55:12). God created the earth in order to provide a place where his purpose and goals for humankind might be fulfilled (Isa 60:21; 61:1-3; Eph 1:11-12; 1Pe 2:9). The culmination of God's purpose for creation is recorded in Rev. 21:3 "He will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."

Creation and Evolution. It has been mentioned that creationism is not a scientific theory and therefore it has no relevance in the public schools. It is safe to say that creationism is not a scientific theory just like evolution is not truly scientific. Instead, evolution is a predominant worldview and a naturalistic explanation about the origin of life and the development of the universe. It begins with the assumption that there is no personal, divine Creator who made and fashioned the world. It is a hypothesis without scientific "evidence"; to accept it one must have faith in a human theory. The only evidence that is available is what can be duplicated in any laboratory.

One cannot deny that changes and development have occurred throughout mankind. Some varieties of species have become extinct and we occasionally see new strains forming within new species. There isn't any evidence supporting the theory that one kind of living thing ever evolved from another kind. However, existing evidence supports the Bible's declaration that God created each living creature "according to its kind" (Ge 1:21,24-25). Therefore, the belief that God started the evolution process (known as theistic evolution) is false because it contradicts the clear Biblical revelation that ascribes to God an active role in all aspects of creation.

As Christians and witnesses for Christ (Ac 1:8) it is important that we take caution in what we teach (1 Tim 6:20,21) because all false witnesses will not go unpunished (Pr 19:9).