by Doug Gross, Associated Press Writer.

Atlanta- A Federal Judge on Thursday ordered the removal of stickers placed in high school biology text books that call evolution "A theory, not a fact," saying they were an unconstitutional endorsement of a religion.
The disclaimers were put in the books by school officials in surburban Cobb county in 2002.

The Cobb county school board is doing more than accommodating religion," Michael Manely, an attorney for the parents, argued during the trial. "They are promoting religious dogma to all students."

I think it's okay to refer to any Scientific theory as such. Just show people the "facts" which lead Science to the "theory". Science has a way of just making sense, even if you can't 100% prove the theory (in this case it would involve documenting evolution over the next million years or something).

I agree with this decision. Every one of man's religions cannot be accomodated in school books. There are hundreds.
If all religions jumped on the band wagon school books would soon look like one big religious commercial.

I still believe everyone should have the freedom to worship as they wish.
Religion is for the home and Church.

I believe what people do in their private lives is their business only-wish all religions believed that.

I do not know how evolution is refered to now, but in my school years it was refered to a "the theory of evolution" in books.

I honestly can't remember how evolution was taught. My last biology class was 9th grade. Holy crap that was 19 years ago. :(

Originally posted by Dan Fussell

The disclaimers were put in the books by school officials in surburban Cobb county in 2002.

It is regretable --and more than a little pathetic-- that in the 21st century this American society is still so backward and superstitious that school officials would collectively make a decision to place [or that they'd even think of placing] that sort of sticker in a textbook for the Public school system.

Religion and science are like oil and water.

I don't see which religion is being endorsed by merely properly classifying the theory of evolution.

The reason they wanted the stickers is because there are alot of people that assume evoulution is 100 percent correct.

Originally posted by Freethinker
Religion and science are like oil and water.


True religion and science are the same thing....


I was also taught " the theory of evolution" Maybe there should be a class on "the theory of religions". Neither one is proven any better then the other.

Originally posted by mad dog
True religion and science are the same thing....


I was also taught " the theory of evolution" Maybe there should be a class on "the theory of religions". Neither one is proven any better then the other.
---------------------------------------------

"the theory of religions," I like that! Seems fair.

Originally posted by Dan Fussell
Every one of man's religions cannot be accomodated in school books.

And neither can their THEORIES.

If the religious right can reach into matters of the state, then it is only fair for the state to reach into the realm of the religious by placing stickers in the bible stating;

"This bible contains material on creationism. Creationism is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered."

Seems like a good idea to me cree.

Originally posted by mad dog


I was also taught " the theory of evolution" Maybe there should be a class on "the theory of religions". Neither one is proven any better then the other.

Nonsense.

The amount of proof humankind has before it for the existence of invisible supernatural beings --IOW, proof of a "Supreme" entity--- is ZERO.

Evolution, OTOH, is a fact.

"A few words need to be said about the "theory of evolution," which most people take to mean the proposition that organisms have evolved from common ancestors. In everyday speech, "theory" often means a hypothesis or even a mere speculation. But in science, "theory" means "a statement of what are held to be the general laws, principles, or causes of something known or observed." as the Oxford English Dictionary defines it. The theory of evolution is a body of interconnected statements about natural selection and the other processes that are thought to cause evolution, just as the atomic theory of chemistry and the Newtonian theory of mechanics are bodies of statements that describe causes of chemical and physical phenomena. In contrast, the statement that organisms have descended with modifications from common ancestors--the historical reality of evolution--is not a theory. It is a fact, as fully as the fact of the earth's revolution about the sun. Like the heliocentric solar system, evolution began as a hypothesis, and achieved "facthood" as the evidence in its favor became so strong that no knowledgeable and unbiased person could deny its reality. No biologist today would think of submitting a paper entitled "New evidence for evolution;" it simply has not been an issue for a century."-----------Douglas J. Futuyma, Evolutionary Biology, 2nd ed., 1986, Sinauer Associates, p. 15

Originally posted by minister
The reason they wanted the stickers is because there are alot of people that assume evoulution is 100 percent correct.

Are you saying that it isn't?

Why must religion and evolution conflict?

Originally posted by ~Sal~
Are you saying that it isn't?

Why must religion and evolution conflict?

Because what we know about evolution is based on scientific research and empirical data.

Science employs a logical and empirical methodology to understand the natural world......a method that entails observation of natural phenomena, formulation of hypotheses as tentative, testable statements to explain those phenomena, and experiments or observations to test these hypotheses. Scientific theories---like the theory of evolution-- are therefore the best substantiated statements that scientists can make to explain the organization and operation of the natural world.

Religion has none of the above.

None.

Religion is based entirely on superstition.

THAT is why they are in diametric opposition to one antoehr.

Originally posted by Freethinker
Because what we know about evolution is based on scientific research and empirical data.

Yes evolution is based on scientific research and empirical data. You may label religion as superstitious nonsense. That is your right, doesn't mean you are correct though. I would say to you that many scientists would not label it as such. There are believers in their world too.

Read some Depak Chopra and his theory of energy.

I believe in evolution and God. That does not make me a non- believer nor does it make me anti-science.

Who says they have to be mutually exclusive?