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Pennsylvania judge recently ruled that the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to the theory of evolution in the public high school science classroom constituted the teaching of religion, and was, therefore, unconstitutional. Across the country the debate rages in school boards, courtrooms, and classrooms. Is intelligent design science, or is it religion?
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WHAT IS “INTELLIGENT DESIGN?” Intelligent Design (ID) is a school of thought held by some scientists, theologians, and philosophers who believe that the universe shows objective evidence for design. Consider this example. Imagine walking along a stretch of ocean beach and seeing an array of rocks that form the letters “HELLO.” Is it more reasonable to assume that this formation is the result of the random tumbling of rocks bounced around by waves over a long stretch of time or the intentional act of a designer who arranged the rocks for a specific purpose? We immediately assume design, of course. Rocks bouncing in the waves don’t form letters much less words. That’s the idea behind Intelligent Design. ID advocates see evidence for intelligent design in nature. Biologist Dr. Michael J. Behe (Darwin’s Black Box) calls biological systems “irreducibly complex.” He cites the whiplike tail of single cell flagellets as an example. The flagellum in the cell consists of a stator, rotor, bushing, hook, and tail. If one piece is missing or defective, the flagellum will not work, and the cell cannot move and dies. Therefore, concludes Dr. Behe, the flagellum could not have evolved from simpler forms over a long period of time. It must have been designed as a working unit from the beginning. Mathematician Dr. William A. Dembski (Intelligent Design:
The Bridge Between Science and Theology) finds what he terms “specified complexity” in the genetic code. The genetic code consists of four basic molecules designated by the first letters of their chemical names: A,C, G, and T. These four molecules, arranged in long double helix strands, form genes and chromosomes, a detailed blueprint for every protein in the body. The genetic code is specific and complex information—a dense language with a four-letter alphabet. The chances of A,C,G, and T molecules stringing themselves together to form a coherent code for an aardvark or even an amoeba, much less a human being, are impossibly small. Like the software of a computer, the very existence of a code implies a coder. ID proponents point out that Earth is a rare cosmic gem in the universe. It’s the perfect place for life—the right galactic neighborhood, perfect parent star, orbit, distance from the sun, surface gravity, magnetic field, oxygen atmosphere, water to land ratio, surface temperature, a large solitary moon to govern the tides. Furthermore, the entire universe is delicately balanced on a finely tuned set of universal physical constants. One tiny glitch in any of these universal constants, and the whole galactic party would be over. ID advocates contend that these things cannot possibly be the result of a great cosmic coincidence; they point to intelligent design.
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