Inteligent design

[123everton]

With all this appalling nonsense over Mohamed the teddy bear, how would atheists feel about inteligent design being taught to their teenaged children?

[brionon]

I would ask where Cancer fits into Intelligent design.

[123everton]

A poignant reply (I hope no-one you know is suffering) but I'm not really after a debate on creationism versus atheism, rather the idea of inteligent design being taught in school as a science (to me it belongs in religion) to their children.

[naomi24]

That's a good question, 123, and immediately reminded me of the Scopes Monkey trial, which was dramatised under the title "Inherit the Wind", and then made into a film of the same name. (Good film by the way - old but good).

Although I don't believe in the Biblical God, I'm not an athiest, so I hope you don't mind me answering the question, but I wouldn't want my children taught that intelligent design is fact, neither would I want them taught as fact anything that presents a narrow perspective on any subject to which no one knows the real answer..

[WaldoMcFroog]

Only as long as as the equally credible alternative to evolution known as Flying Spaghetti Monsterism is also taught.

[123everton]

Thankyou Naomi, as you may be aware I'm in agreement with you in so much as I'm not in any way shape or form an absolutist. There are any number of ideas as to creation, all of them valid to the ones who hold them dear. I've never come across Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, which sauce do they venerate and are they aiming to wage war on the Pesto Loving Fusilli-ers! But as I posted earlier I want to avoid a life on Earth debate. Your child is in school and they're teaching them inteligent design as an alternative to evolution, without the bickering what would your reaction be, change schools? What?

[WaldoMcFroog]

If you mean teaching it as science, then yes, I'd take my child out of school rather than suffer that cack. If you mean taught in an RE class, then fine.

[naomi24]

I wouldn't necessarily take the child out of school initially, but I'd take issue with the headteacher, as I did when my child was being taught to read in a new-fangled fashion which caused her some considerable distress, and if a solution couldn't be reached, then, yes, I would change schools. Quite simply, it's a big world and children shouldn't be indoctrinated with ideas that cannot be proven.

[Llamatron]

Kids should be taught to think for themselves.

Teaching kids ID simply teaches them that facts and reality can be twisted or outright ignored if they don't fit with the end goals.

I think our friends on the other side of the pond are learning the hard way what happens when the folks in charge take that view on life.

[chakka35]

As far as my teenagers were concerned it would not bother me because I would be able to explain to them in ten minutes flat what nonsense ID is.
I would then get on to the school and explain to the head teacher the difference between science and religion.

[123everton]

But what if the child is happy and thriving at the school, getting good grades and has plenty of friends? What if (even if it's being taught in religion) they like the idea of inteligent design?
What then?

[figure]

Well I would still like to learn how to design a website and hoping before I die I learn how to.

[naomi24]

I would certainly speak to the headteacher and make him/her aware of my views, but we are talking about teenagers here, in which case the subject would already have been discussed openly many times at home. Therefore, whatever the outcome of my discussion with the headteacher. my children would be fully aware that there's much more to life than religion would have us believe, and although hopefully they would take an interest in the lessons, I would trust that the subject matter would be taken with a very large pinch of salt.

[Whickerman]

100% in agreement with Waldo here.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Ta - nice Slaine by the way! ;-)

[chakka35]

There is no reason why they not continue to be happy at school while I continue to reason with the headteacher about the curriculum, then with the governors, then with the local education authority, then with my MP...

And it is impossible for them to "be happy" with ID once I have explained to them the flaws in it. They are not stupid. They even realise now that there ain't no Santa Claus.

(I am being hypothetical. My actual children are no longer teenagers.)