Jan. 14, 2005 - 20:08 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Umpteenth Verse

In today's Rocky Mountain News is an article by Doug Gross of the Associated Press. In full:

Judge Tosses Evolution Sticker

"ATLANTA -- "A federal judge Thursday ordered a suburban Atlanta school system to remove stickers from its high school biology textbooks that call evolution "a theory, not a fact," saying the disclaimers are an unconstitutional endorsement of religion."

"By denigrating evolution, the school board appears to be endorsing the well-known prevailing alternative theory, creationism or variations thereof, even though the sticker does not specifically reference any alternative theories," U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper said."

"The stickers were put inside the book's front covers by public school officials in Cobb County in 2002. They read, "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution 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."

"This is a great day for Cobb County students," said Michael Manely, an attorney for the parents who sued over the stickers. "They're going to be permitted to learn science unadulterated by religious dogma."

"In a statement, the school board said it was disappointed and will decide whether to appeal. A board spokesman said no decision had been made on when or if the stickers would be removed."

"The textbook stickers are a reasonable and evenhanded guide to science instruction and encouraging students to be critical thinkers," the board said."

The stickers were added after more than 2,000 parents complained that the textbooks presented evolution as a fact, without mentioning rival ideas about the beginnings of life, such as creationism."

"Six parents and the American Civil Liberties Union then sued, contending the disclaimers violated the separation of church and state and unfairly singled out evolution from thousands of other scientific theories as suspect.

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As a citizen of this country I do have a right to express my opinions. If I can just put into words how I feel. Here are some.

The school board calls evolution a theory. There are so many things which are accepted as fact but are still called theories, called theories yet, even though all the studies and experiments attest to the reality of those so called theories.

Many things mill around in my mind. How many years, centuries, millenia or eons did each day of creation take ? Can't one believe that man was created by God, possibly we did evolve from a source that wasn't full blown, factory specimens of homosapiens.

Some of the creationists say positively our world was created by our God in seven days with man included. Some even allow for a few more years than that. But they are positive that, "We aren't related to "NO DAMN MONKEYS."

I wonder, if the monkeys haven't disowned the human race because of the way it acts most of the time from our beginning clear up to the present time.

If I dare presume to title myself anything it would be an evolutionist who believes in God's creation, however long it took by whatever route and method He desired.

Do I believe in miracles ? Sure I do, I feel that several happened to me. Other wise my address would be lot xx plot yy in Crown Hill Cemetery, Wheatridge, Colorado, come see me when I get there, but wait a bit 'til I am planted.

From what little I have read of history and from what little of that I understand, it seems to me that every scientist in our world who discovered something or figured something out has been condemned by some religion or other as being heretic.

Automatic condemnation of most anything newly discovered by lay people and the lay people often undergoing something like the Spanish Inquisition.

Any method of scientific inquiry is doubted when it comes to ages and facts. I have heard that God made the fossiles and planted them deep in rock, that diamonds were made overnight and coal in minutes, petroleum was pumped underground by the Lord. All sorts of things like that when scientific study demonstrates differently.

I am a believer, probably not one who would be accepted by most church goers as a brother, yet I am a believer. I just don't think things are as cut and dried as some who sing the same old song to the Umpteenth Verse . . . . . . . . . .

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