If there is a separation of church and state?

Question

Than how would you justify using taxpayer money to teach "Intelligent Design" in public high schools? Should we not leave that to private schools (Catholic schools)?

Now let’s not get any nasty answers, it would be unchristian!

Answer 1

Nice one, haven't heard this one before ;)

Just messing.

But to correct you, we SHOULD have separation of church and state, we haven't actually had it for 30 years.

Answer 2

It's not taught in public school where I'm from. Oh and just for your information Intelligent Design is not a "christian" belief. Many non-religious people belief that the Earth was Intelligently designed. The theory doesn't say God made the world. I think you've mixed up Creationism and Intelligent design. Creationism is what Christians believe (and yes there is a difference).

I think it's justified to teach both, I don't want my children being taught false theories. They can learn this is what people THINK happened but I won't allow anyone to tell them evolution is how it happened, because it's not proven and personally I don't believe it.

So how is it justified to teach children a theory and call it fact? Isn't that lying?  

Answer 3

It's not justified.  Intelligent design is a purely religious mythology, and while I don't have any problem with people believing in the idea or teaching it in private religious schools, I am strongly against teaching a religious mythos as truth in public schools.

Answer 4

Don't forget in some states it's illegal for an Atheist to hold public office.

Answer 5

You can't justify it.  They've called it "intelligent design" to hide the fact that it is religious-based.  But just tell the people who support it that you want to teach what the Raelians believe, that life on Earth was designed by a race of alien beings from another planet, and they'll all flip their ****.  It has to be God or nothing.

Therefore, it is religious, and therefore, unconstitutional in public schools.

"um they don't teach intelligent design in public schools. text books only talk about evolution, which in my opinion, takes a lot more faith to believe than believing in a God that created us."

Maybe they don't in your public school.  Count yourself lucky.  In certain states fundamentalist Christians have gone to the Supreme Court of their states to get the right to teach intelligent design alongside science, and in some states they have won that "right."

You only think evolution takes faith to believe in because you haven't allowed yourself to learn enough about scientific process and evolution yet.  I hope you open your mind more some day.

Answer 6

Intelligent Design? Never heard of it in my public high school.

Answer 7

I don't know about all schools but some teach that all life evolved from a single cell organism.  Why should taxpayer money be used to teach that?  There is not the slightest evidence that such a theory is true yet it still gets taught.  Some schools teach revisionist history which is anything but accurate yet there is only an outcry if anything that even remotely resembles religion is taught.  Some people have no problem with fairy tales being taught in public schools as long as the fairy tales have no religious sentiments to them.

Answer 8

RAmen brother

Answer 9

How can I justify it....I am a Christian taxpayer, that is how.  I think my belief system is just as important as yours.  I don't believe in evolution as the way humans came to be.  Yet they still teach evolution in public schools.  I pay taxes.  What makes your belief any better than mine?   My taxes are collected just the same as yours?  What is up with that?

By the way, the separation of church and state was never intended to take God out of government.  It was to keep government business out of the church, not the other way around.  

Now, bring on the thumbs down...how very diplomatic of you atheists.

Answer 10

In my opinion all religions should be studied in school. But they all should be represented equally. The fact that all religions aren't taught in school leads those to go out and find information about all religions by themselves, or through their parents. If all religions are represented equally then it allows for a wide base and multiple thought processes which will either lead one to the path that is best for them or make one realize that no religious path is right for them. Religion in itself should never be ignored - especially historically speaking since most historic events have some type of religious affiliation (WW2, Japanese Concentration Camps, Womans Sufferage, etc.) To totally exclude religion from school is to just teach one side of a history - the politics. 99% of wars, slavery, etc. have little to do with politics.

Religion should be in schools. Spirituality should not.

Answer 11

If it HAS to be taught (and it doesn't), it should be in a social studies or a comparative religion class. It has nothing to do with actual science.

Maybe creative writing. Maybe.

Answer 12

They need a little knowledge of religion to make an intelligent choice based upon unearthed evidence and accurate history records.  

Answer 13

Jefferson came up with "Separation of Church and State" meaning that the government has no business regulating what the church does or teaches.

     However, Jefferson and the founding fathers still supported the teaching of The Holy Scriptures in the classroom.

Answer 14

um they don't teach intelligent design in public schools. text books only talk about evolution, which in my opinion, takes a lot more faith to believe than believing in a God that created us.  

Answer 15

Does the intelligent design theory claim any one particular God as the intelligent designer?

If not, then it is not endorsing any religion and therefor your question is moot.  

Answer 16

Yes, it should be left to the private schools. Though I can personally say I've never heard of this, but that might be because I try to avoid news about religion for fear of my bashing my head against a wall in disbelief.

Answer 17

The term "separation of church and state" does not exist in the constitution.

The constitution says there shall be no 'establishing of religion".

They meant for there to not be an 'official state religion", they never intended it to ban all religious things from anything having to do with the government.

Answer 18

It should really be left to private schools.

It's not like they're forcing kids to believe evolution- most kids just do the section and test, then forget most of it.

Then again, intelligent design has nothing to do with science.  It's misplaced if it's being taught in public schools.

Also... very good point with the $cientology.  Seriously, if they bring intelligent design, it wouldn't be fair then to other beliefs, huh?  So then they get in. All of em because of the demand, like intelligent design followers are demanding.

Next thing you know, the number of people in the Co$ cult gets bigger.  Other cults get members too.  Then, lots of unhappy people.

Oh wow, that could actually bring on some bad things.  ****.

Answer 19

How can they justify macroevolution!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... A fabricated, bogus, statistically impossible fairytale, and discuss it as fact! That is the corruption of church and state. The saddest part is that it is under the guise of science. Shame on them! You can believe that everything originated from nothing, that there is cause and effect but that an uncaused caused don't exist, that life originated from nonlife and without knowledge of its own existence randomly formed DNA, a statistical impossibility. If you want to believe in illogical concepts and learn about them, do it on your own time. I am insulted to have such lavish c**p force-fed to me, and it violates my tax money and my Constitutional Rights.

Yet, to say nasty answers is unchristian demonstrates both your ignorance of how God created our spirit and of how you do not know Christ. We are to be confrontational with you. And I, for one, will be.  

Answer 20

Catholic schools teach evolution.