Now Florida has joined the Creationism debate. In brief:
Florida’s public-school students for years have been studying “biological changes over time,” but proposed revisions in state science standards would for the first time use another term for that concept: evolution.
Let the games begin. Letter writers are up in arms about letting this evil word come between their public-school educated kids and the blessed truths of the ancient texts.
In response pro-science letter writers, Christian and otherwise, are fighting to keep Florida off the laughing stock list.
Always the latest on this issue at Google news.
Life for everyone might be a whole lot easier if they simply learned to distinguish between the origin of *life* and the origin of *species*. Darwin never presumed to identify the origin of life, only a description of how a teaming variety of species might arise naturally once life, however it originated, began. Sadly for everyone, so few Christian Fundies have actually read Darwin that the vast majority of them are completely ignorant about the subject they are so passionate about.
It's pretty painful reading through the comments. To me, the fact that they're still arguing "it's only a theory", "if we came from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?" and insisting that "survival of the fittest" means the biggest, meanest, and strongest beat out everyone else only makes the argument for better science standards even stronger.
Alison makes a good argument for why "Evolution Should be taught!" in response to this issue now in Florida.
22% of Floridians want Evolutionary biology taught, 50% want faith-based biology to be taught without any reference to evolution.
The real question that comes to my mind after reading this St. Petersburg Times poll is, should we allow popular demand to decide what is taught in science classes?
It brings to mind the story of the Chinese Emperor's nose: People were demanding to know the length of the Emperor's nose. Since no one was allowed to see the emperor, or even to talk to those who had, a poll was taken, and the average was taken to be the true answer.
In modern context, most scientists are qualified to decide what are valid theories in their own fields. This is an immeasurably small part of those whose opinions are being considered on this issue.
Florida Science Standard decided: Evolution is to be taught as a "Theory". To be fair, according to this Miami Herald article, they went though and labeled all scientific theories to be taught as "scientific theory". Like gravity, atoms, elements, etc.
Both the science and the Bible camps are dissatisfied; a perfect compromise.