It has been more than 20 years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against teaching creationism "science" in public schools, finding it a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
And it has been about three years since constituents voted the School Board of Dover, Pa., out of office after the board implemented "intelligent design" - a more scientific-sounding name for creationism - in its public schools. A district court judge chastised that policy as an example of "breathtaking inanity," and more importantly, an unconstitutional infringement of the separation of church and state.
In 2006, Cobb County, Ga., dropped its "warning labels" policy amid a similar constitutional challenge. The policy called for stickers to be placed on all biology textbooks admonishing students that evolution's just a theory, and as such, it should be "approached with an open mind." Ironic, considering that intelligent design adherents seem to have closed their minds long ago.
Despite voluminous legal precedents condemning the teaching in public schools of creationism or intelligent design - whichever term you prefer; they are one in the same - as an unconstitutional state endorsement of religion, and despite the overwhelming backing that the theory of evolution enjoys from the scientific community, the religious right just won't quit.
Last week, the Republican-controlled Florida legislature - which now boasts a prodigious 32 percent approval rating, the lowest ever - moved one step closer to pushing through an incredibly ignorant and shamelessly duplicitous piece of legislation that aims to inject religion into the Sunshine State's public schools. The deceptively named "Academic Freedom Act" is now one House council's approval away from a floor vote. The Senate is already set to vote on the measure.
The bill's supporters claim that the legislation has nothing to do with religion and would simply permit teachers to present alternative theories (read: intelligent design) without fear of harassment or dismissal.
That's like saying the war in Iraq is about freedom, not oil. The ability of conservatives to say such things with a straight face will never cease to amaze me.
Proponents of the bill have found an ally in Ben Stein, of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Win Ben Stein's Money," who recently visited Tallahassee to peddle his pro-intelligent-design documentary "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed." In his film, Stein posits the ridiculous argument that evolution served as an enabler for Hitler and the Holocaust.
That's right folks; according to Ben Stein, if you believe in evolution, you're an Anti-Semite.
Listen, I am a Christian who believes in God, but I also believe in science, and I don't see how the two are irreconcilable. More to the point, I believe in the Constitution. The Constitution wisely counsels us to refrain from giving one religion preference over another. This principle protects both the church and the state from gaining undue influence on each other's affairs. Adoption of the "Academic Freedom Act" is a bad idea.
In the words of the Orlando Sentinel editorial board: "It's as ludicrous as allowing teachers to suggest alternative theories for the multiplication table." What's more, it's an unconstitutional state endorsement of religion. Instead of protecting teachers' "freedom" to inject religion into the classroom, our legislators ought to work on providing more funding for teacher salaries and more educational funding in general to keep them in the classroom.
Joshua Fredrickson is a political science senior. His column appears Wednesdays.
