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Australian Cardinal Approves Government Decision to Allow Teaching of Intelligent Design in Schools

SYDNEY, September 2, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In August, Australian Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson told reporters that the theory of Intelligent Design (ID), would have a place alongside Darwinian evolution in schools. The announcement has raised the fury of secularists in the education and scientific communities and received the approval of Sydney’s Catholic Archbishop, George Cardinal Pell.

So far, one school has taken up the challenge and is planning on including ID in this year’s curriculum. Pacific Hills Christian School is ready to offer both theories in either its religion or science classes giving students opportunity to critically examine the possible limitations and merits of Darwinian evolution.

The school's principal, Ted Boyce, said, “Evolution is taught in the school system as if it's a universally accepted theory and there's no other way to view the origin of man and creation,” Dr Boyce said. “I have trouble with this. We would teach evolution as a theory and ID as an alternative theory.”

Cardinal Pell, the Catholic archbishop of Sydney Australia, accustomed to being called names by his opponents, describes himself as “agnostic” on the physical nature of the origins of life. But he was happy to see ID offered as an alternative theory to pure secularist Darwinism that is, he said, sometimes taught in an “anti-God” way.

That species change over time is clear and has never been denied by responsible religious thinkers. Pell said, “There’s no doubt evolution explains a lot of things. But it's there to be replaced or improved -- there are many things it doesn't explain.”

Paul Davies a physicist and author called ID proponents the worst name a secularist can think of: “religious.” “(ID) isn't a scientific theory, it's a religion,” he said. “There are all sorts of beliefs out there: flat-earthers, fairies and philosophy class might be appropriate.”

Whatever the theologians and secularist scientists work out in the end, the US public is tired of being treated like sheep and want to hear both sides of the argument. In a recent Pew Research Center poll, 64 percent, say they believe “creationism” should be taught alongside “evolution.”

Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life said that though there may be some confusion about terms like “creationism” the general conclusion is that people feel they have a right to both sides of the issue. "What this basically tells us is that in contentious issues, many people take the default position - teach both sides and let people make up their own minds," Lugo said.

“School to make evolution optional” The Australian:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,574...

Read excerpts from then-Cardinal Ratzinger’s talk:
http://www.zenit.org/english/

Read Pew Research Center report:
http://pewforum.org/surveys/origins/#3

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