Education website sued for being pro-evolution

[Nephtys]

I ask again, how the fuck are they supposed to sue someone for exercising free speech? It's their own website, they can say that Jesus sucks cock if they want.

I think that their contention is that since the site is at least partially funded with government money (the $400k from the National Science Foundation), it isn't just some individual's free speech. And if the website were spouting opinion about religion, they would have a point. Fortunately, the theory of evolution is not considered (by any thinking person) to be a religious subject.

Evolutionary biology is construed to be a religious belief because it makes statements and predictions about the origin of life on Earth- the traditional territory of religion. However, by their logic, history and business ethics are also religious beliefs because they're butting in on the Bible's turf.

Wrong. Evolutionary biology makes no assumptions about the origin of life. Just the way species form. It is unrelated on how the first species/species are about, just how modern forms came about. It's not a religious belief because it makes no mention of the supernatural and relies entirely on observation and empyrical evidence.

[Nephtys]

Edit: Oopsie. On first read, I thought you were trying to argue that Evolution was a religion. Still, my statement works.

[Darth Raptor]

Edit: Oopsie. On first read, I thought you were trying to argue that Evolution was a religion. Still, my statement works.

Yeah, it's not really ID versus evolution- it's ID versus abiogenisis. Only your average fundie ID proponent doesn't know that. The point I was trying to make is that to them Naturalism (even operational Naturalism) is a religious belief because it has a religious bias (yes, not having a religious bias is a religious bias).

It's like when they say they don't believe in atheists.

[wautd]

The plaintiffs are not proponents of "intelligent design" — a theory that living organisms are so complex they must have been created by a higher intelligence — but they object to the teaching of evolution as scientific fact

So how do they think we all got here? It wasn't evolution but they're not proponents of Intelligent Design? Unintelligent Design? WTF?

Probably YEC types; we were made from clay/dust/ whatever.

Hah! Idiots. Clearly they are unaware that it were in fact Odin, Vili, and Vé who killed Ymir, and from his corpse created the Earth from his flesh, the mountains from his bones, trees with his hair and rivers, seas and lakes with his blood. And finally, the gods created the starry heavens within Ymir’s hollowed-out skull

[drachefly]

Well, if I read it right, the article says that the offending phrase is where the web site claims that SOME religions, including MOST Christian and Jewish sects, do not have a problem with religion. This, they claim, is an endorsement of some religions over others.

...

well, if you assume that believing in evolution is a good thing, then sure. But what are you doing in that sect that believes evolution is a bad thing, then?

[SCRawl]

Well, if I read it right, the article says that the offending phrase is where the web site claims that SOME religions, including MOST Christian and Jewish sects, do not have a problem with religion. This, they claim, is an endorsement of some religions over others.

Yeah, I bet they don't.

Seriously, I assume that you meant that they don't have a problem with the theory of evolution.[/b]

[GeneralTacticus]

Well, if I read it right, the article says that the offending phrase is where the web site claims that SOME religions, including MOST Christian and Jewish sects, do not have a problem with religion. This, they claim, is an endorsement of some religions over others.

...

well, if you assume that believing in evolution is a good thing, then sure. But what are you doing in that sect that believes evolution is a bad thing, then?

Actually, if you follow their logic through, and assume acceptance of evolution is a bad thing, then the website is in fact endorsing them, and like-minded religious groups. And they're complaining. There's no pleasing some people...

[drachefly]

Well, if I read it right, the article says that the offending phrase is where the web site claims that SOME religions, including MOST Christian and Jewish sects, do not have a problem with religion. This, they claim, is an endorsement of some religions over others.

Yeah, I bet they don't.

Seriously, I assume that you meant that they don't have a problem with the theory of evolution.[/b]

Umm... yeah. Funny what happens with modern editing techniques... rephrase a sentence halfway and you end up saying nothing at all.

[Eris]

I'd ask if anyone here but me found it tremendously ironic that fundies are willing to scream themselves blue in the face that prayer in schools (excuse me, moments of silence) doesn't make for religious bias, but teaching evolution does, but I know that probably most of you already do. You just have to love those wacky fundamentalists. I'd say something about their apparent mental capacities but I get the feeling that that poor little dead horse is already nothing more than a fleshy pulp.

[Metatwaddle]

I'd ask if anyone here but me found it tremendously ironic that fundies are willing to scream themselves blue in the face that prayer in schools (excuse me, moments of silence) doesn't make for religious bias, but teaching evolution does, but I know that probably most of you already do. You just have to love those wacky fundamentalists. I'd say something about their apparent mental capacities but I get the feeling that that poor little dead horse is already nothing more than a fleshy pulp.

Yeah, we're not too fundie-friendly around here, to put it mildly. There are a few liberal Christians here, but most of us are agnostics or atheists. Mike's Creationism/Evolution site sums up my opinion pretty well on a lot of that stuff.

Welcome to the forum!