Intelligent design 'not science'

2005-12-21 10:29

Washington - A US court on Tuesday ruled it was unconstitutional to teach children the intelligent design theory of life as an alternative to evolution, dealing a blow to religious conservatives.

The case, in Pennsylvania, has been closely watched as the key legal battle in an ideological war waged by Christian activists to debunk Charles Darwin's theory and to challenge the principles of secular education.

Advocates had hoped to introduce intelligent design into schools across the United States - despite claims by critics that it violates the separation of church and state.

The concept holds that nature and biological structures are so complex that they must have been designed by an unidentified intelligent being rather than evolving by chance.

"Our conclusion today is that it is unconstitutional to teach ID as an alternative to evolution in a public school science classroom," US District Court Judge John Jones ruled.

The school board in the northeastern state's Dover area had ruled that biology classes must include teaching of the intelligent design concept.

But Jones concluded in his 139-page ruling that intelligent design violated the "establishment clause" of the First Amendment to the Constitution, which bars a state-mandated religion.

"In making this determination, we have addressed the seminal question of whether ID is science. We have concluded that it is not," he wrote.

Jones reasoned after hearing six weeks of testimony that "ID cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents".

The judge also lashed out at activist members of the Dover school board, eight of whom were voted out of office in November, for thrusting an "untestable alternative hypothesis" to evolution into the classroom.

Opponents of intelligent design described the ruling as "wonderful".

"This is a very important decision, Judge Jones has reaffirmed that in this country, public servants shall not use their public office to impose their religious views on others," said Stephen Harvey of law firm Pepper Hamilton, which fought the case.

Plantiff Tammy Kitzmiller, a parent who brought the case, said "intelligent design is not science. Intelligent design is about religion."

But supporters of the theory said they had simply lost a single battle.

- SAPA