More than a century after Charles Darwin's death, we're still debating evolution.
Last week, the Michigan State Board of Education rightfully approved guidelines for public schools to teach evolution, but not intelligent design, in science classes. The theory of intelligent design holds that living organisms are too complex to exist by chance and therefore, they must have been created by a higher power, such as a god.
The board's unanimous decision comes at a time when the question of intelligent design in the classroom also is being debated not only nationally, but also in local politics.
The Michigan gubernatorial election has brought forward the opinions of both Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Republican challenger Dick DeVos on the issue.
While Granholm agrees with the board that intelligent design should not be included in science classes, DeVos approves of the faith-based logic being taught side by side with evolution, stating it should be a decision of each school district.
While Granholm's stance of leaving faith out of science class is appropriate, considering intelligent design is not a science, she does support teaching students about intelligent design in other classes. She said school districts can consider the topic in courses dealing with current events or comparative religions.
As the intelligent design debate continues to pop up in the news and politics, it's a good idea for students to have the opportunity to discuss it with their peers, as well as be given both sides of the issue; however, science class is not the place for that kind of discussion.
The goal of our public school system should be to give students a well-rounded education in a variety of subjects. Specifically, in a science course it would be irresponsible to leave out a highly respected and scientifically backed theory like evolution. In addition, intelligent design should not be treated as a science when it cannot be tested using the scientific method.
Much like the debate surrounding global warming, the amount of evidence supporting evolution should speak for itself, and decisions like the one the board made can help put intelligent design back in theology classes where it belongs.
The separation of church and state is important for preserving the freedom of religion we enjoy in this country. Even though the current White House administration seems to believe otherwise, at least the Michigan State Board of Education is able to use both logic and reason when debating the issue.
Faith-based theory is fine at home or during religion classes, but only science should be taught in science class.
