Religious Politics and Secular Values

Why is the inclusion of creationism and "intelligent design" still a viable proposal for American biology curricula? What other secular policies are at risk of religious intrusion? NCSE board member Barbara Forrest dissects the issue with a panel of experts, including Barry Lynn, Chris Mooney, and John Shook. Where: Center for Inquiry, Washington, DC. When: 10/22/2011

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Wow, that was a very well done presentation--well thought out and well worded. Without question, evolution is a difficult topic. Even Darwin himself struggled with it and what it meant for our understanding of humanity itself. For me the key is this: faith (trust) and reason are two equally valid ways of knowing the truth, but each must be applied properly. My religion must not require me to deny any truth, either truth taught to me by a trustworthy source or truth discovered through the use of reason. The hard part is sometimes having to work out the details of the common ground between faith and reason.

By Timothy P. Meldrum (not verified) on 14 Dec 2012 #permalink

The secularism is the sign of the emergence of modern times. Despite a violent history, originated in illusions and idolatry, it is necessary for Homo sapiens the complementarity of the memory – including creationist hypothesis – and the critical thinking, which preserve the freedom and the common sense, not ideology and manipulation. The dignity of humankind consist in free will, the extraordinary fact to choose constantly between good and evil.

By Ontelus Dan Gabriel (not verified) on 15 Dec 2012 #permalink

Oxymoron is the name for a blatant contradiction between two terms, usually an adjective and a noun, like in "obscure light". Now we have to find a new word for several (3+) terms contradicting each other like "critical thinking", "common sense" and "creationist hypothesis".

By Fernando Tasso (not verified) on 07 Jan 2013 #permalink