Things have been quiet here - primarily because it was the first week of the semester and everything that entails. But it's over now and hopefully I can get back to blogging.
While I was away, Buttars' bill in Utah apparently advanced on to the next stage of Senate consideration. Buttars states "I've never advocated for, never included anything about intelligent design, creationism or any faith-based philosophy," this despite his statement in USA Today (8/8/05) that "I believe those fighting against the teaching of intelligent design in
schools have an ulterior motive to eliminate references to God from the
entire public forum".
More interestingly is why the Bill passed on to the next stage. As KUTV notes:
Buttars' supporters spoke about religion in defending their votes for the bill. Some
criticized what they called a rise of the "religion of secularism and
atheism" in society, which they say squelches expressions of religion
in public life."It seems like for a long time we've been quiet and allowed these
things to happen," Sen. Parley Hellewell, R-Orem said. "I think it's
important that we stand and fight for what we believe."
Will the Discovery Institute defend this (clearly religiously motivated) action? If they are advocates of "good education" how do they deal with the facts that, early in the debate, a Democratic senator offered a failed
amendment to ensure that schools also teach that all areas of science
have opposing theories, not just biology. One would imagine that the DI should now call for Buttars to change his bill.
Some chance.
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