Re: ID/ Evolution: most Americans reject judicial activism

Jon Enslin wrote: 
stephenj wrote:

From a September 2005 Pew Research Poll: 

"Support for teaching creationism along with evolution is quite
broad-based, with majority support even among seculars, liberal
Democrats and those who accept natural selection theory."

Favor teaching Creationism along with Evolution:

Yes: 64%
No: 26%

IMO, the 64% who favor teaching forms of creationism like ID along with
evolution are stupid or misguided or somewhere in between. Creationism
lacks intellectual content and therefore shouldn't be taught as a
credible alternative to evolution, anymore than the Hindu story that the
earth was created when Brahma split a giant lotus tree into the heavens,
the earth, and the sky.

But that's really a side-issue here. The important issue is "who should
be deciding whether creationism is or isn't taught in public schools"?
Sadly, the federal courts have made it their business to make those
decisions - which are properly made by state and local education
officials. How? By applying a liberal-activist reading to the
'establishment clause' of the first amendment.

Remember that at that the time the Bill of Rights was passed, 5 states
actually had official religions, and A1 wasn't construed by *anyone* at
that time to outlaw them. It banned Congress from establishing a
national religion, nothing more. It didn't apply to the states at all.
Yet we're now asked to believe that if a loacl school board votes to
teach creationism alongside evolution that violates the constitutional
'establishment clause'? Preposterous.




Way to skip over that the 1st Amendment now applies to the states via
the 14th Amendment.

How does it "now apply"? There's nothing in A14 that makes the 'establishment clause' apply to the states. That was an interpretation made up by activitist judges in 1947.

And even if it did, properly construed it would only prevent states from doing what it prevents the congress from doing - actually establishing an official religion, like declaring a "church of illinois" or somesuch. stuff like whether religion can be taught in schools, prayer in schools, prayer at graduation ceremonies, "in god we trust" on coins, nativity scenes on public land, etc. doesn't come anywhere close to establishing a religion in the sense the founders of these amendments intended.

This was a fantastic decision, made by a Bush appointee BTW.  If the
64% wants to teach creationism it should be done in their households,
at their Church, or in a private school.  Personally, I want my kids
taught hard science at schools, with the religious debates on the
origins of humanity happening around the dinner table.

So do i. But neither of us should want our minority opinion to prevail over that of the majority by activist judicial fiat. if we can't win elections, then we should accept losing.


--
 "if federal judges have the final word over its meaning,
the Constitution would be a mere thing of wax in the hands
of the judiciary, which they may twist and shape into any form
they please".

- Thomas Jefferson
.

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