Florida: Opposing Sides Debate Change in Curriculum

From the article:
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By Cary McMullen
Ledger Religion Editor

ORLANDO | Both supporters and opponents of the biological theory of
evolution are vocal about the prospect that it might be taught to
Florida public school students. On Thursday evening, they got the
chance to speak out.

About 40 people attended a public hearing at Jones High School in
Orlando, hosted by the Florida Department of Education, to hear
comments about proposed revisions to the Sunshine State Standards,
which specify what students should be taught. The revisions would
revamp the benchmarks for mathematics and science, and for the first
time, the standards would explicitly require that the theory of
evolution be taught in high school biology classes.

That drew praise and criticism. Of the 10 speakers who addressed the
inclusion of evolution in the new standards, four supported the
changes and six spoke against them.

Opponents repeatedly said evolution is unproven and that students need
to hear alternatives, particularly the concept known as intelligent
design, which holds that biological life is too complex to have
evolved by chance through random changes over millennia and that a
divine purpose guided the process.

"I firmly believe evolution should be taught, but I do have a big
problem with it being taught exclusively," said Robert Rictor of
Orlando, who identified himself as a father of three. "There are other
theories out there that have great weight, and it seems to me they're
poking holes in (evolution)."

But Joe Wolf, president of Florida Citizens for Science, said
intelligent design is a religious concept, not a scientific theory.

"Teaching intelligent design, creationism, can only cause confusion in
the minds of students. How can we expect students to learn science
when we're teaching religion?" said Wolf, who identified himself as a
Christian believer and a deacon in his church. "I accept evolution as
the only current scientific theory that explains the natural world.
I'm sick and tired of being told you can't accept evolution and be a
Christian."
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Read it at http://www.theledger.com/article/20071116/NEWS/711160414/1039








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