Creationist DVD faces school fight

Here is an unwebbed article (with links added) that I scanned from yesterday's "The West Australian" (my State's main daily), on the ID movement's video, "Unlocking the Mystery of Life." A similar story appeared in The Melbourne Age newspaper. This may be the biggest news story on ID to date in Australia!

I won't comment on this article, because I am immediately following it with a post here of a letter to the editor which I have just sent, responding to an opinion piece today by a columnist criticising ID (and the DVD), and a short editorial supporting ID's "teach the controversy" position.

Stephen E. Jones, BSc (Biol)
"Problems of Evolution"

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The West Australian
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2005 3

New science or religion debate has split the United States - now it's Australia's turn

Creationist DVD faces school fight

SYDNEY

A Sydney-based group is gathering support from educationists, churches, politicians and scientists to distribute a DVD on the controversial theory of intelligent design to every Australian high school for inclusion in the curriculum.

Intelligent design, which is supported by US President George Bush, an evangelical Christian, argues that Darwin's theory of evolution is wrong because life is so complex there must have been a higher intelligence involved.

To its supporters, the theory is a hard science which should be taught to high school students in their ordinary science class.

To its critics, who include most scientists, it is a religious belief and properly belongs in a religion or philosophy course.

The evolution-intelligent design debate has split the US in recent years but has gained significant support. Mr Bush says schools should teach both evolution and intelligent design side by side.

The Campus Crusade for Christ Australia, which claims to have 130 staff, is pushing the theory here.

Its chief, Bill Hodgson, has been busy meeting scientists to try to convince them that intelligent design deserves support in schools.

The Crusade has had one big coup so far - the inventor of the bionic ear, Professor Graeme Clark, says he is impressed with the arguments. Monsignor Peter Elliott, who oversees religious education for the Melbourne Catholic archdiocese, also says he is a "great supporter" of intelligent design.

The group has presented a copy of the DVD, Unlocking the Mystery of Life, to Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson.

Already, more than a thousand copies have been circulated in Australia, with its Christian distributor Focus on the Family saying most have gone to university students and churches.

The Campus Crusade for Christ has been operating in Australia since 1967, an offshoot of the founding group in the US. With a mission to spread the gospel, it originally had a university focus, but has extended its reach to high schools and the wider community.

Mr Hodgson said the plan to distribute the DVD to schools was in the early stages. His group was talking to interested people to see if there was a groundswell of support to make it available as a curriculum resource for high schools. The Australian Education Union firmly believes teachers have "an absolute commitment to scientific principle and evidence", national president Pat Byrne said.

"There shouldn't be any confusion between science and religion," she said.
"Within the context of religion, students are exposed to different religious views, different religious theories. It needs to be very clear that that's what this is - a particular religious theory."

(c) 2005 West Australian Newspapers Limited All Rights Reserved.