Tennessee Bill Helps Teachers Challenge Evolution

sciencehabit writes "In a 70-28 vote yesterday, the Tennessee House of Representatives passed HB 368 (PDF), a bill that encourages science teachers to explore controversial topics without fear of reprisal. Critics say the measure will enable K-12 teachers to present intelligent design and creationism as acceptable alternatives to evolution in the classroom. If the bill passes, Tennessee would join Louisiana as the second state to have specific 'protection' for the teaching of evolution in the classroom."

Comments

Re:And I pray the opposite...

[Excelcior]

Idiot. An organism doesn't have to gain information to evolve. It just has to survive.

hmm... then how did anything increase into a more complex structure? Survival does not imply progression.
Evolution is a theory which has yet to be proven. From a non-religious point-of-view, there is absolutely no reason that evolution should be granted any merit beyond intelligent design. If, one day, a computer program gains self-awareness, would it be correct in arguing that it simply 'came to be', and it did not have an intelligent designer? Of course not. Why are all evolution vs. intelligent design debates always really just deism vs. atheism debates? Why can't anyone consider the possibility of intelligent design without asking 'who'? After all, evolution is simply a theory, not a proven fact. What should give it any further merit over any other not-disproven theory?

Full disclosure: I am a Bible thumper, and I have friends who believe in intelligent design who are atheists. Intelligent design does not predicate a deity.