COMMENTARY: Faith Lost In W's Designs On Science

The moderate-conservative columnist discusses the President George W. Bush's belief that intelligent design theory should be given equal time as evolutionary theory in public schools: "Overweening religious confidence has allowed people to brutalize others throughout human history. On the other hand, the confidence that there is nothing beyond what we currently live has shown in the totalitarian barbarism of Marxist-derived regimes. The problems of both extremes makes it important to stick with our fundamental separation of church and state. The world of religion is safe as long as religious freedom is considered a fundamental right, but the world of politics is always endangered when there are those who are sure that a democracy is not enough; what we need is a theocracy that bends its knee before a particular god and a specific area of belief. We know what that can lead to; we have seen the footage and heard the explosions all over the world because religious hysteria can easily give way to immense brutality. Those given to an 'intelligent design' need to assume that their churches can handle the job. Preachers and holy men are better at their trades than politicians who rarely ever express the poetic power at the center of great religions. Those politicians willing to sell out to the religious right need to take cold showers and calm down."

The U.S. Constitution actually says that Congress shall make no law abridging religion and its free expression. It says nothing about state or local governments. The 10th Amendment (federalism) states that any powers or responsibilities not specifically outlined to the federal government flows to the states and to the people. If we had school vouchers - where parents and not the government controlled school choice - then this controversy would virtually be a moot point, as parents could choose schools for their children that reflected their values. Polls show most black parents - who would not be considered as part of the religious right - agree with President Bush and not with Mr. Crouch here. I personally don't see evolutionary and intelligence design theories as contradictory and I am not religious, but I do support the right of parents to choose schools without white liberals (since that is who is overwhelmingly trying to push religion out of the public arena) undermining black cultural values either.