The religious right has been gaining power across this country for the last two decades. From the electronic pulpits to the inspired mega churches, religious conservatives have marched unabated into the seats of power. With the re-election of George W. Bush they have exercised their full potential. Most of their concerns include social issues like gay marriage, nudity on television, abortion and so on. But frighteningly they are now trying to use their influence to overthrow the teaching of science itself.

I am talking about the recent attempt of groups to end or weaken the teaching of evolution in public schools. What the religious right really wants is to have creationism taught in schools, but anti-evolution groups have been routinely beaten in court, so they had to think of a new way to circumvent the separation of church and state. Sadly they are now using a Trojan horse to dupe the American public.

The Trojan horse is the "theory" of intelligent design. In case you haven't heard of the theory, it basically says that since we can't figure out everything about the process of evolution yet an intelligent creator must have been involved. Most scientists don't think that Intelligent Design is really an actual scientific theory-it is theology-but groups like Seattle's own Discovery Institute have been pumping millions and millions of dollars campaigning to get it into the schools.

Proponents of the theory try to appeal to every American's basic sense of fairness. They claim they just want equal space for their theory at the scientific table. They say they just want to "teach the controversy" about evolution. And they want to let people hear their side, then let them make up their own minds. Most people would agree with that on the surface, but this is really just a sneaky way of getting creationism into the schools. The reason that we shouldn't fall for this Trojan horse is because the theory isn't scientific. The religious right wants people to think that Intelligent Design is equally as valid and as tested as evolution, but it isn't. Theories in science aren't just guesses, they are rigorously studied and tested. Intelligent Design can't be tested; how can you prove or disprove an intelligent creator was involved with the development of life on earth? Scientifically you can't; that is the realm of faith. If anything, Intelligent Design should be taught, but in religious courses, not in biology class. The push for Intelligent Design is politically motivated. This is a continuation of the culture war. They don't care one lick about science. They are only interested in doing away with things that don't reflect their worldview. In an article in the Washington Post from March 14, 2005, Terry Fox, the pastor of the Midwest's largest Southern Baptist Church sums up why they are using Intelligent Design to get into the schools. He is quoted as saying they "don't want to go get rid of evolution all at once, but they are trying to be subtler in there attempts to undermine it." The real reason they are fighting against evolution has nothing to do with science, but everything to do with power, as Mr. Fox says later in the article. "If you can cause enough doubt on evolution, liberalism will die." What they want is the systematic adoption of their political agenda, hidden under pseudo scientific gobbledy-gook.

It is up to us to reveal that the Trojan horse of Intelligent Design is hollow. We must do it before our society is conned into allowing this unscientific and politically motivated monstrosity inside the walls of our schools.

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