As a few here know, I'm currently in a Master's Program for seconday ed, and this topic came up today in my Teaching in Context class. I was the first to post to this, and after reading everyone's replies, I feel the need to post again. - and here's hoping that the Flying Spaghetti Monster was taken as it was meant, as a comic foil -
Firstly, there's a few comment that I feel the need to make, and I don't remember quite who they all apply to. But yes, Lilith, what to teach is decided state to state. And someone else mentioned that Creationism and the book of Genesis was only relevant to Christianity... has Judaism gotten lost in the mix?
Just a comment.
OK. As I stated before, I do ascribe to evolution. However, a few people have made reference to ID as more than a mere twist away from creationism, and here I feel a bit lost. Because as I understood it, intelligent design says that there was a designer - deity or not - that created all of the earth out of nothingness. The book of Genesis says - though in several different ways - that G-d created the heavens and the earth, and all that is upon it, in 6 days. Now, as far as I can tell, the only difference between the two ideas is the timeline of the occurence; i.e. ID is taking creationism and fitting to the scientific facts of the fossil record and carbon-dating. Again, if I'm wrong, someone please correct me.
Now, if this is the only difference... this is not a scientific theory. Genetic mutation, genetic drift, and natural selection are proven aspects related to evolution, that, as far as I know, are not accounted for in intelligent design. Therefore, I think that intelligent design belongs in a philosophy of religion and/or social science course, not biology.