After much debate and media attention last semester, the University of Kansas made a final decision to remove a controversial course on creationism and intelligent design from its curricular offerings. Instead of advocating these theories, the course, originally titled “Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies,” was intended to teach these theories as myth.
Several days following this November 30 announcement, Professor Paul Mirecki, who was planning to teach the course, was attacked by two men, allegedly as a result of his involvement in the class.
Although Mirecki declined Student Life’s request for a formal interview, in doing so, he expressed hope for the future of such courses.
“There probably will be classes in the future not taught by me but taught by other people like me,” he said.
Before the class was canceled, several University of Kansas (KU) students voiced their opinions about it.
“I think it is a great idea to get different opinions on how the world evolved to teach the students of KU so that they can be more educated about the world around them,” said Jason Oruch, a freshman at KU,
Another student expressed apathy about the class.
“It personally doesn’t affect me, well I know there are many theories about the world and how we were created and how we came on this earth. It doesn’t personally affect me in anyway,” said Dena Hart, a freshman at KU.
Recently, the topics the course planned to address have been part of widespread debate about the proper roles of science and religion in the classroom and in the explanation of life on earth. While the explanations for creationism and intelligent design emerge from religious doctrines, the explanations for evolution come from science.
The theory of evolution is complex, but it essentially proposes that the universe and life as known today developed from earlier forms and are constantly engaged in a process of organic change through natural selection and mutation. Evolution does not offer a specific answer to the question of where life began.
Creationism suggests that the divine intervention of God is the root explanation for the origins of the universe and life.
Intelligent design suggests that some intelligent being created the universe and life on earth. Amidst much controversy, this theory has recently been taught in many science classes across the United States in lieu of or in combination with evolution.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, however, on December 20, a federal judge ruled “intelligent design was nothing more than creationism in disguise.” The decision effectively banned intelligent design from public schools’ curricula.
Alan Templeton, Professor of Biology at Washington University, agrees with the findings of this ruling.
“There is no debate [about intelligent design] within science,” said Templeton. “Intelligent design is not science.science is all about the questions, not the answers. . [Advocates of intelligent design] are actually lying. [teaching intelligent design is] completely unethical as an educator.”
For Professor Frank Flinn, whose course “Religion and Science,” was offered in the Religious Studies department during the Fall 2005 semester, a college classroom is the ideal forum to debate these issues – if both the students and professors approach the course with respectful attitudes.
“The situation [at KU] was unfortunate, said Flinn. “The professor who was going to teach the course [at KU] said that he was going to show up the true [religious] believers, which is the wrong approach,” said Flinn. “The right way is to recognize that there is a serious debate going on and let the students discuss that in the classroom.We try to do that here. Some [students] found their faith challenged and then found a way to answer these challenges. Others didn’t have beliefs but wanted to discuss these issues.”
A significant portion of Flinn’s course involved the analysis of the first chapter of Genesis, a source of much conflict in the discussion of religion and science.
“Conflict arises because of a minority group of Christians that I refer to as neofundamentalists who have adopted a literal interpretation of the scriptures,” said Flinn. “I think you can interpret Genesis literally, but it’s not a scientific hypothesis. It’s a description of how God brought cosmos out of chaos, the formless void, and a template for how to live in an orderly and worshipful manner.It has concrete logic and makes complete sense, but it doesn’t have anything to do with cells, genetics, and evolution.”
Throughout the duration of this debate, religion has also come up as a serious topic. Templeton noted how that many religions support evolution, including various sects of Christianity and Judaism.
“Intelligent design will have an impact on religion,” said Templeton. “This is also an issue of religious freedom.”
-With additional reporting by Caroline Wekselbaum and Kristin McGrath