The debate over Darwin has erupted anew. The "Christian" fundies choose to define themselves as against the theory of evolution through natural selection, which is widely accepted as scientific fact, and has been proven over and over by observation, experimentation, laboratory and field work. The only point of doing this seems to be to separate themselves from others, and to say that they are the "elect", the ones going to heaven, while those who accept Darwin will go to hell.

Pat Robertson, yesterday, went so far as to curse a town in Pennsylvania which dumped the school board advocating "intelligent design" in favor of one that feels that science should be taught in schools. ''I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God. You just rejected Him from your city.'' -- Pat Robertson, Nov. 2005

In fact, the dichotomy between a Creator and Darwinism is totally spurious. Who set up the law of natural selection? In fact, who set up the law of gravity, who set up e=mc2, who set up the periodic table? Did Darwin, Newton, Einstein, Mendeleev invent these laws? No, they discovered the intelligent design of the universe.

The apocryphal book of Wisdom puts it well:

Wis 13:1-5
All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God,
and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing Him who is,
and from studying the works did not discern the artisan;
But either fire, or wind, or the swift air,
or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water,
or the luminaries of heaven, the governors of the world, they considered gods.
Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods,
let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these;
for the original source of beauty fashioned them.
Or if they were struck by their might and energy,
let them from these things realize how much more powerful is He/(She) who made them.
For from the greatness and the beauty of created things
their original author, by analogy, is seen.
We can acknowledge the laws of the Creator without denying Him/Her.

Ah, but the world was created in six days, say the fundamentalists. They haven't read scripture. The Creator's time is not our time.

Psalm 90:4
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

2 Peter 3:8
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Let us not be deceived by the divisive, hate-filled tactics of the "Christian" right.

In the name of the Prince of Peace, Carol Wolman