> > The idea that the two are mutually exclusive is absurd.
>
> Well, again it seems you were talking about the evolution of various species to adapt, while I was talking about we-evolved-from-the-Australopithecus-Affezehennagel or whatever that species is called. Most of this aspect of the Evolutionary Theory disagrees with Creationism, and it's THIS part that is mutually exclusive. If the world was created from the Big Bang and some cell perchanced to evolve into a multi-celled organism, and further and further on until it reached our current stage, then God did not create the Earth because it was all by accident. If God created the Earth, then it was done with a purpose, and we're not some highly evolved "Lucy". So, yeah, I'd say these two ideas are mutuall exclusive.

Why? If one believes that evolution as a scientific theory is correct and at the same time believes in God, where is the contradiction? If God is omniscient and created the laws of physics (all science is really just another branch of physics), why couldn't he set in motion a Big Bang that would eventually lead to humans that evolved from earlier species?

> It doesn't say keep religion out of school, it just says there is to be no official religion of the government or disallowment of religion. You can teach about religion in schools, you just can't teach it as fact. Religion has its place in public schools, just not forced religion.

You're talking about a de jure establishment of religion, but the constitution prohibits a de facto establishment of religion as well. By teaching a theory that requires the existance of God, you are implying that there is a God (and if you are using the Bible, you also imply that the Bible is truth)

I agree with you that religion has a place in humanities courses, but the school must offer a broad range of religions so that they do not risk promoting one as official. School prayer and posting of the Ten Commandments, however, do imply that Judeo-Christianity (Usually just Christianity) is the true religion; this is de facto establishment of state religion. They therefore have no place in public schools.

Bal "Just because I believe it doesn't mean I think it should be taught in public schools" anthalus