The last argument I would want to be caught in the middle of is one between the merits of the views of evolutionists and creationists. I haven’t been in a biology class since sophomore year of high school, nor have I spent much time reading Genesis. The way I see it, why do these theories need to be in a state of constant struggle?

Pope John Paul, a religious authority if there ever was one, has pointed out that the church allows Catholics to believe whatever they want on the topic. It is just not important and hardly an issue of morality. George W. Bush, who many liberals have now come to see as the embodiment of a Bible belt fundamentalist, also has no problem with evolution being taught in schools. Creation is hardly a proven (or for that matter provable) fact and the theory of evolution is equally lacking in evidence. Either viewpoint, though, can agree that there was no life on earth and then there was. Some would call the force and process which got us from an empty planet to one of humans, sharks, parrots, pandas and grasshoppers evolution; others would call it God.

In the Wisconsin school district of Grantsburg, a controversy has arisen dealing with the way this very matter is looked at in the classroom. The school board has decided that “when theories of origin are taught, students will study various scientific models/theories of origins and identify the scientific data supporting each.” One would expect that a vague school board decision by a small town in northern Wisconsin would be so under the radar that no one outside of the town would know or care about it. This has not been the case. The story has been picked up by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, CNN, USA Today, the Associated Press and MSNBC, among others. It seems the school board, in an attempt to provide teachers with the ability to have open-minded discussions in the classroom, tolerate other viewpoints and make students aware that there is more than one belief regarding the origin of life on Earth, has unwittingly crossed a line drawn in the sand by secular fanatics and has now entered a minefield. More than 300 scientist types and 43 deans of Wisconsin universities have written letters warning Grantsburg not to proceed with this. Don’t teachers in Grantsburg deserve the same academic freedom professors here enjoy?

Something is very wrong here when hundreds of secularist partisans feel the sudden need to arrogantly dictate how little Grantsburg, a town I’d wager few if any of them had even heard of before all this, runs its schools. Now the Wisconsin chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has gotten into the act. They already have a “nine- or 10-inch file on Grantsburg.” Apparently the ACLU has had it in for the town ever since one of its schools had a Christmas pageant that included “Biblical scripture and symbols.” Imagine that, Christmas being associated with a baby, a manger, three wise men and a couple of angels; and now a less restrictive science curriculum. Judging by the reaction of various academic elites and the ACLU, you’d think Grantsburg was forcing students to wear scarlet letters and throwing people in the stocks for toiling on the Sabbath! Obviously, people of faith are comfortable seeing multiple views expressed in the classroom; why aren’t those on the opposite side of the fence? The secular fundamentalists seem to voice their beliefs with far more zeal than any missionary, almost as if their “enlightened” views against anything remotely religious are a religion unto themselves. What are they so afraid of?

Is evolution so weak a theory that even the mention of another idea would destroy it?ÿHardly, so what’s the harm? Opponents of Grantsburg’s decision have already taken to saying this is bad for the children – think of the children, they will be so confused. This is downright insulting. I am pretty sure a high school student is able to weigh issues and make decisions on their own without accepting everything their teachers say as truth. Does the inclusion of more than one way of thinking really hurt people? Arguing this is bad for students is like saying they should not take a Spanish class since it will confuse them and hurt English skills. Yet you don’t see English professors writing to Grantsburg urging them to cut foreign language. Isn’t teaching only one viewpoint, be it creationism or evolution, come down to indoctrination? Shouldn’t schools and students engage in multiple ways of thinking?

Evolution isn’t going away and mentioning other theories in the classroom is far from being a nail in the coffin. It is mandated by state law that evolution be taught. However, it should also be noted that school boards are elected officials representing the views of constituents. The more freedom parents have over what is being taught in their children’s schools, the better. Frankly, it’s not an outsider’s place to say what can and can’t be taught. This present situation is almost as laughable as the idea of North Korean commissars telling the economics department we need to stop talking about capitalism!

There are better ways for scientists to spend their time than scolding school boards. As for the ACLU, these are the same people who want to ban the Pledge of Allegiance! It’s funny how the various hawks of “tolerance” and “free thought” can be the most closed-minded of all.ÿ The board’s decision is hardly a precursor to Christian indoctrination in public schools, which no American would want to see. Every culture has its own twist on the story of how life came to be, and it’s high time these views get a place at the table alongside evolution.

Sure, opponents to the Grantsburg school board’s ruling will object. They’ll say it’s about “separation of church and state.” That line doesn’t appear in the Bill of Rights but I agree it’s a good principle. No one wants a theocracy. However, there are groups launching their own inquisitions, persecuting non-believers and silencing all other views, cringing at the thought of any acknowledgment of a higher power. Now their crusade marches on Grantsburg.