Bush encourages return to pantheism

President Bush today told reporters that schools should teach “Intelligent Design,” the most recent effort by creationists to drape the world’s most popular creation myth in scientific trappings, alongside the theory of evolution. Intelligent Design proponents insist on calling it a theory, but it meets none of the requirements of that designation.

Bush told the reporters that “I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought. You’re asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, the answer is yes.”

In that expansionist intellectual vein, we suggest that schools avoid limiting their selection of creation myths to Intelligent Design. Native Americans, the Inuit people, Native Hawaiians and many other peoples and religions offer creation tales every bit as scientifically sound as, and far more entertaining than, Intelligent Design.

We would also urge that other neglected areas of science be returned to the classroom. Flat Earth theorists have received short shrift these past several centuries, and when was the last time exponents of Apollo’s charioteering got a fair shot at debunking the notion that nightfall occurs when the earth “rotates” away from the sun?

We applaud the president for this breathtaking display of pandering to a relatively small segment of the electorate. It isn’t often you find an elected official willing to consign entire generations of American school children to ignorance for the sake of a few votes.

Mount Rushmore it is, then, for our favorite box of rocks.

Like this post? Share it!

8 Responses to “Bush encourages return to pantheism”

1. 1
   Ooblog » Blog Archive » Bush Endorses ID Says:
   

   […] Also, Betty the Crow comments on this with more snark than I can muster this morning. […]

   August 2nd, 2005 at 5:39 am
2. 2
   the dubious biologist » Blog Archive » [BTC News: Bush encourages return to pantheism] Says:
   

   […] A humorous take: BTC News » Bush encourages return to pantheism […]

   August 2nd, 2005 at 7:27 am
3. 3
   Brown Bag Blog » Revenge for Those Bush is a Chimp Jokes Says:
   

   […] Thanks to Pharyngula, I no sooner vowed to quit dragging politics into my education bag than our esteemed president decided to drag education into his politician bag. The man speaks for himself (or see here if you’re not an LA Times subscriber): “I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought,” Bush said. […]

   August 2nd, 2005 at 9:33 am
4. 4
   weldon berger Says:
   

   “Is our children learning?”

   I forgot that.

   August 2nd, 2005 at 4:07 pm
5. 5
   Dusty Says:
   

   Praise Jesus there are folks like you to give us the true meaning of what that jackass says and does..my eyes have a tendancy to glaze over each and every time he opens his yap.
   Thanks for the great read!

   August 2nd, 2005 at 7:46 pm
6. 6
   The Panda's Thumb Says:
   

   The reaction to Bush’s statements

   In response to George W. Bush’s statement that he supports teaching Intelligent Design creationism in our public schools, I wrote my own reply, and also volunteered to collect links to other people’s criticisms. It was a little bit overwhelming. My…

   August 3rd, 2005 at 3:24 am
7. 7
   Ted Russell Says:
   

   You say “We applaud the president for this breathtaking display of pandering to a relatively small segment of the electorate. ” I wish this were true. Sadly, polls show that Bush is in fact pandering to a majority of the electorate who do not “believe” in evolution.

   August 3rd, 2005 at 5:44 pm
8. 8
   qwerty Says:
   

   Its possible you folks could be wrong about this.

   August 6th, 2005 at 8:59 pm