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Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Judge Jones Was Listening

Posted by on December 20 at 8:51 AM

The Associated Press reports that the verdict in the intelligent design case in Dover is as follows: Shut up, you wily creationists. Judge Jones wrote in his decision that “the secular purposes claimed by the Board amount to a pretext for the Board’s real purpose, which was to promote religion in the public school classroom.”

While this sounds great, I’m waiting for further analysis to decide whether to throw a party or merely applaud. The decision seems to be a narrow ruling that rests on the fact that the school board members were obvious religious nutjobs. Particularly revealing quotes from school board members that were entered as evidence: “Two thousand years ago, someone died on a cross. Can’t someone take a stand for Him?,” and “This country wasn’t founded on Muslim beliefs or evolution. This country was founded on Christianity, and our students should be taught as such.”

So I’m not sure whether the question as to whether wilier creationists like the ones at Seattle’s own Discovery Institute—the type who can mask their religious motivations—can still weasel their way into classrooms has been answered. But Judge Jones certainly had room to do so: His opinion is 139 pages long.

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Update: The New York Times has its own story up now, and the decision is indeed wonderfully broad: ” ‘The evidence at trial demonstrates that intelligent design is nothing less than the progeny of creationism,’ Judge Jones wrote. ‘We conclude that the religious nature of intelligent design would be readily apparent to an objective observer, adult or child,’ he said. ‘The writings of leading ID proponents reveal that the designer postulated by their argument is the God of Christianity.’ ” Looks like we can party.