Ball State President Gora calls intelligent design religion, not science

[cbayer]

http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20130731/NEWS01/130731007/Ball-State-President-Gora-calls-intelligent-design-religion-not-science

Jul. 31, 2013 1:59 PM

Written by
SETH SLABAUGH

MUNCIE -- Ball State University President Jo Ann Gora issued a statement today calling intelligent design religion, not science.

“Intelligent design is overwhelmingly deemed by the scientific community as a religious belief and not a scientific theory,” the statement said. “Therefore, intelligent design is not appropriate content for science courses.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation complained to Gora in May that Eric Hedin, an assistant professor of physics, was teaching intelligent design in an honors science class titled, “The Boundaries of Science.”

As a result, Provost Terry King appointed a four-member faculty panel to review the course.

BSU spokeswoman Joan Todd told The Star Press this afternoon that the university is limited in what it can say because the review of the course is “a personnel matter.”

more at link

[Gothmog]

1. Water is wet

This statement is clearly true and I wonder why this is considered to be news

[cbayer]

2. It's news because there was a course being taught

in the science department for science credit that was in support of intelligent design.

The FFRF was active in challenging this, and the president has intervened.

That's pretty big news, in my book.

The situation was discussed in this group previously, FWIW.

[trotsky]

3. I wish we lived in a world where this WASN'T news. n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Couldn't get past page 1 of the article, but a course...

labeled "Boundaries of Science" might have some mention of speculative ideas. If the course is teaching intelligent design as truth, hang the bastard. But if it's bringing it up for general discussion, what's the problem?

[cbayer]

5. Here is some further information on this situation:

http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/science-course-at-ball-state-university-sneaks-in-religion/

I think hanging might be a tad severe, but I'm glad to see they are taking his course out of the science department.

[TreasonousBastard]

8. It does seem more attuned to the philosophy department...

but I'm still slightly put off at what seems like the mere mention of God in the description being cause enough to toss the class.

There's a lot more about aesthetics in there than God, and that would probably be more the case for tossing it out into another department (like philosophy-- where aesthetics is a recognized discipline)

Again, if he were actually teaching that intelligent design were the truth, as written in Genesis, all bets are off and the course should be tossed.

Except, again again, there's that academic freedom thing that only seems to work in one direction lately. Would he be in trouble if, instead of God, he suggested that the cosmos could have been designed, just for argument's sake, by 7th dimensional Arcturans?

[cbayer]

9. I don't necessarily object to the course itself, just having it taught in

the science department for credit.

I think it's good that the school clarified this.

I don't see this as anti-religion.

[Lordquinton]

10. Yes, still comes down to God

As soon as you introduce a designer it runs right to God, because who designed the designers? eventually you have to either give a scientific explanation (in which case why all the non sense of creators) or you come to God (in which case you were being dishonest the entire time).

No room in science for creationism. Hardly any room in philosophy, it's such a hollow issue and can easily be defeated with a few simple questions (like the ones I posted above)

[sigmasix]

6. this is good news

Ball State is a wonderful campus filled with students that are a great cross-section of America. I'm glad to hear my old school is fighting for intelligence in education instead of partisan dogma.

[Jokerman]

7. That's good news to this BSU grad. n/t