Intelligent design, evolution can share a classroom

Intelligent design, evolution can share a classroom
Clayton Fiscus, a new Republican member of the Montana House of Representatives, claimed that there doesn't have to be one. He has put forth a bill that would force public schools to teach intelligent design, or the belief that a supreme being created the universe, along with the traditional evolutionary theory.
No one was present at the conception of the universe, no matter what kind of birth it was. Therefore, we cannot discredit any theories about the beginning of the universe.
As a Christian, it is very important to me to be able to learn about how the Bible fits in with scientific theory. I was fortunate enough to attend Foothills, a school that taught me more about this and encouraged me to carry out my own research. Through this endeavor, I was able to discover that one doesn't have to leave science in the dust to be a believer.
In fact, when you examine Genesis and compare it to some of the scientific theories in place, especially the Big Bang Theory, it fits very well. The Bible says that God created the world from nothing, and the Big Bang theory says that all matter was created from a single point.
However, the Big Bang theory has some gaps. There is no explanation for where the matter that condensed into a single point came from initially, and the gravity involved defies the laws of physics. The idea of an intelligent God who created our universe fills in these gaps very well.
That's only one example, but intelligent design does mesh very well with science in general, even non-Christian intelligent design. All religions claim that a supreme being created the earth, and teaching intelligent design would encompass all of these beliefs.
While some may argue that Sunday school is the appropriate place to learn about intelligent design and creationism, they're not taking into account the people who either do not have access to or don't feel as if they can attend Sunday school. For example, atheist or intolerant parents may never give their children the chance to learn about God, or the children in question may never have considered religion before.
Teaching intelligent design in schools may help these children to understand that there is more than one theory about the beginning of the universe, and the Big Bang theory is just that — a theory — as intelligent design is.
What the issue really comes down to is whether teaching intelligent design is constitutional.
As civil liberties expert Tom Head comments, "it depends on how you interpret the First Amendment's establishment clause."
If you choose to interpret it as saying that church and state must always be completely separated, then it would only make sense to leave intelligent design out of a school curriculum. However, if you choose to say that it means that nonpreferential religious doctrine can be taught alongside purely scientific theory, then it is completely logical to teach intelligent design.
It's vital that we encourage different theories about creation, as well as different ways of looking at the world. It's time to live up to those Coexist bumper stickers, America.
Quincy Balius is a freshman at Cascade High School and a member of the Tribune's Teen Panel.