" Mr. Varga's letter reveals an unwillingness to consider for himself the scientific facts. Honest scientists have been criticizing the prevailing view, and we would all do well to also think for ourselves. For many, any theory of origins that conflicts with evolutionism is an "inconvenient truth." Let the science dictate the result, rather than assume that all science must verify evolution in order to be science. "

" America's sanctioned religion is, of course, marxism. "

" Intelligent Design/Creationism is not science. There is no controversy in the scientific community, no matter how many anti-scientists try to convice people otherwise. "

" Science says evolution happened. That is what the evidence says, geologically and biologically..and now the DNA evidence is providing overwhelming evidence. Let science (i.e. knowledge by reason) be taught in science class, let religion (i.e knowledge by faith) be taught in religious studies class. "

" Thanks, Mr. Varga, for a well-written letter. I, too, am concerned about the influence that fundamentalists have on science education in this country. The problem is that the people who criticize science don't have a very good understanding of scientific principles of hypothesis and theory. Thus, when one hypothesis falls in favor of a newer, better supported hypothesis, or if a theory is tested and re-worked, non-scientists see this as a flaw instead of a strength. I think you're right to point out the parallels between fundamentalism in the Middle East and here in the U.S. They're equally dangerous, particularly because a tenet of each is to ban knowledge and inquisitiveness. "

" I would rather have government run by amish or mennonites that the Clintons. "

" Jefferson’s writings to Danbury Baptist Church are about keeping government from dictating a government authorized religion or governing how people worship. It is about freedom “from” government influence in religion not keeping religious morality out of government. The secularists would have you believe that he meant GOD is to be removed from every aspect of government and written out of history. Government schools of indoctrination teach GOD is dead and HE has no place in government. This country was founded on Christian beliefs by men who always asked HIS blessing before every action they took. Every building in Washington DC has quotes memorialized in granite or marble denoting GOD’S influence in the founding and running of this country from its beginnings. Evolution is a “religion” and secularists are merely afraid of allowing divergent points of view into government schools. Evolution is promulgated by “junk science” and circular reasoning. The age of fossils are dated by the geologic layer in which they are found and the geological layer is dated by the fossils found therein. Secularists are afraid of students actually learning and developing critical thinking skills instead by examining divergent points of view rather than merely being indoctrinated by the leftist agenda’s of our current, failed system. One has to ask why there has never been found any so-called “missing link” in the fossil record. There should be millions of these links recorded if the theory that man came from slime is true. All of the purported missing links that have “discovered” have proven (and later admitted by their discoverers) to be fabricated (for money and political reasons). There has never been a case of animals “evolving” into another kind of animal (a dog has never become a cat). Sir Arthur Keith in writing the forward to the 100th anniversary edition of Darwin’s book (Origin of the Species) wrote, “Evolution is unproved and umprovable. We believe it only because the only alternative is special creation, and that is unthinkable.” "

" Any one who still believes that human beings started from Adam and Eve are pretty rediculous. Or that the Earth was made in seven days. It's all nonsense. I guess some people are pretty gullible though. "

" you are right timmy. people who believe that jesus is watching over us are pretty funny. i think people view jesus as a english speaking american white male. when in fact he was israli and did not speak any english. i think people are just scared to doubt jesus was just another person because christians use hell as a way to scare people into believing it. then christian parents brainwash their kids into believing it and they live their lives with a false sense of reality. "

" Debating religion in the newspaper is a waste of time. Truth is, everyone is right because religion is based on faith. Neither of us can be proven wrong. And, if one or more was to be proven wrong, so what! It still won't change anyone's beliefs. "

" I believe God created...in seven days. I also believe in the separation of church and state. That doesn't mean that I believe that we should be teaching our children the theories of evolution. There are many scientists who are also creationists. I know because I have many of their books and tapes. The problem is that their views are not allowed to be taught, so most never hear the arguments that they make, nor do they receive universal applause for their contributions. BTW, back in Noah's everyone on the earth, except eight, said the idea of a universal flood was nonsense right up until the day the rain began to pour. Today we can see signs of the flood on the highest peaks and in the hottest deserts. "

" That whole theory about Noahs ark is most likely not even true. People that long ago didn't even have a clue that the Earth was round. Some people probably just made up all these stories in the bible to feel special. If there was that big of a flood they're ship wouldn't have lasted. Plus where would they have gotten more food and water for all the animals and people? It would have taken an extremely long time for the water to lower to a point where plants could grow. Most of all why would this so called god flood the earth and kill all these people and animals just to prove a point that people didn't listen to him? "

" That is a very good point Timmy. I never really thought of it that way. "

" I wrote a comment to Timmy and just realized that the man who wrote the article is named Alex too. I however am a different Alex, so please do not think it was him agreeing with timmy. "

" I love my god and I would do anything for him. I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and for that I am going to live an eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. I do not think these beliefs should be tought openly in schools though so niether should evolution. "

" I think you should think about living life right now and not counting on a eternal life after death. Just so you don't miss out on the good things in this life or take it for granted. "

" It'd so sad how so many parents brainwash their kids and pretty much force their religeous beliefs on them. They end up growing up not having a mind of their own. "

" The indoctrination must be complete judging by those who would deny divergent points of view from being taught in government mandated schools. By the time one graduates from college he has been inundated with more than 16 years of ACLU-like, hateful mind control. The statements made by the “psychiatrist” and “Timmy” are transparent and sad. What are they afraid of? Education? Students learning critical thinking skills? Even in the so-called Bible-belt the schools have been assaulted by leftist ideology. Read American Council of Trustees and Alumni's "Missouri Public Universities Survey" (February 2007). A national polling firm contacted 652 undergraduates at the state's two largest public campuses in February. The results included the following: 58.7 percent reported that many “professors use the classroom to present their personal political views"; to the exclusion of others. 56.8 percent reported courses that "have readings which present only one side of a controversial issue"; and 51 percent reported "courses in which students feel they have to agree with the professor's political or social views in order to get a good grade." In California, these numbers are in the 90% range. There is little or no mention in our public schools in California that this country was founded on Christian principles. Of course the shrink makes a fortune drugging misguided patients who, had they followed Christian principles, most likely would not have the problems they think they have. The nanny state teaches students that they are just animals. Is there any wonder they act like animals. It’s interesting to look at Lenin’s goals for Communist revolution: 1) Corrupt the young; get them away from religion. 2) Break down old moral issues. 3) Encourage soft stance on crime. 4) Divide the people into hostile groups (especially attack and remove religious beliefs in schools). 5) Divert attention of citizens from government and education to leftist ideals, promotion of open sex and the destruction of the family. 6) Control of the media and schools. 7) Destroy the people’s faith in their leaders. 8) Register all firearms and confiscate same. 9) Eliminate property rights. 10) Central bank. We need a school voucher system, so Timmy and the shrink won’t be offended by those who might have beliefs other than theirs and they can continue their brainwashing they so conveniently ignore or distort. "

" Parents who teach their kids about God and Jesus are doing a good thing for their kids. It's the parents that don't teach their kids about God that are making a mistake. That is why it should be taught to them in school. The kids of parents who just want to watch football on Sundays and sit around never get to learn about Christ and all he has to offer. It really is a shame! "

" Sandy, God is just as realistic as Santa Clause. It's something people want to believe in because it sounds good like a ferry tale. But honestly, all the stories in the bible are like one big ferry tale and they have no business being taught in schools. "

" There are so many stories in the bible that are rediculous. If it's trus that god flooded the earth in the time of Noahs Ark then I wouldn't want to like god. That is a pretty cruel thing to do to just kill a bunch of innocent people and animals just to punish them for not having faith. If all this happened back then, then why is god never doing anything now? It's because It's all not true. People lied just to trick people and now 2,000 years later gullible people still believe it out of fear that they will go to hell if they don't. "

" I am a christian who happens to agree with Mr. Varga. I believe that the separation between church and state is one of our country's most important ideals. I don't want to force my beliefs on anyone, and, in turn, I don't want anyone else's beliefs to be forced on me. I totally understand why many christians have drawn criticism for their efforts to blur the separation between church and state, but I want to make it clear that some christians continue to believe that our country's principle of freedom of (or from) religion needs to be firmly held on to. However, I also want to point out that science will never be able to explain everything, and that those who base their view of existence on science also have a certain degree of "faith". If our universe was created by a big bang, where did the matter come from that collapsed down onto itself and caused the big bang? What was existence like before the big bang? The scientific method is a wonderful thing, but it makes for an awfully cold religion. "

" The bible does not talk about television, yet clearly television exists. Likewise, the bible does not talk about evolution, yet the evidence is overwhelming that it occurred. Besides, you can't explain DNA and genetics to simple tribal folk, especially a couple thousand years ago. Perhaps science is a gift granted by God to discover how God did everything, but only when we are ready for it? "

" Evolution is not a religion so it shouldn't be considered a religion. Therefore, it should be taught in schools to educate people about how we most likely evolved. Also, it would help to give the kids that are brainwashed by relgion a better perspective on how we exist. "

" I am a Christian who also happens to be a scientist. I firmly believe in the separation of church and state, and even though I do believe in a God who created the heavens and the Earth I think it is unwise for Christians to insist that creationism be taught in public schools and that evolution should not be taught. For those who believe there is no God, I have three questions for you. First, how did all the matter and energy in the universe create itself? Second, if it didn't create itself, how could it have always existed? And third, does it take less faith to believe matter and energy resulted from chance events than to believe it was created by an intelligent designer? Nobody knows with certainty the ultimate answers of where we came from. I think we should respect each other's opinions and recognize that there are limits to human knowledge. "

" One definition of religion is: “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects.” Evolution has never been proven, but government schools conveniently exclude the fact that evolutionary theory is based on nothing more than selective sets of beliefs. Where are the millions of fossils proving that your grandfather was an ape? There would be millions of intermediate forms proving that whales once walked upon the earth or dinosaurs became birds or any animal morphed into another kind of animal. Where is the empirical evidence (based solely on experiment and observation, rather than theory)? “If my theory be true, numberless intermediate varieties … must have surely have existed;” (Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species, 1859). Without the millions of intermediate fossil examples one would need to prove the “theory” of evolution, it is just a belief (a religion). This is a religion taught in public schools to the exclusion of all other theories in an effort to indoctrinate the young. Their efforts are to remove all traces of God from the thought process, history or this nation’s moral compass and to alienate those who would believe otherwise. Rather than just regurgitating some public school mantra and to get another point of view, try reading “A Case for the Creator” (Lee Strobel). As an atheist Harvard lawyer out to prove his wife’s faith in a creator was ill-founded and stupid (as driven home in government schools), the author interviews many world-renown scientists at the top in their fields. However, he learns that many, many thousands of the world’s top scientists are ardent believers in The Creator. Many of these scientists came to this conclusion trying to prove other theories, but this is not discussed in any government run school. Seventy-five percent of all children raised in Christian homes who attend public schools will reject their faith by their first year of college. However, someone once said after a firefight with the enemy … “there are no atheists in foxholes”. "

" Well if there is a god and it created the earth why would we get a afterlife? Why wouldn't life be enough? Why doesn't anyone ever talk about animals going to heaven? Why do people think that only humans are so worthy of going to heaven? It's just rediculous. "

" I believe in both evolution (we evolved from apes), and a higher being. Our DNA, which responds to environment change through evolution, is a seed god (or whoever you choose to call it) planted. (I just do not see the point in fighting wars over a name. Call God by whatever name you choose). Faith related issues belong in a church or humanity/history class; evolution belongs in the realm of science. Why is there shame in the idea of evolving from apes? Are humans so self preoccupied with this notion that they are pushed into a deluding themselves? What do we really fear? We are no more special than any other living thing on the planet. God is probably a collective 'oneness'. All living things evolved from DNA, and the earth depends on our maintenance of a collective one. We destroy God when we destroy oneness. It's dangerous when humans view themselves as separate and more valued than any other living thing. We destroy our DNA (from chemical pollutants as an example). And we destroy other living beings and their DNA along the way. The very attitude that we are more special than all other living organisms jusstifies our destruction of the collective whole. We destroy a part of God by carrying this baggage from the past with us. I'm not against the bible as it was a strong attempt to serve the collective whole and head toward oneness(with some mistakes along the way), but I do believe that we need to discard parts of it which no longer have historical relevance and move forward, evolve, in accordance with the knowledge we gain along the way. I don't think God intended for us to get stuck. If this was the case, evolution wouldn't exist in any form or shape. God intended for us to pick ourselves up and start over again should something really catastrophic happen. This is evolution. I just do not think it's our right to make that call though; to manipulate God given evolution for our own sake. "

" The images that are put into kids heads from a young age that heaven is a big cloudy place with big gates and people dressed in robes is rediculous. The whole universe is so huge that there is such a bigger picture here. The earth has been around for billions of years, yet people are so confident that two thousand years ago Jesus and all these prophets somehow were talking with god. These people were most likely out of their minds. Why do people have so much faith in what these people wrote in a book. People are so gullible. Would you believe a person these days if he said he talked with god. They would be committed and laughed at. "

" you are absolutely right. the same people who believe in god are probably the ones who believe John Edwards really talks to dead people on that show crossing over. "

" To Timmy....you seem to know very little of the subject of religion. There are many different beliefs, and you seem to be forming your opinions from hearsay, more than from knowledge. Religion is a belief system based on faith, not logic. So you can pick it apart logically all you want, and it will not go away. Most religions have philosophies that set up moral standards for people to follow. Different faiths pursue this in different ways. Some are very rigid, and others not so rigid. People have the right to follow whatever belief sytem they want, as long as I can believe what I want. I am perplexed at the animosity towards Christians, as I have found most Christians to be kind, loving people. I do not think religion should be taught in schools, except as an elective course of study. When you sit back and criticize someones faith, you are the one who appears ignorant. Again, faith has nothing to do with logic. Though if you are interested in a logical view of religion, you might want to read some of C.S Lewis' non fiction. He makes a logical argument for religion. You should also realize that atheism is also a belief system based on faith, as the non-existance of God cannot be proven either. In reading your posts it seems to me you are trying to simplify a complex subject, by making religion appear ridiculous. As a person who believes in God, it saddens me that you have adopted this attitude. As for do " All dogs go to heaven"? I guess it depends on what you believe.... "

" Gee Timmy, which book did you read to believe (or have faith) that the fairy tale of evolution is true while the Bible is written by and for people who are “out of their minds”? So many works of credible scientists around the world are not allowed into the billion dollar per year text book scam run by leftists, but it appears that the indoctrination is complete in you. Have you ever seen what God has done in the lives of so many around the world? Would you deny them this?Are the billions of people who believe in a power greater than they (as you say) all “out of their minds”, just because you have a different opinion? Did you know that the Bible is a history book as well as the word of God? So-called scientists studying the validity of the historical accounts therein (or really using government grants to try to prove them wrong) have found, to their dismay, that the accounts are accurate. Even the verbal, historical accounts passed down by the Muslim cultures verify the accounts, but those in charge of schools have an agenda to disallow any point of view other than that which serves their socialist needs. Even Muslims who’s Koran orders them to annihilate unbelievers readily admit that Jesus and his disciples performed many, many miracles. I’ll take my chances with miracles, moral upbringing, an afterlife and faith in a God who IS greater than me. Unfortunately, those who don’t understand or believe in the t teachings of the Bible are fast eliminating the rights of believers in this country by parroting the leftist mantra of “separation of church and state” (which if you read the true historical facts was never intended as is now being forced upon us). This reminds me of Stalin and Chairman Mow. After the genocide of millions of Christians, these failed countries (Russia and China) now embrace capitalism and have the fastest growing Christian churches in the world (though in China, millions have to worship in hiding for fear of prison or death). Unless this country manages to return to the teachings of the Bible and away from the current “if it feels good, do it” culture, this country will have played out the below scenario long before its time: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to complacency; From complacency to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back to bondage. "

" You stated, "Unless this country manages to return to the teachings of the Bible and away from the current “if it feels good, do it” culture". My response: The world is occupied by other religious cultures who do not use the bible as a point of reference. Do they not count? Also, Do you know that our prison system is filled with lost young men who are grasping for answers in the Muslim faith? it's a rebellious faith and it attracts younger males who are seeking a sense of belonging because they have nothing else. I want you to imagine for a moment all those people coming out of Katrina. I call them the hidden population because they are out of sight and mind until a catasrophic event occurs. When the going gets tough, many people might gravitate toward something novel, something they can call their own because other cultural entities have not fulfilled their needs. If this hidden population were to ever become Islamic followers, their religion may very well become the next major religious influence in our country. Please do not suggest this is not possible. It is. What will be your opinion at that time about separation of church and state? If you do not provide an opinion, I will assume you don't have one. "

" That’s exactly the point. The founding of this country was based largely on the burning desire of the founders to have undeniable “freedom OF religion”, but they never meant that government should demand “freedom FROM religion” as has been only recently taught in government schools. Look at the buildings in our capitol engraved with thanks to God or the thousands of writings of our founding fathers referring to their faith and the influence God had in their lives and the words “In God We Trust” on our currency (to name just a few examples). Having an intimate knowledge of those lost souls in prison and victims of disasters, I know that the ones who have an unfailing faith in God have come out of their crises far better off than those who do not. Islam already is the “next major religious influence in this country” and has become so without any oppression from the state until after 911 and certain sects were proven to be promoting the violent overthrow of this country and the killing of innocent citizens. The ideals are that government not “promote” or require any single religion (as was the case in England from where the pilgrims fled to worship as they wished in the New World). They never meant that religion should have no influence on government at all. You can thank the ACLU’s law suits to remove God from all departments of government (especially schools). One can track the increase of violence, sexually transmitted diseases, unruly classrooms, cheating, denial of responsibility for one’s actions, lack of morals and ethics to the tragic loss of what should be the very basics taught in every school … the Ten Commandments. "

" The Taliban and all radicalized religious groups believe there should be no seperation of church and state that thier religious views should be taught in school to all children that thier particular religious laws should govern the land they live in and the people also. Its all so scary to think the "righteous believers" may create the circumstances that they so prophecise as the end of the world by thier own ignorance and bigotry "

" To Scared Silly, The difference between Radical Islam, and other religions is that Radical Islam will kill anyone who will not let them have thier way. They have a 60+ year history of fascism and killing. Some other fundamental religious groups may want to combine church and state (though I am not sure who exactly you are referring to), but I have yet to see them back up thier desires with murder. One of the main reasons this country was founded was for freedom of religion. Not to eradicate god from our daily lives, but to allow people to worship as they wished, or not worship at all. To take any mention of God out of government goes against the reasons this country came into existance in the first place. The rightious believers you refer to, who you claim want thier brand of religion taught in scools (though again, where, and who exactly are they?), will never achieve thier goals, as that also goes against what the founding of this country stood for. I doubt if they will resort to murder in mass quantities to get thier way. "

" How come so many people just laugh at religeons that aren't Christian. To me Christianity is just as rediculous as any other religeon that worships anything that does not exist. People are just to quick to bring god into everything. Whenever ssomething really good happens people want to thank god right away like it's there watching exactly what is going on. But if something horrible happens it's not gods fault at all. People say that god had a reason to take somebody when they die. No, sorry but they just died because thats what happens to living things. I think the world would be a better place if people weren't fighting over religeon. People would appriciate life more just by being alive and not looking at life as just something you do before eternal life. Religeon should never be taught in schools but evolution should because it is realistic, not make believe. "