WHEN the small community of Dover, Pennsylvania, voted to have intelligent design taught in their science classroom as an alternative to evolution, they ignited a firestorm that spread quickly across the nation.

In a 139-page ruling, a federal judge later ruled that Intelligent Design was simply another form of Creationism, and thus cannot be taught in the Dover high school's science classes. He questioned the motives of the deeply religious supporters of ID, suggesting that they had intentionally lied to the court. Dover, PA will now be stuck paying for about one million dollars in legal fees (Associated Press 12/20/05).

In another controversial ruling, the Kansas state board of education voted to allow each school district to decide whether to include intelligent design in their science curriculum.

What is Intelligent Design?

It depends on whom you ask. Those who oppose it claim it is only a euphemism for creationism. The proponents hold that the important difference is that intelligent design does not identify the designer. Candidates for the designer vary from the Judeo-Christian God, to the Allah of Islam, to the unidentifiable source of the Deists.

However, it is obviously a truism that, regardless of the identity of the source, it necessitates a creative force rather than evolution with random selectin.

Scientists vs. The People

The beliefs of scientists and the general population of the United States show a sizeable gap on this subject. According to a 1997 Gallup poll, the results were:

Viewpoint	Scientists	Other People
Creationism: God created man within the last 10,000 years	5%	44%
Theistic Evolution: Man developed over millions of years by a God-guided proces	40%	39%
Naturalistic Evolution: Man developed over millions of years without the aid of God	55%	19%
Undecided:	0%	7%

Problems with Evolution

Despite claims that evolution is a proven and demonstrable science, the fact remains that it is only a theory, admittedly not without some plausible` evidence. Of a number of problems with the theory, three stand out:

Intricacy of design: The total intricate design, not only of humans, but also of all life forms, is a challenge to the credibility of the evolution theory. If an organ starts to evolve one step at a time to another irreducibly-complex organ, it should self-destruct Biological systems each with its own back-up—every cell performing its own unique function—combine to give evidence of careful forethought and planning.

Even the universe itself with its complementary laws of motion and gravity holding each celestial object in its own orbital path, with millions of stars whirling through space without a cosmic collision of one star or planet colliding with another, casts doubt on a system of random chance.

Missing Links: The number of missing links in the evolutionary chain raises further questions. If the Darwinian theories were correct, why can science not document the many gaps needed to connect the various species, and why can we not continue to observe transitions from one form of life to another?

DNA: Advances in the analysis of DNA provides the greatest challenge to the theory of evolution. A landmark study by Rebecca Cann, Mark Stoneking, and Allan Wilson entitled “Myrochardial DNA and Human Evolution” (Nature, January 1987), by sequencing DNA shows that all women descended from a single female ancestor.

Eight years later, a similar study on the Y chromosome by Robert Dorit, Hiroshi Akashi, and Walter Gilbert, published in Science, concluded that all men are descended from a single male ancestor.

Age estimates for the common ancestor range from 4,320 to 27,235 years ago for the male, and with a calibrated mutation rate for the female about 6,000 to 7,000 years ago. Both are consistent with the indicatted biblical dating; both are far shorter than that required by and of the several evolution theorles.

Varying Concepts of Intelligent Design

However, just as evolutionists face problems with their theory, advocates of intelligent design are not united in their beliefs.

Identifying the Designer: Though all creationists believe in intelligent design, not all advocates of intelligent design are creationists. As one prominent avowed atheistic convert from the evolution camp to that of intelligent design was quick to state: “This does not mean that I believe in the God of the Christians or of the Jews, but closer to the god of [Thomas] Jefferson, a theistic being who designed the universe and then left it to its own devices.”

Young or Old Earth: Most creationists believe in a young earth, made by God in seven literal 24-hour days. A minority holds that the creative process took millions of years, with mankind originating within the past 10,000 years. Still others claim that the biblical creative days were each 7,000 years long.

Evolution Within Species: Many believers in the Genesis account of creation have no quarrel with limited evolutionary development within species; others extend this to even cross-species development, but all are sure that the creation of humankind was direct and non-evolutionary.

While it is true that a belief in a higher power does require faith and cannot be empirically demonstrated, the same is true for the evolution theory. If both are indemonstrable theories seeking to explain origins of life, each should have a place in the science classroom.

The Bible Approach -- Genesis 1

For Bible-believing Christians, creationism, while a matter of faith, is eminently reasonable. Not laying out the details, Genesis describes a seven-step process, not accomplished in seven literal days, but in seven time periods.

Light: Not creation of the sun itself but its light penetrating the thick mists encircling planet earth, and its heat providing a catalyst for future life to develop.

Atmosphere: Air decreasing below the critical pressure of 220 atmospheres (atm) for water enables clouds to separate upwards from the oceans below, allowing for air-breathing plants and animals, and providing for irrigating the land surface of the planet.

Dry Land: Raising the Pan-gea continents for a growing food, and future energy resources. And for a stable footing for later animate creationx.

Visibility of Stellar Lights: Pressures sliding from 10 to 1.1 atm, prepared the earth for animal life and established the chage of seasons.

Early Life Forms: Life to provide the carbon compounds for fossil fuels, as well as aquatic and avian life not needing the still-salty ground.

Land Animals: Needed to maintain an oxygen balance, to provide food supplies, and to serve as a dominion for mankind to tender and care for.

Man: The climax of the creative process was to make a life form capable of intelligent thought and the ability to verbally communicate.

Thus, while the debate between evolution and intelligent design continues, the Christian rests his case on both faith and logic.

For more information on this subject, send for your free copy of Creation Triumphs Over Evolution from The PBI, 1425 Lachman Lane, Pacific Palisades CA 90272.