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Ben, starting with your last sentence and working backward, it's distressing to me as a Christian that you consider those who disagree with your interpretaion of Genesis 'enemies' and 'persecuting you'. Nor is it fair for you to imply that all Christians accept Genesis as literal fact. Dawkins himself, in the interview referred to further down the thread, notes correctly that... [i]"...a very large number of theologians believe in evolution. In fact, any respectable theologian of the Catholic or Anglican or any other sensible church believes in evolution. Similarly, a very large number of evolutionary scientists are also religious."[/i] I attended parochial (Catholic) schools for 11 years. Never in that time was any scientific fact questioned, nor was it claimed that all of scripture must or should be accepted as literal fact. Nor do I know any 'mainline' Protestant who believes such things. Of course, I don't know your teacher's religious affiliation, if any, but that isn't really at issue here. She accepts the evolution of species as a fact because the evidence supporting it is overwhelming and the evidence againt it non-existant, nor are there any 'scientists who oppose it'. The essence of science is forming conclusions based on evidence. Those opposing science do exactly the opposite, beginning with the conclusion, for which there's no evidence whatever, and then ignoring all of the facts to the contrary. Be honest, Ben. Which of these is the more valid method of reasoning? I will begin to question evolution, and I suspect your teacher would also, as soon as any evidence for it can be presented which can be supported by fact and not based on a pre-existing, sectarian religious agenda. That would exclude everything from 'Answers in Genesis' and similar sources. These are BUSINESS ventures, Ben, in the business of separating the gullible from their God-given intellects and from as much of their money as possible. My ten-year-old granddaughter could, I suspect, see through most or all of their outlandish claims. Of course, I have no objection whatever to intelligent design and the two contradictory creation stories in Genesis being regarded and taught as matters of religious faith. That's a different matter entirely.
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