Becca's New and Hot-- Week 2

My new and hot tidbit, located at http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-bchapman_10edi.ART.State.Edition1.43d902d.html, asks (from the perspective of an intelligent design supporter): "Are the Darwinists afraid to debate us?"

What a fascinating spin on the issue-- the reason it is difficult for Darwinists and intelligent design supporters have trouble finding common ground is that the Darwinists are afraid that they're wrong. According to the article, "it is disheartening" that science professors object to the intelligent design scientists and philosophers who wish to speak at a conference at Southern Methodist University. Bruce Chapman and John West, two supposed scientists at a think tank, complain that "unfortunately, would-be censors are trying to get the conference banned from campus by ludicrously comparing intelligent design proponents to faith healers or even Holocaust deniers." This is an interesting, if inflammatory, comparison. Few in the United States would dare to deny the existence of the Holocaust-- that would be ludicrous. Far from the comparison being ludicrous, as the writer states, I wonder if supporting intelligent design is indeed equally absurd as denying the Holocaust. Is it possible for a Holocaust denier and a non-denier (believer?) to find common ground to even begin a debate? Can evolutionists and intelligent design supporters "engage in genuine dialogue", as the authors believe they should? In both cases, the approach and evidence to the issue are so entirely opposite that it's hard to see how they could. Darwinists are not so much afraid to debate intelligent design proponents as unable.

Becca