Secular purpose -Reply

[Jim Maule]

This discussion is enlightening and at times confusing.

Does it matter whether the choice is

--teaching evolution or teaching nothing ("I don't know, Johnny."
"Even if I thought I knew, Jane, we don't deal with those questions
here.")

--teaching evolution or teaching creationism

--teaching evolution AND creationism or teaching only creationism

Perhaps I missed something in the original hypo.

For it seems to me that a law that says "let's not approach the
subject, our students can be fine citizens without learning anything
from our schools about the origins of life, humanity, etc" raises
far different issues than does a law that says "let's not teach
evolution and let's stick to that time-proven story of C(c)reation."

For even though it is true that it may be difficult in reality to
determine exactly what the legislature was thinking (if it was
thinking), it does matter, does it not, what the EFFECT of the law is?


Jim Maule
Professor of Law
Villanova University School of Law
Villanova, PA 19085
maule at law.vill.edu
http://www.cilp.org/~maule
(610) 519 - 7135