John Hardly wrote but true science and empiricism will eventually win the day as it has througout history.

It would be nice to think so, but I fear we are looking at the mass dumbing down of America in our generation. (See Susan Jacoby on Bill Moyer's Journal of Feb. 15, 2008). Critical thinking isn't widely taught in the lowest common denominator, the public schools, because learning critical argument would lead students to uphold the importance of the separation of church and state. This separation has been so challenged in particular by zealous evangelical christians, that "science" has become a dirty word in many school districts. It looks like a naughty subject to be supervised by the church. Others who haven't taken time to think about it don't understand that "Science" and "Religion" are not equals, they're not poison and antidote, they're not related, except for those who would try to debunk all of Science in order to get their hands on one little idea that the otherwise overfed, bigoted and not-that-nice British man Darwin published in Origin of Species. But he wasn't alone, there were convergent scientific voices, and there has been a lot of solid science since Darwin. All ignored or dismissed by a group of religious leaders who can't bear that their world view isn't THE world view of all. They would indoctrinate the world in their religion through public schools if they could. This isn't all religious people, and I think there is finally a more mainstream backlash against the few who would make life so miserable for the many. But it has been slow in coming and doesn't pack the punch it needs to knock that nonsense out of our schools. Yet.

I have said before, and most likely will again, that religion (EVERYONE's religions) is too important to let one dominant zealot-driven industrial religion dictate to the public education system and the courts such matters. They would codify their beliefs in the laws for all. Keep all religions out of government and schools. Start teaching good science again and stop being afraid the Baptists down the road won't like it.

Religion is the opiate of the masses, but another opiate of the masses is the mass consumption of material goods. It's amazing all of the STUFF that even the poorest of the poor own these days in America. So the rich and powerful who want to control things to get bigger profits (think Teapot Dome, Savings and Loan crisis, etc., as big exmaples of what is still going on today all around us) can either push religion hard, or push consumer goods hard. If you aren't seduced by one, you are likely to be seduced by the other.

Anyone else notice that Feed The Pig commercial on TV?

SRS