Lynn, Cooper and Dean

There is a <a href=http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/outlook/3036400> truly excellent op-ed</a> from Barry Lynn today in The Houston Chronicle. Here's an excerpt I especially liked:

Phillip Johnson, a former law professor who pioneered intelligent design, told a conservative religious audience a few years ago that his goal is to use intelligent design to spread doubts about evolution and then introduce people to “the truth” of the Bible and “the question of sin.” Ultimately, Johnson said, he wants people to be “introduced to Jesus.”

If the end result of what you are doing is aimed at religious conversion, then it's evangelism, not science. It belongs in a house of worship, not a public school.

Alas, not everyone agrees with Lynn. The Discovery Institute's Seth Cooper <a href=http://www.evolutionnews.org/csc.php/2005/02/16/rev_lynn_s_separation_of_truth_from_cari>has weighed in</a> with a sulky blog entry about it.

But Cooper allows blogger Darrick Dean do <a href=http://sciencewatch.blogspot.com/2005/02/more-of-same-from-naturalism-defenders.html>the heavy lifting</a> for him. Over at <a href=http://evolutionblog.blogspot.com>EvolutionBlog</a> I have posted entries about Lynn, Cooper and Dean, available <a href=http://evolutionblog.blogspot.com/2005/02/lynn-states-it-plain.html>here</a>, <a href=http://evolutionblog.blogspot.com/2005/02/cooper-demurs.html>here</a> and <a href=http://evolutionblog.blogspot.com/2005/02/dean-on-lynn.html>here</a>, respectively. Enjoy!