August 27, 1999 - A thorn in the side to those who believe in creationism, the theory of human evolution is being brought into the presidential political arena.

CNN reported that a spokesmen for Vice President Al Gore announced Gore "favors the teaching of evolution in the public schools," adding the decision should be local and "localities should be free to teach creationism as well." This immediately caused other candidates to respond with their own beliefs.

The Vice President was most likely prompted to a response about a recent decision by the Kansas Board of Education to delete the teaching of evolution from the state's science curriculum. The decision angered the mainstream science community in the United States. Other states, including Texas, California, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Nebraska and New Hampshire, have witnessed battles between evolutionists and creationists in the last several years.

Former Red Cross Chair Elizabeth Dole and Arizona Sen. John McCain expressed no preference, simply saying the decision should be local. Publisher Steve Forbes agreed, but called textbook illustrations about evolution "a massive fraud." Gary Bauer, head of the Family Research Council, said he does not teach his children that they are "descendant from apes."

Baur's response is typical of those who do not understand the evolutionist theory that does not proport that humans descended directly from apes, but that humans and apes have a common ancestor named "Australopithecus." Australopithecus lived 3-4 million years ago.

Even creationists admit that the metamorphosis of the butterfly is a natural process, not requiring the direct intervention of God to work. If, as creationists generally assume, evolution would have to first produce a halfway metamorphosis before it can produce a full metamorphosis, then evolution is in trouble. However, evolution does not need to produce a halfway metamorphosis. All it has to do is produce a slightly less sophisticated metamorphosis and gradually move on to more complex ones. If the creationist admits that a metamorphosis to x is a natural process, why not a metamorphosis to something slightly less x-like?¹

Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the GOP front-runner, believes both evolution and creationism are valid educational subjects.

"He believes it is a question for states and local school boards to decide but believes both ought to be taught," a spokeswoman said.

Pope John Paul II announced last year that the Roman Catholic church would not oppose evolution -- it seems to be mostly fundamentalist Protestants who oppose the theory.

¹Domning, 1994, 11

August 27,1999, CNN.com
Presidential candidates weigh in on evolution debate
By Burce Morton,

August 12, 1999, CNN.Com
Kansas school board's evolution ruling angers science community
By Brian Cabell

Frequently Encountered Criticisms in Evolution vs. Creationism: Revised and Expanded, by Mark I. Vuletic http://www2.uic.edu/~vuletic/cefec.html