Intelligent Design

Kudos to The Alabama Baptist for its March 16 coverage of the theory of intelligent design (ID). 

Conversely I am extremely disappointed at the efforts of some Samford University faculty members to squelch the Feb. 27 campus lecture on ID by John Lennox. 

Although Samford President Tom Corts allowed Lennox to speak, a panel of ID opponents was assembled to attempt to discredit the theory following his presentation. Apparently no effort was made to include an ID supporter on the panel to balance the discussion.

All three panelists claimed that ID is not science because it does not follow the rules of science. This is patently absurd. ID does follow the rules of science — including the formulation and testing of hypotheses — that all other scientific theories follow. 

The truth is that these panelists and some Samford faculty members oppose ID because it questions the validity of the theory of evolution — the sacred cow of biology. 

Evolutionary theory has abjectly failed to explain the origin of life and the origin of species. It is a pseudoscientific creation myth that is not supported by scientific observation or experimentation. 

Panelist Tim Ritchie of the McWane Science Center says he is not bothered by the idea that he evolved from primordial soup. He may not be bothered, but this preposterous evolutionary concept is not biblical and has virtually no scientific evidence. 

Most people understand that watches, computers and jet airplanes don’t make themselves. They are intelligently designed. 

Human beings and other living organisms are vastly more complex than these man-made machines. You don’t have to be a scientist to conclude that life also has an Intelligent Designer. A little common sense will suffice.

Joe Lary, Ph.D. (biology)
Tuscaloosa, Ala.