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OK, I have to throw my hat into the ring at this point.  This has been  
a fascinating discussion.  Thank you, Mac , for sharing the views of  
St. Thomas Aquinas.  I agree with him wholeheartedly.

Science and religion are different, like apples and oranges.  Religion  
is
based on belief (faith) and science is based on evidence.  While they  
both
go about answering the same questions, they do it in a very different  
way.

While I personally don't believe in God, that doesn't mean He/She/They  
don't
exist.  It just hasn't been scientifically proven.  There is no  
scientific
evidence.  Will there ever be?  I have no idea.  Right now, the
question of the existence of God belongs only in the realm of religion  
and
faith.  A scientist can do science (look for evidence) and believe in  
God at the
same time.  They are not mutually exclusive.

Years ago when I taught 8th grade science, I had a student say to me, "I
don't belleve in dinosaurs."  And I said, "That's OK, you don't have  
to, but
in science class we're going to learn about the evidence for their
existence."

People are going to believe what they want to believe.  Beliefs are very
hard to change.  Our role as science educators is twofold: to present  
the
scientific evidence for theories like evolution and let people decide  
for
themselves what they want to believe AND to point out that theories  
like ID
and creationism are not based on scientific evidence and therefore fall  
into
the realm of religion (theology, philosophy, mythology, whatever you  
want to call it)
and not science.

Anna

On Jan 10, 2007, at 8:31 AM, WILLIAM M. SUDDUTH wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
> institutions.
> *********************************************************************** 
> ******
>
> This is a very old problem.  St Thomas Aquinas sought to reconcile  
> science
> with religion by dividing it into two realms that could not contradict
> each other (reason and revelation).  To Aquinas God was a matter of  
> faith
> and not of proof.  Moreover,  he thought to be able to scientifically
> prove God would destroy the beauty and value of faith.  After all if  
> you
> can prove it scientifically, then what's the point of believing?
>
> Dr. Mac Sudduth
> Coordinator of Science Grants
> Premier DeKalb County Schools
> Department of Research and Evaluation
> 3770 N. Decatur Road
> Decatur, Georgia 30032-1099
> 678-676-0675
> [log in to unmask]
>
> ***********************************************************************
> More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
> Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at  
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--------------------
Anna Grace
Exhibit Coordinator

Explorit Science Center
2801 2nd Street (Main Public Site)
3141 5th Street (Mace Park Branch)
P.O. Box 1288 (mail address)
Davis, CA 95617
530.756.0191
fax 530.756.1227
http://www.explorit.org

We've expanded!  Explorit's public exhibit gallery has moved to our new  
site along I-80 which opened on September 23 at 2801 2nd St..  Learn  
more about our Expanding the Explorit Experience project and on-going  
capital campaign by visiting  
http://www.explorit.org/expansion/index.html

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