Judgement day

PBS Nova Documentary on the Dover school district trial (Kitzmiller v. Dover) and the ramifications it has for being able to keep Intelligent Design (creationism) out of science classrooms. In a tiny town of Dover in eastern Pennsylvania, in 2004, the local school board ordered science teachers to read to their high school biology students a statement that suggested there is an alternative to Darwin's theory of evolution called "Intelligent Design." NOVA captures the emotional conflict in the historic six-week trial, Kitzmiller v. Dover School District, which was closely watched by the world's media. In this program, NOVA captures the turmoil that tore apart the community of Dover, Pennsylvania in one of the latest battles over teaching evolution in public schools. Featuring trial reenactments based on court transcripts and interviews with key participants, including expert scientists and Dover parents, teachers, and town officials, "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial" follows the celebrated federal case of Kitzmiller v. Dover School District. This two-hour special was coproduced with Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Productions, Inc.

Dover is a borough in Dover Township in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2000 census. Dover received national attention in 2004-05, after the Dover Area School District voted to include the following statement about intelligent design in the biology curriculum of its schools:

The Pennsylvania Academic Standards require students to learn about Darwin's Theory of Evolution and eventually to take a standardized test of which evolution is a part. Because Darwin's Theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered. The Theory is not a fact. Gaps in the Theory exist for which there is no evidence. A theory is defined as a well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations. Many such theories exist in science, such as the theory of gravity, the atomic theory of matter, and the germ theory of disease. Intelligent Design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin's view. The reference book Of Pandas and People is available for students who might be interested in gaining an understanding of what Intelligent Design actually involves. With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind. The school leaves the discussion of the Origins of Life to individual students and their families. As a Standards-driven district, class instruction focuses upon preparing students to achieve proficiency on Standards-based assessments. Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, The controversial ruling triggered the court case Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District in late 2005.

In an upset election on November 8, 2005, the eight Republican school board members who voted for the ruling were all defeated by the challengers from the Dover Cares slate—four Democrats and four Republicans, forced by election rules to run on the Democratic ticket—who opposed the teaching of intelligent design in a science class.[5] Two days later, Pat Robertson commented on the election results on the 700 Club: I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God. You just rejected him from your city. He later clarified his comments: God is tolerant and loving, but we can't keep sticking our finger in his eye forever. If they have future problems in Dover, I recommend they call on Charles Darwin. Maybe he can help them. As of March 2008, no large scale disasters have occurred in Dover, Pennsylvania. On December 20, 2005, Judge John E. Jones III ruled in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that the Dover Area School District cannot teach Intelligent Design in a science class room, due to its religious origins. The separation of church and state, as required by the first amendment in the United States Constitution, prohibits any government agency from endorsing religious points of view.

(From: PBS - Nova)

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