Virginia?s very own Reverend Pat Robertson, having backed the losing, divisive gubernatorial candidacy of Republican Jerry Kilgore so strongly, is now back to sticking his nose into elections in other states. On Tuesday, as you may have heard, the citizens of Dover, Pennsylvania swept out of office every single School Board member who had voted to place "Intelligent Design," aka "creationism," in the public High School science curriculum. This aroused the wrath of Rev. Robertson, who apparently believes that only he has a direct pipeline to the deity?s plans for the universe ? or, at least HIS deity?s plans. Robertson warned the worthy citizens of Dover in no uncertain terms: ?... you just voted God out of your city. And if that?s the case, don?t ask for His help because he might not be there.?Apparently, the founder of the so-called "Christian" Coalition equates his God with this particular (rather constricting) Theory of Everything, called Intelligent Design. He has also decided that it his duty to pronounce doom upon those who defy his will, rather the same way the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages persecuted Galileo for claiming the earth was not the stable center of the universe. I can just see Robertson now, rubbing his hands together and salivating over a future disaster wherein God tells Dover, ?Take that, you unbelievers!?
Is it just me, or does Robertson's vindictive and moralistic attitude strike you as wildly inappropriate, even if you yourself happen to believe in Intelligent Design? This particular form of creationism -- and that is what it is, dressed up for the country club -- can very well be presented in a school curriculum about: comparative religion, philosophies, sociology of creation myths, and so on....where it would join many other rich and intriguing such ideas from the world-wide diversity of the human experience. Where it clearly does NOT belong is in a science class.
Here's the main thing: America is in a competition with other countries, and we cannot afford to restrict the understanding of ideas and development of new tehcnologies by stifling training in the scientific method and stuffing young minds into a straight jacket. Which is exactly what the Pat Robertsons of the world would have us do, whether they call it Intelligent Design or something else. What's truly ironic is that Robertson et al make full use of the results of modern science (he is, after all, a TELEvangelist), enjoying all the comforts of modern life, while rejecting their source.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Rev. Robertson?s minions everywhere seek to be elected to school boards and to insert their version of dogma at every level of education. They are convinced that their God is the only true God. If this sounds strangely family, substitute ?Allah? for ?God? and you have the Islamist line of reasoning. They are convinced that all truth has been revealed to them in one particular way - no deviation allowed.
Keep in mind: Pat Robertsons' minions may have lost the election in Dover, but not in Kansas. They may have failed to elect their boy Jerry Kilgore in Virginia, but they did elect some of their die-hard adherents to the General Assembly and possibly even to the Attorney General's job. On the latter, let's just hope that Creigh Deeds pulls it out in the recount.
The bottom line is that this election should not make us complacent, just because Tim Kaine defeated Jerry Kilgore. Instead, it should serve as a wake-up call to all reasonable citizens: be wary and keep watch on what they will do in Richmond come January 2006. True, we elected Tim Kaine, a religious and rational man. But, I suspect that Rev. Robertson and his crew will do everything they can to frustrate Kaine at every turn, and to impose their viewpoint on Virginia regardless of the election results. Stay tuned.
[UPDATE : Nichole points out that Robertson has given over $600,000 to Republicans in Virginia since 1997. This includes
$35,000 to Jerry "The Duck" Kilgore, $12,500 to Virginians for Jerry Kilgore, and $46,000 to McDonnell for Attorney General.]