http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080209/ap_ ... der_attack

The rupture between theology and evolution in Europe is relatively recent. For many years people who held evangelical views also endorsed mainstream scientific theory, said Simon Barrow, co-director of Ekklesia, a British-based, Christian-oriented research group. He said the split was imported from the United States in the last decade.

"There is a lot of American influence, and there are a lot of moral and political and financial resources flowing from the United States to here," he said. "Now you have more extreme religious groups trying to get a foothold."

In some cases, the schools have become the battlegrounds. Richard Dawkins, the Oxford university biologist and author of last year's international best-seller "The God Delusion, "frequently lectures students about the marvels of evolution only to find that the students' views have already been shaped by the creationist lobby.

"I think it's so sad that children should be fobbed off with these second-rate myths," he said.

Any of our European members care to comment?

God must've learned a good deal about writing between composing the Bible and creating Tolkien.

You know... people believe what they want to believe.

If they want to be idiots and believe creationism, let them rot their minds. It's not your problem.

When they try to teach this nonsense in schools to everyone else's kids, including mine, and pass it off as science, it IS my problem.

So you're European now?

It happened here first, so it's our greater concern. Good thing I'm not in Kansas.

Allowing them to fester in Europe makes the problem worse in America. And it's already bad enough here.

I know it's mostly YOUR party doing this, but I'm still surprised you're so blasé about it.

You know, people used to believe things other than evolution before the theory was thought up.

And when the evolutionary theory was thought up, people were quick to have a knee jerk reaction, just like yourself.

And it was actually one of the few theories that was actually CORRECT! So we kept it.

Just because something is so outrageous doesn't mean you should have a knee jerk reaction to it.

It will phase out, just like EVERY other stupid theory.

If it does, it will be no thanks to Republicans. Scientists are forced to waste time battling this nonsense because people like Bush want his religion taught in science class.

In a democracy, that starts with people voicing their opinions. Being blasé does nothing.

You're becoming increasingly frustrating these days. I'm supposed to be the only frustrating poster in these parts.

If people want to believe stupid things, they certainly can.

When they want to force our schoolkids to believe stupid things, then we should all be concerned.

And the other side argues the exact same thing.

Well, I'm tired of all the liberal college professors. Can we please get some new ones, I don't want my kids being forced to listen to all of their bullshit.

In this case, the "other side" is flat-out wrong. Creationism is not science. That's not a matter of opinion. And as it is not science, it does not belong in science class.

Your Scientology buddies would argue with you on this!

Actually all religious nutballs, just like Bush and your other anti-science Republicans, argue with this. They're all wrong.

Doesn't mean that they should be burned at the stake.

Man, Munk! Do you think for yourself at all or just vomit up what they tell you?

I don't even know where to begin, and I don't think it would do a damn bit of good even if I did try to talk logic to you, but your inability to understand the difference between creationism and science is the exact reason WHY we need to keep creationism out of the schools.

Geez.

I'm not saying it SHOULD be taught. And I'm all for it being banned in school, as it's not real. But you guys are being a little bit dramatic.

He's engaging in a classic tactic. He loses the argument and then makes blanket non sequitur accusations. Needless to say, telling someone to keep their religious mythology out of science class hardly qualifies as burning someone at the stake. He's not even trying to understand. He's being deliberately mendacious.

Tell that to Dover, where your Republican buddies cost that school district $1 million in legal fees and made them a laughing stock of the country. Or to the Kansas school board. Or to Florida or Texas where they're still trying to get this stuff injected into science class. Or to your boy Bush, who sides with these nutballs against science.

How about YOU tell YOUR buddies to actually get off their asses and work hard to get into office. Instead of blaming us for supporting our party representative.

You guys are the ones who picked JOHN KERRY to run against Bush. If anything, you guys should be blamed.

Now that is classic blame-shifting and dodging of personal responsibility. You're going to make an excellent Republican.

And by constantly being wrong, YOU are a PERFECT Democrat!

Hitler: So we're killing all you Jews? Well, that's your fault for not fighting back against us hard enough!