whut ah say, is that if sumfin’s a “theeree”, that means it’s just sum egghead’s way of sayin he don’t know, and is probly lying too.

Now Ah hear tell that gravity is just a “theeree” too.  Think Ah’ll just jump offa my roof- Aaaaaaa!

This problem is exacerbated by the fact that creationists continue to exploit the layperson’s misunderstanding of how the word ‘theory’ is used in science. Because so many people believe that ‘theory’ is synonymous with ‘hypothesis,’ they believe that evolution is debatable, untested, and under dispute within the scientific community. It is not.

The word ‘theory’ (as used in science) refers to an explanatory system. In the case of the ‘theory’ of evolution, the system of explanation has held up under rigorous testing across multiple scientific branches. There are certainly debates about some of the finer points, and the mechanism by which evolution works is not entirely clear, but there is absolutely no debate within the scientific community about the validity of evolution as an explanatory system.

I find it appalling that Christians (for whom morality is of critical importance) will stand for and stand behind the deliberate distortion of the words of scientists. Apparently lying to promote your ideas is okay—WWJD?

We can weep for the children of Kansas, but as this idiocy takes hold in one place, it gains credibility in others.