Teaching the controversy?

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Barack Obama : there’s a difference between science and faith

A few days ago, Barack Obama expressed his views on intelligent design, and on the place of the so-called controversy in education.

I’m a Christian, and I believe in parents being able to provide children with religious instruction without interference from the state. But I also believe our schools are there to teach worldly knowledge and science. I believe in evolution, and I believe there’s a difference between science and faith. That doesn’t make faith any less important than science. It just means they’re two different things. And I think it’s a mistake to try to cloud the teaching of science with theories that frankly don’t hold up to scientific inquiry.

Well, if I was american, I guess those few lines would have confirmed me in my intention to support him. I am not sure wether the teaching of intelligent design will be a big issue in the upcoming elections — I mean, there are other problems to solve : Iraq, health system, Britney Spears — but taking strong positions like this one is impressive, because it could potentially make some pro-Obama pro-ID voters change their position.

But more interesting is the point he raised against right-wing politicians, according to whom religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage; school prayer and intelligent design. Just what I said in the previous paragraph : those subjects are not fundamentaly importants — which doesn’t mean they don’t have to be debated — in an election. Polarizing the debate over religious topics is a way to attract religious voters; arguments in an election should talk to people reason, not faith.

I guess the strategy of right-wing candidates is to make people vote for them because they are “good chrisitans”, disregarding their actual competence to manage a country, and bring change to people, to guarantee that hey will protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…