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Incoming Baylor University President (Kenneth Starr) to honor Intelligent Design professor
Dallas Morning News ^ | 04/02/2010 | GROMER JEFFERS Jr. / The Dallas Morning News

Posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 3:39:58 PM by SeekAndFind

A change in leadership certainly makes a difference. Past recent administrations at Baylor University in Waco have maintained sensible policies protecting scientific integrity against those who would force their dogmatic religious beliefs on unsuspecting students paying top dollar for higher education. The previous administrations have resisted efforts by some professors in the so-called "Intelligent Design" movement who sought to distort the principles of modern science to include religious teachings tantamount to creationist fundamentalism.

Dr. Bob Marks is one of these professors in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department who has caused friction with the administration for promoting his Intelligent Design theories on the University website. Marks was ultimately overruled and forced to remove the offending content.

But now times have changed. Incoming Baylor president Kenneth Starr, infamous for heading the investigations that led to impeachment of former Democrat President Bill Clinton, has announced that shortly after he enters office in June of this year, he will honor Marks for his efforts. "If ever there was a University where discussions of faith and science could be welcomed it is Baylor University. We should commend those with the courage to address the difficult questions, such as origins of life, that touch on both our scientific knowledge and understanding and our deeply held religious beliefs."

The Dallas Morning News was unable to reach Marks for comment, but Baylor Professor of Neuroscience Jim Patton said, "This news is disappointing because it undermines our stature as a university. Evolution is supported by overwhelming scientific evidence and is accepted by the vast majority of scientists. We should not entertain alternative hypotheses or philosophically-deduced theories that cannot be tested rigorously."

(Excerpt) Read more at home.grandecom.net ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: academia; awards; baylor; highereducation; intelligentdesign; kennethstarr; kenstarr; scienceeducation

1 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 3:39:59 PM by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Good!

Let the debate in SCIENCE begin!


2 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 3:42:12 PM by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: SeekAndFind
Photobucket

Spongebob: Hey Patrick, guess what I am.
Patrick: Uh, stupid?
Spongebob: No, I'm Texas!
Patrick: What's the difference?

3 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 3:45:49 PM by Non-Sequitur
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To: SeekAndFind

Heavens, we cannot let someone who actually has a degree that’s difficult (EE) into a reputable university peopled by folks with marshmallow degrees in (name your liberal “art”).

I personally don’t believe in intelligent design as such, but I’d take the affirmative side of that debate over any leftist bull-Obama - such as rights to health care, etc., any time.


4 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 3:46:04 PM by Da Coyote
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To: nmh

I wasn’t paying attention to past news. I just found out from this new item that Ken Starr ( yes, the guy who prosecuted Clinton ) was chosen to be President of Baylor University.


5 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 3:46:10 PM by SeekAndFind
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To: Da Coyote

This news is sure to raise the issue of Ken Starr’s alleged bias and one-sidedness once again ( expect the case of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky to be revisited ).


6 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 3:47:37 PM by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Sic ‘Em Bears.


7 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 3:51:42 PM by mgstarr ("Some of us drink because we're not poets." Arthur (1981))
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To: SeekAndFind
One of our most important founding principles is "...We are endowed by our CREATOR with certain unalienable rights..."

Liberals hate the thought that our rights come from an actual CREATOR who actually created anything or gave rights to anyone.

Liberals are intolerant statists.

8 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 3:53:06 PM by Old Landmarks (No fear of man, none!)
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To: SeekAndFind

It’s Baylor. It’s owned by the Baptists. I went there. I’m surprised they teach science at all. Just kidding. They have classes in religion but it is not discussed in other classes. One or two religion classes were required at one time. Not sure about the present day.

This EE professor apparently has it on his web page through the university. I’m sure there are “science” teachers who are free to put their theories on their page.

Again, IT’S A BAPTIST UNIVERSITY! If the other professors are so concerned about the status of the university as a scientific institution why did they go to work at Baylor.


9 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 3:56:20 PM by Terry Mross (Founding Fathers.....grave....rolling over.)
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To: SeekAndFind
I just found out from this new item that Ken Starr ( yes, the guy who prosecuted Clinton ) was chosen to be President of Baylor University.

He's relocating from Malibu, CA to Waco, TX. I may be among a very small subset of the world's populace, having been to both locations, that actually prefers Waco to Malibu. Pepperdine University aside, I found Malibu to be too liberal. Gladstone's was nice but I like the BBQ places in Waco more.

10 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 3:57:15 PM by re_nortex (DP...that's what I like about Texas...)
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To: SeekAndFind

Let me see if I get this right. An EE professor has a personal opinion. It seems that he put it on his website and they made him take it down.

Seriously? I didn’t know science was so fragile that anyone expressing a heretical view must be silenced.

I don’t have much use for ID (seriously, there isn’t much use, it’s more appropriately a philosophical question), but it’s getting just a little too inquisitiony up in here.

Or maybe the problem is that EE>biology and since you need three digits to your IQ to get a degree in EE (as opposed to bio) they might think that people will actually listen to a professor who can do, for example, long division.


11 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 3:58:34 PM by AmishDude (It doesn't matter whom you vote for, it matters who takes office.)
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To: SeekAndFind
As a Christian and someone that was originally educated in the natural sciences, the entire issue of creationism, intelligent design, and theistic evolution has been important to me. I recently read two books by Alister McGrath and Francis Collins, both men are devout Christians and scientist. Collins is the chairman of the Human Genome Project, and McGrath holds doctorates from Oxford in molecular biology and theology. Both were atheists before converting to Christianity. Both men are opponents of ID, and I would encourage people interested in the subject to read their reasons for opposing ID. I was a huge supporter of ID before reading their works, and whether you agree with them or not, it is worth the time to read their books, The Language of God, and the Dawkin’s Delusion.
12 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:00:14 PM by Nosterrex
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To: Terry Mross

Most universities have a disclaimer about personal websites hosted on their servers anyway. People should go to their favorite English dept. at a major University and see what’s on those personal webpages.


13 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:01:33 PM by AmishDude (It doesn't matter whom you vote for, it matters who takes office.)
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To: re_nortex; TheMom; Eaker
He's relocating from Malibu, CA to Waco, TX. I may be among a very small subset of the world's populace, having been to both locations, that actually prefers Waco to Malibu.

I'm with you on that and I've also been to both places. Malibu is pretty, but on the whole, the people in Waco are much nicer and friendlier.

And Heitmiller's on I-35 has great steaks for such reasonable pries. :)

14 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:02:38 PM by Allegra (SEIU delenda est)
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To: SeekAndFind
Almost every university in the country is a pulpit from which liberals and leftists preach their dogmatic sermons, daily. The extremist left runs the public education system in order to change the country by tax funded indoctrination.

To complain about Baylor and their stance on a Creator is only to reveal the intolerance, stupidity and dogmatism of the left.

15 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:03:38 PM by Old Landmarks (No fear of man, none!)
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To: Clemenza

Fortunately the Baylor College of Medicine is no longer associated with Baylor University.


16 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:04:03 PM by Paleo Conservative
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To: SeekAndFind

I’m not sure what the heck intelligent design is, but if it means that we are living in God’s creation, then I’m amazed that a Baptist institution would allow such thinking.


17 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:05:38 PM by altura
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To: Allegra
"pries" = "prices"

I'm still in competition for Typo Queen.

18 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:11:50 PM by Allegra (SEIU delenda est)
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To: SeekAndFind

Ken Starr’s reputation is spoiled after he defended Gitmo-7 lawyers on MSNBC.


19 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:15:08 PM by anita
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To: nmh

btt


20 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:31:06 PM by onedoug
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To: Nosterrex
".. I was a huge supporter of ID before reading their works"

They believe in God and therefore intelligent design (small i, small d), but they aren't supporters of the "ID Movement". Big difference.

21 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:31:37 PM by Matchett-PI (Sowell's book, Intellectuals and Society, eviscerates the fantasies that uphold leftist thought)
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To: SeekAndFind

That’s where my daughter wants to go. Nearly passed out looking at the costs.


22 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:33:26 PM by getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL (****************************Stop Continental Drift**)
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To: SeekAndFind

Ken Starr is a good man and this was a good decision.

Baylor will be stronger with him at the helm.


23 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:43:58 PM by SharpRightTurn (White, black, and red all over--America's affirmative action, metrosexual president.)
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To: Non-Sequitur

"What did you just say?"

24 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 4:48:29 PM by dfwgator
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To: Allegra
And Heitmiller's on I-35 has great steaks for such reasonable pries.

You certainly don't leave that place hungry.

25 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 5:11:53 PM by TheMom (I'm now a grandma! Welcome to the world Kaiden Thomas.)
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To: Matchett-PI
I understand your point. Collins certainly does believe that God created the universe and established natural laws, in which he sees Darwinian evolution as part of those laws. He believes that God knew, not determined, the final out come, man. I differ with him on how much God intervened in the process, and I do not believe that God simply peeked into the future without some teological intervention. Nevertheless, Collins makes a persuasive argument for theistic evolution.
26 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 5:16:50 PM by Nosterrex
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To: Nosterrex
You may be a person who would find this interesting:

"....All of these problems with the left hijacking science were recognized by my favorite philosopher, Michael Polanyi, as early as the mid-1940s. .... Although his writings are free of any overt religiosity, I find that they most adequately support my view of a universe that is both absolute and evolving, as it must be; or evolving toward an Absolute that is orthoparadoxically both its origin and its destiny, alpha and omega (more on which below).

HERE

27 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 6:38:42 PM by Matchett-PI (Sowell's book, Intellectuals and Society, eviscerates the fantasies that uphold leftist thought)
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To: SeekAndFind

I think this is a prank. Note the url and the last sentence. Starr is indeed president of Baylor, and Bob Marks is a professor who has been at the center of an ID controversy, but there is no indication that the rest of the story is real.


28 posted on Friday, April 02, 2010 6:42:57 PM by atomic conspiracy (Victory in Iraq: Worst defeat for activist media since Goebbels shot himself.)
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