Dear Dan,

I also do not agree with the statement: "We believe that the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests."

However, the reason I don't agree with the statement is that science doesn't deal in truth. It deals with explanation for phenomena. It is the language of religion to talk about foundational truth. However, any challenge to a scientific theory must be another scientific theory which better explains the phenomena, evidence which counters the theory or demonstration of logical faults in the theory.

While many people including scientists may not like either evolution or its implications any challenge must contain the above elements. To my knowledge none has been presented.

Evolutionary theory is basic to our understanding of the life sciences. We have to accept it or dispense with most of modern life science.

so we know 'the science is settled' just as it is with global warming. The fantasy of evolution makes a mockery out of true scientific process. The scientific explanation for origins is deafening and the fossil records make a mockery of the theory. As someone once said that evolution is a fairytale for adults. Pseudo science (which is not really science) is used for unanswered questions to hide behind. This faith based theory is outdated and has little consensus among honest scientist. The sooner these unbelieving clergy leave the ministry the better. They are better aligned with the god hating Dawkins and his disciples.

There will always be a war between religion and science as long as the ignorant right wing fundamentalists continue their bigotry. They do not know how to read the scriptures because they are literalists for whom the last word has already been written and there is no other truth.
socratease.

Science and religion are different, are incompatible for marriage, and ever-more will be so.
That does not provide a reason for aggro.

For harmonious separate existence, all that is needed is an ability and desire by the religious community to restrain their belligerent elements from throwing rocks in the direction of science. When/if that happens the return of those rocks, pelted from of the science community, will almost certainly cease; and Richard Dawkins can get back to productive science, having gained peace from the need to write books such as The God Delusion

Dan,

<<The fact is that there are thousands of credentialed scientists (of different faiths, and of nominal, or no faith) around the world who do not accept that sentence, neither in its parts nor in its totality.>>

This is a fallacy of numbers along with the 'Argument from Authority' fallacy.

To put some perspective here, out of 480,000 scientists in the relevant life sciences, about 700 believe in Creationism. That’s a measly 0.145% - and that’s just in the United States. In other countries, that number drops to less than 0.1%.

Multiple references for this information can be found at http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CA/CA111.html

Even if there were as many as you make out, it would be meaning less considering the Creationist’s ‘Statement of Faith” in comparison with the scientific method. Hence the fallacy of numbers.

Remember, it’s not what these scientists believe, it’s why they believe it.

<<Many of these scientists have risked ostracism to challenge the scientific establishment on this alleged ‘foundational truth’.>>

As I’ve said once before, all they have to do is present some evidence for peer review, but they never do. Instead, they spend their time crying foul and trying to cheat the system by sneaking their religious beliefs through the backdoor. Hence the birth of the conniving “Intelligent Design” movement.

Simply Google “of pandas and people” for the story behind this.

<<Where are we allowed to discuss it, in churches, in universities, in school board rooms, in science classrooms? If in one place, then why not in another? Are we allowed to critique evolution in any manner, or is it so foundational to your thinking that it must remain sacred and beyond criticism?>>

Anywhere one pleases. Nothing's sacred.

So long as it’s not taught in schools as though it were a legitimate theory when there is not the slightest shred of evidence for it.

Runner,

<<The fantasy of evolution makes a mockery out of true scientific process.>>

So what “true scientific process” is this you speak of?

The Bible says it;
I believe it;
That settles it?

I’d be interested to know.

What piffle. Science is predicated on truth and evidence whereas religion is predicated on superstition and fantasy.
I have more respect for nutters like runner than this lot. At least he is honest and consistent in what he believes, mad as it is.
To repudiate the bible as "just some stories" while continuing (supposedly) to follow its teachings smacks of hypocrisy and confusion.
Either you believe god created the earth in 7 days, Adam and Eve, Noah etc etc or you believe the science that says the universe is 15billion years old and humans (and every other living thing) evolved from simple single celled organisms over billions of years. The two "theories" could not be further apart, not more contradictory.

This is a war for truth and progress and this looks like a capitulation from some of the more reasonable parts of the religiosphere. (Is that a real word LOL).

Pity the war is still raging, literally as well as figuratively all across the world as we speak. From the plains of the US to the devastation of Gaza the religionists are prosecuting their war against reason and knowledge and they are more than happy when "unbelievers" are slaughtered and maimed in the name of whatever superfriend in the sky they worship.

All religions are fundamentalist dogmatism at their cores and they neither serve humanities needs nor assist in our progress materially or socially. Indeed the history of religion has been nothing but war, ignorance, repression, bigotry, injustice, torture, lies, sexual abuse and the impeding of progress. We must stop the religious fools who run our world or they will happily loose nuclear catastrophe on the rest of us and anything else they think will gain them eternal exaltation.

The authors of this letter project should just come clean and admit everything their godbothering is built on is fantasy and join the rest of us reasonable and logical people in a safer, gentler, peaceful secular world.