There is more subtlety to the evolutionism/creationism debate than many of the loudest voices tend to employ.

Continuing his exploration of space and time, Shahn Majid takes a look at science, religious belief, what we really know, and draws the line in the context of fundamental physics.

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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity.

-Charles Dickens

Last week the director of education for the UK Royal Society, Professor Michael Reiss, resigned after he was criticised for being ambiguous about the correct response to creationism, and to religion in general, if brought up by a pupil in a high-school science lesson. Perhaps his words touched upon a raw nerve in the scientific community or perhaps the point he wanted to make was just too subtle to be understood by the media in these troubled times.

Professor Reiss, who is also a Church of England minister, apparently suggested that in his experience it was more effective in such a situation to discuss creationism in the science class if only to show that evolution fits the facts better. Critics said that he should have had the teacher simply refer the pupil to religious education classes as creationism is not a scientific theory at all. Professor Reiss himself has stated that creationism is a `world view’ and that you have to discuss it to get through to pupils with such beliefs.

Was it over-reaction? A defender of Professor Reiss’ position on the BBC radio I heard argued that the creation myth was a metaphor, not to be taken literally. Hence scientists should not be so touchy. A critic could argue, however that if that were the case then that is exactly why the teacher should indeed to refer the pupil to poetry, drama or religious studies where parables as metaphor are appropriate. The problem is that as soon as you bring it into a science lesson you risk confusing science and parable. This is not helped by creationists who insist that the creation myth is not a parable but true and should at the very least be taught as a valid theory alongside evolution. This then makes a mockery of science.

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Marci Hamilton

The AP reported Friday that former Congressman Mark Foley, who was accused in 2006 of sending sexually suggestive email messages to underage congressional pages will not be prosecuted in part because Florida’s statute of limitations on such crimes is a mere 3 years. The vast majority of child victims do not come forward at all, and the others rarely come forward before the statutes of limitations on sex crimes expire. This is another example of why the criminal (and civil) statutes of limitations on child sex crimes need to be eliminated.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley won’t face state or federal criminal charges for allegedly sending salacious computer messages to underage male pages, in part because authorities couldn’t prove the authenticity of the chats, officials said Friday. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement also noted in an investigative report that too much time had passed since the February 2003 messages to bring any charges.

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