Uncommon Descent


1 April 2010

Baylor, Incoming President Kenneth Starr, and Intelligent Design

William Dembski

Incoming Baylor University President to honor Intelligent Design professor

12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, April 1, 2010

By GROMER JEFFERS Jr. | The Dallas Morning News | gjeffers@dallasnews.com  

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.”

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14 Responses

1

bornagain77

04/01/2010

2:41 pm

I am so glad to hear this. It is a shame dogmatism in science, by the atheists, is to such a point that fairness in science would have to be semi-enforced from the top-down, but none-the-less Baylor can now live up to its historic reputation as a premier Christian university in America that has top-notch academics who not afraid to follow the evidence wherever it leads, even if the conclusions drawn from the evidence are not to the liking of some.


2

tragic mishap

04/01/2010

3:08 pm

Darwin on Trial II: This Time for Perjury!


3

pelagius

04/01/2010

3:12 pm

bornagain77,

What’s the date today?


4

DATCG

04/01/2010

3:18 pm

“The Dallas Morning News agrees. Such nonsense should not be tolerated at a major university unless and until the Lord Jesus returns or it happens to be April Fools Day. Oh, I guess it is that day isn’t it? Hope I gotcha Bob! BG”

April fools day… according to this fool.


5

InVivoVeritas

04/01/2010

3:30 pm

It is shocking to see how this modern conspiration of obscurantism that is darwinism and its creation myth of evolution is trying to maintain its grip on our schools and universities (unfortunately even on the christian ones).

When modern microbiology reveals that a single cell is probable more complex than the most advanced human artifacts (a Saturn rocket, an airplane) it is astonishing that the minds of the millions can be still captive to evolution fairy tales. And the human body or the body of any animal, insect or fish is a higly coordinated composition of structured systems upon structured systems where the cells are the foundation layer systems. Scientists and researchers are making for centuries slow advances to figure out the principles, the mechanisms, the information repositories and information exchanges and information transformation machines working into these bodies.

Most of the creatures of the living world are amazing machines that:
- reveal amzing adaptability and intelligence in their ways to feed themselves, to protect themselves, to look for mates
- reproduce themselves with amazing accuracy
- as machines they have amazing energetic efficiency unmatched by
man-engineered automobiles, engines or motors.
- They have amazing autonomy (in an amazing habitat of our Planet)and they manage to live without assistance from others.

Stop for a moment and think that the most advanced engineering labs are not able to create a machine that can build autonomously other machines, more so identical copies of themselves. The most advanced robotics and AI (artificial intelligence) accomplishments of today are a far cry compared with the most modest insects and bugs found in nature. And decades of work of armies of intelligent researchers scientists and computer specialists are embedded in those robots and AI artifacts.

How come a healty mind can then believe now-a-days that these miracles of the living world are the results of random events and combinations of matter energy and chemistry? Any classical fairy tale is much, much more believable than the tales of the Darwinian myth of creation.

Let there be light brought to the minds of the young generation and to all the people. Let the dark ages of modern obscurantism be made a scarry thing of the past.

And we know who this Light is and Who can spread this Light.


6

DATCG

04/01/2010

4:22 pm

InVivo,

Your admonition falls on deaf ears of selfish genes. Not all seed falls on good soil. Your passion is understood and the choir joins in, nevertheless, crowds demanding signs will always remain unconvinced. Unless they touch, they will not believe. Unless called, they will not hear. The light shines on all, but not all see.


7

Charlie

04/01/2010

5:41 pm

Never a fan of April Fool’s Day.


8

O'Leary

04/01/2010

6:35 pm

Let’s pretend it (Starr appointment) is true, not April Fool’s joke.

Didn’t Clinton get into trouble with the law society in his own state? Please say if it is not true, and I will amend my post.

So someone please explain to me what exactly prosecutor Starr did that was wrong?

How can you have a working legal system if no one dare be counsel for the prosecution?

Of course, there must be counsel for the defense, court-appointed in case the defendant cannot pay.

(But that would hardly have applied to President Clinton.)


9

bornagain77

04/01/2010

6:51 pm

At least That part is true O’Leary,

Baylor University named former Clinton White House nemesis Kenneth Starr its new president on Monday, saying the one-time independent prosecutor’s Christian ideals and experience heading a law school made him the ideal candidate to lead the world’s largest Baptist university.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....62772.html

As well I don’t think Starr is the type to be bullied into submission by any one point of view on a matter even if it is the reigning orthodoxy of neo-Darwinism. As was amply witnessed by his willingness to endure the wrath of the popular press in his ordeal with Clinton.


10

composer

04/01/2010

8:01 pm

Denyse,

You are correct: Clinton had his license to practice law temporarily suspended.

Of course, that’s not a criminal conviction or anything like it. In fact, Starr found no criminal activity by President Clinton in the focus of the investigation, namely Whitewater. He lied about an affair. Knowing that makes Starr’s $70 million investigation and needlessly graphic report all worthwhile.


11

tragic mishap

04/01/2010

11:19 pm

bornagain’s linked article is dated 2/15/10 and says Starr will start on June 1. So this is old news right?


12

William J. Murray

04/02/2010

8:37 am

I live nearby and the appointment of Ken Starr as new President of Baylor happened February. This is the first I’ve heard of him planning to honor Marks, though.

The old president was removed precisely because of his heavy-handed attempt to secularize the institution.


13

Mung

04/02/2010

10:03 pm

If ever there was a University where discussions of faith and science could be welcomed it is Baylor University.

Hmm…

I didn’t realize that Marks’ contributions were “faith” and not “science.”

Thank God Baylor has room for both, even when they can’t tell the difference.

God help us.


14

computerist

04/03/2010

1:48 am

Mung is right, I rather have ID rejected on a scientific bases instead of accepting ID and deeming it religion. That is a complete insult to Marks and his pursuing research. In this case, I’d have to say the new management is far worse than the previous.


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