To strike out right and left against the mist, never clears the vision; but to lift your head above it, is a sovereign panacea.
—MARY BAKER EDDY
IN A WAY, IT'S NOT A NEW DEBATE. Who created the universe, and how? Recently, however, this age-old discussion has seen a novel twist—the theory of intelligent design, which is making its way into classrooms, much to some scientists' chagrin. This new take on the origins of the universe even sparked a lawsuit in Dover, Pennsylvania, where Christian conservatives and scientists and educators found themselves facing off in a federal district court this fall. The case involved a lawsuit against the local school district, which had decided to teach intelligent design as an alternative theory to evolution in the ninth-grade biology curriculum. The plaintiffs contended that doing so violates the constitution's provision for a separation of Church and State. Allegedly at stake are the minds of children, who would learn what some call a new breed of creationism along with what is thought to be the more scientific theory of evolution.
