Reply #17: children don't have religious beliefs

[sui generis]

You see, if I were to say that my child's Wicca beliefs enjoy protection from the state interference of teaching evolution as a basis for teaching Wicca creation mythology in public schools, that issue would no longer be considered a valid legal test.

Your argument says "some Christians", positing a "good christian / bad christian" dichotomy. In reality the label is irrelevant. That's what makes scientific "theory" (I mean in the hypothesis/proof sense) not only a valid description of the biological world and processes around us, but also a valid structure for understanding scientific thinking.

In my mind the clearest argument is not one that splits hairs or seeks to be understanding. Science is science and creationism and ID are not. You teach science in science classes, and religion in religious studies.

Religious studies are a waste of public school resources and in the public school system would be prone to abuse in anything but the most objective comparative religion class. Madrassas turn out degreed religious scholars who can't get jobs as engineers and lawyers, and a class of underemployed and often undereducated people easily swayed by authoritarian gestures and authoritarian leaders. Oh wait a second, I'm describing America, not Afghanistan.;)