I believe in intelligent design, the theory that an intelligent (or godly) being contributed to the creation of the universe. Eighty-four percent of contributors to a Beliefnet poll also agree with me, proving this belief is far from rare. A Pew Forum poll found that two-thirds of the American people also support the teaching of intelligent design or other forms of creationism in science classes along with evolution. While I am a believer in intelligent design, I am also a strong supporter of the separation of church and state.

Efforts to bring religion and creationism into classrooms have existed for hundreds of years. The American people still haven't reached an understanding of what this entails. I believe it is perfectly acceptable to teach creationism in history classes and, of course, in comparative religion classes-that is its proper place. The debate has become whether creationist theories are regarded as purely faith, even by the theories' proponents, or if these beliefs are proclaimed to be science.

Scientific creationism and intelligent design build on evolution and then attempt to explain its faults. Some believers extend the level of intelligent or divine intervention to the start of life, or all throughout the evolution process. The debate has come along way from the Scopes "Monkey" Trial, when teaching evolution was illegal, but scientific creationists still claim that they have a constitutional right to have their beliefs taught. The focus has become equal time for differing ideas, not the reason for their differences.

The fundamental component of creationism or intelligent design is the role of a divine being; empirical evidence may not be able to refute these theories, but it does not explicitly prove them. The issue remains one of faith, relying on a personal trust that something unexplainable is the cause.

The point of teaching evolution is not to discredit creationism or intelligent design, or to dissuade those who believe in these theories; the aim is to educate all students about the theory of evolution supported by scientists and proven through research and analysis. It is important not to teach evolution dogmatically, but to make it clear that there are many instances of evidence supporting it.

The focus of the controversy centers around public high school science classes, because of constitutionality issues with religion and state sponsored institutions. Out of curiosity I looked at some college biology sites and I was surprised to find that some institutes of higher education discredit, or at least question, the theory of evolution. While private institutions have no constraints on what they teach, I was under the incorrect impression that even religious private schools would be embracing evolution.

Conservative and religious schools such as Grove City College and Brigham Young University had no overt emphasis promoting creationist theories. However, Wheaton College quotes Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth," at the top of its biology page; Bob Jones University has links for "The Christian Teaching of Science" and "BJU and Creationism" as related resources.

Even Yeshiva University, known for a "cynical indifference" toward secular subjects (according a US News and World Report article), has an evolution class which looks mostly at evolution for its historical and social significance, rather than its validity as a scientific theory.

Brandeis, like government, is without an established religion or restrictions on personal religious choices. Despite a strong religious community and the University's ties to religion, Brandeis has classes in all forms of hard sciences, including evolutionary biology. Religion classes discuss creationism in the religious sense, and social science classes discuss the significance of the debate on society, but evolution never stopped being a hard science.

One may believe in God, in science, in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or all three, but there is a proper place and time to address each of these differing views.