Score one for the Vatican
I've found myself, once more, with too little energy & time to make the rounds and even comment on comments on this site. Still, when Tammy passed along something I'd missed from the middle of last week, I thought I'd take a moment to note that even the Vatican recognizes that "Intelligent Design" is not science.
The Roman Catholic Church embarassed itself suffificiently in such matters centuries ago, and as backwards as they may be in many social matters they are anxious to demonstrate that they're no longer looking to walk the same path that had them sic the Inquisition on Galileo for pointing out that both the Bible and Ptolemy were wrong about the Earth being the center of the known universe.
Of course Fiorenzo Fachini, in statements approved by the Vatican, ultimately brings matters back into their theistic sphere by writing "In a vision that goes beyond the empirical horizon, we can say that we aren't men by chance or by necessity, and that the human experience has a sense and a direction signaled by a superior design," which is a perfectly valid philosophical statement for any who believe in a Creator. The stance being taken is that belief in science and belief in a Creator are not in conflict.
The key point being made is that science must presume a mechanism - a series of potentially reproduceable interactions - lies behind all phenomena. Once one resorts to magic, miracles or the Hand of the Divine, it's no longer science. This is not the same as saying belief in a Creator is incorrect, but simply that it is irrelevant to science, much as science remains irrelevant to matters of faith. Science explores matters of how things are and how they work. Religion is more a matter of Why.
They're separate planes, not in competition with each other.
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