Moderators can you merge this topic and the topic of Rick Santorum backing away from the religous right? I'm sorry to create two separate topics when they are both over the same matter, but I honestly feel this should start it off. This relates to that, but this is important on other matters because this shows that there is a litmus test preformed by the Christian right. If you don't support what they support then they will threaten you.
http://www.afaofpa.org/news_release_santor...er_12.23.05.htm
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 23, 2005
CONTACT: Diane Gramley 1.814.271.9078 or 1.814.437.5355
Majority of Americans Disagree with Senator Santorum and Judge Jones
( Harrisburg ) – Senator Rick Santorum’s agreement with Judge John Jones’ decision concerning the Dover Area School District ’s policy pertaining to Evolution and Intelligent Design is yet another example of why conservatives can no longer trust the Senator, a statewide traditional values group said today. The American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA) supports academic freedom, but in a news release issued on December 20 declared it dead in Pennsylvania because of the Jones’ decision. The AFA of PA expressed their concerns to the Senator in a faxed statement today.
“Senator Santorum has been backwatering on this issue since August when he stated he did not believe Intelligent Design should be taught in the classroom. The Senator is missing the mark – Dover was not requiring the teaching of Intelligent Design only the reading of a one-minute statement. Senator Santorum has said he believes teachers should have the freedom to mention Intelligent Design, yet Judge Jones’ decision forbids this, making the Senator’s agreement with the Judge even more troubling,” stated Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA.
About the time Senator Santorum was beginning to change sides on the Evolution/Intelligent Design issue, both President George Bush and Senator Arlen Specter said they believed both sides of the debate should be discussed so people could better understand what the debate is about.
Additionally, in his Dec. 25, 2004 guest column in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Senator Santorum wrote, "I commend the Dover Area School District for taking a stand and refusing to ignore the controversy." The AFA of PA has to again question the Senator’s total about face on the issue. Which is it – you commend the Dover Area School District or you commend Judge John E. Jones?
In a poll conducted July 7-17 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 64 percent said they were open to the idea of teaching creationism in addition to evolution, while 38 percent favored replacing evolution with creationism. The questions were asked of 2,000 people and had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.
Gramley said in conclusion, “The majority of Americans understand what is at stake and want the controversy to be taught. They want their child’s teachers to have the academic freedom to openly discuss Evolution, Intelligent Design and even Creationism. The majority of Americans, and especially Pennsylvanians, do not agree with Senator Rick Santorum or Judge John E. Jones.”