To the editor:

To the students of Veritas Christian School who don’t accept the theory of evolution: Why bother getting a flu shot this year? Why bother with any immunizations? Without the understanding and the application of the theory of evolution, there would be no immunizations and darned few medical cures.

Evolution doesn’t need your belief. Ignore it; deny it. It will continue on, just as it has done for billions of years. It is science’s best answer, with overwhelming and irrefutable evidence, for the way the natural world works. Unlike creationism and so-called intelligent design, science does not deal with the supernatural. What “science” would you use to explore the supernatural? Voodoo? Seance? Pat Robertson?

The students at Veritas, like too many Kansans, show a real poverty of learning, since they obviously don’t understand the definition of scientific theory. There is no excuse for such ignorance in a state that has on its KU faculty members of the esteemed National Academy of Science and a paleontology program that consistently ranks in the top five in the nation. Where have we failed? Why is it so many people don’t understand how science works? It isn’t that difficult.

It is high time for science teachers to step up to the plate, stand up to religious fundamentalists and ignorant Board of Education members, and say “No! We will not teach religion in science class. We will teach science!” The future of our children, our state and our country depends on it.

Jeri Kaesler,

Lawrence