To the editor:

I’m sure we who read the letters to the editor are aware that intelligent design suggests elements of the natural world are so well-ordered as to point to a higher power as creator.

As a reasonable person, I’m willing to consider any idea, including ID. But ID poses some basic questions that must be answered if it’s to be accepted on any basis other than faith.

For instance, what is the nature of this power/creator? Is it male or female? Both? Neither? Where does this power/creator exist? Earth? Sun? Elsewhere? Does it permeate the universe? What is the purpose of the alleged design? To help the human race reach a pinnacle of development? To keep itself busy? What mechanism did this power/creator use? Is it technological, spiritual, natural or something else?

If the answers to these and other basic questions about ID use the words Bible, faith or belief, then Sunday school is the proper arena for discussion. If the answer is that we’re working to find hard data to support our observations, then ID is a hypothesis, not ready to be an alternative to natural selection, which has a considerable (though not incontrovertible) body of hard data to support.

If there are numbers, hard equations and documented laboratory and field research supporting ID-based observations, then ID has a shot. Until hard data is available – and I found exactly zero point zero in a recent search of ID Web sites – then ID is no more valid than anyone’s opinion about anything – including mine.

Gary Henry,

Lawrence