I don't know. It seems whenever I take a deep breath and it feels like maybe our species might not destroy the planet and could possibly even be a beneficial source to existence, what do we do? One of our state Boards of education declares that evolution should not be a required subject for High School biology.

While this flat-earth approach to education in one Midwestern State is offensive, and even dangerous for its citizens, the worst of it for me is how seekers of high office are approaching the subject. Too often Democrats just want to change the subject. And Republicans take it as an example of the need for local control.

There's trouble in River City, folks.

When science is determined by majority votes of an ill-educated public, we're all in deep doo doo.

When our political leaders feel they will be swept out of office if they say that science cannot be abridged by religious sensibilities ("My ancestors were not slime" declares presidential aspirant Gary Bauer…) then we're all in trouble. Deep doo doo.

I've long been amused by the logo on the back of so many cars with the Christian fish eating the Darwin fish. How Darwinian, after all! But, those who can make and display those logos without any apparent sense of irony are now; it seems, in the driver's seat of more than their cars.

And where does this put us?

Henry Plotkin, Professor of Psychobiology and Head of the department of Psychology at the University College London, writes "Science aims to explain the world and the universe, including ourselves as a part of the world and the way in which it impinges upon our sense and becomes interpreted as the phenomena of human experience." This is important stuff. As contemporary religious liberals, this is very near the core of what we are about.

As such Evolution needs always to be challenged. The theories of evolution as presented by Charles Darwin need to be challenged. Science demands challenge. But, when the arguments within the biological scientific community around the nature of evolutionary change, whether it be slow and gradual as Darwin suggested, or comes in lumps and starts, as Stephen Jay Gould and others are suggesting today, become fodder for the anti-scientific stands of right-wing religious zealots, then we're all in trouble.

As long as I could bear to endure the conversation on various television stations over the last few weeks, I heard Gary Bauer, Jerry Falwell, Pat Buchanan and others declare that the pointy-heads were just trying to thrust their elitist views on the rest of us. And thank goodness that finally clear thinking people were standing up to them! In one of these televised displays I heard Stephen Gould try to defend against this arguing that professional competence should hardly be denigrated by our contemporary negative usage of "elite."

I suggest there is a place in this controversy for those of us who see no conflict between religious or spiritual depth and the workings of science. And there is an even more important place for those of us who feel that even spiritual quest demands constant questioning. We need to stand up and be counted. This really is very important. Our liberties are at stake. Our right to seek wisdom within the natural world is at stake.

I am sometimes surprised at comments coming from the mouths of our co-religionists. The occasional observation that evolution isn't scientific trips from a UU lip. Actually, mostly, I've stopped being surprised at hearing such things. But, it sure worries me. This attitude suggests to me that one is skimming newspaper articles, at best, and certainly not picking up even a good popular science writer like, say, Stephen Jay Gould. A fair number of us fall into the anti-intellectual trap, loosely use elite as a pejorative, and turn our attention to tales of UFO's instead of SETI, to tales of abominable snowmen rather than the human genome project.

We need to be up on this subject. You and I. We need to read into the currents of science, particularly biology. The rewards can be many. Beyond the politics of it, I think there are important perspectives to be found in this study for us on our individual spiritual quests. As we go on this year, I promise a couple of sermons on the subject.

But, at the very least, for the sake of our liberties, for the sake of our children and their children, I ask each of us to try and become at least a little familiar with the issues of evolution. And then share what we know with others.

If we don't, if we simply let the fanatics of the religious right hold the day, then the following night may be long indeed.

Instead, let's take up our shovels, and start removing some of the doo doo. Read, learn and talk. This is, after all, a great part of our spiritual path.

Share the good news. We are a part of this world. And our actions count.

Well, enough ranting for one newsletter column. See you in church, and maybe even at the bookstore in the science section…

James