Did you hear that?

(SLAM!)

That was the back door being slammed on religious conservatives.

With the front door already closed and locked, the "God made the Earth in 6 days" crowd had been hoping to sneak in a rear scholastic entrance with their concept of "intelligent design."

(SLAM!)

A federal judge has ruled that wrapping up the biblical version of how life on Earth came to be in a fancy, new package, doesn't cut it.

He called intelligent design a "masquerade"; a pretext to promote religion in public school.

(SLAM!)

Full disclosure here on my part: I happen to believe that life is too complex to have happened by accident.

Yet God and evolution are not contradictory to me.

But I don't think that teaching a religiously-based concept like intelligent design as a scientific alternative belongs in a public school science curriculum.

(SLAM!)

You want intelligent design in public schools? Fine.

Take up the discussion in a philosophy class, or banter it about in current events.

Other than that, put it where religious instruction belongs: In Sunday school.

(SLAM!)

Want to share your thoughts with Ken Schram? You can e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com