LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY britzkrieg)

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Experts on both sides of the debate over whether public schools should teach "intelligent design" as an alternative to evolution -- a question already before a federal court -- sparred in front of a state legislative panel in Pennsylvania...

Michael J. Behe, a biological sciences professor at Lehigh University, told the subcommittee that intelligent design has no religious underpinnings. Critics argue that it is a variation of creationism, the biblical-based view that regards God as the creator of life...

The American Civil Liberties Union, one of the groups that filed the federal lawsuit, contends that allowing intelligent design to be taught would undermine the state's science standards, which specify the teaching of evolution.

"How many new biotechnology companies will want to locate here in Pennsylvania if our students are being taught a watered-down version of the complexities of evolution?" asked Larry Frankel, legislative director for the state's ACLU chapter.

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