• So I got to raise my hand a lot in Mr. Kuhlman's class, and I even powered through Teresa's snide, mocking looks and whatever mean things she was mumbling under her breath. Who cares. As that banker guy Mr. Lorry says to Lucy at the beginning of the novel [A Tale of Two Cities] to keep her climbing the stairs even though she's so afraid, "Courage! Business!" That's me now. Just keep going.
• She spent the hour talking over examples from history and science and life to prove to us that even though we might guess what will happen in the next moment or the next century, we can't absolutely know.
  • "And this," she said toward the end, "is why evolution rules the day. That is the BEAUTY of life. And the successful organisms—the ones like you and me and viruses and sharks and everything else that's out there today—we owe our existence to the genes that kept mutating and adapting all along. THANK YOU, MUTATIONS."
  • I love it when she says things like that. Like she doesn't even care how weird it sounds.
  • "If you think about it," she went on, "not a single one of us is exactly like anything that came before. In a way we're all truly freaks of nature. That's what it takes to survive—__the freaks shall inherit the earth__. Look how well viruses are doing. They mutate and adapt constantly—it's why we have to develop new vaccines all the time to keep killing them."
• I think until that moment, I was only sort of paying attention. I was treating biology like any other one of my classes—just something to learn to I could get a good grade and move on. I appreciated that Ms. Shepherd was making it fun and interesting, but it was still just a class.
  • But as of today, I have to admit it: I have a crush on science.
  • Can you love a thought? Can you love a concept?
• "Well, my parents don't approve of stories about magic and sorcery and stuff."
  • "Because..."
  • I took a deep breath. Here it was, the line I was crossing over, and Casey would either laugh in my face or—or I didn't know what.
  • "Because sorcery is from the devil."
  • "Of course," Casey said, without a hint of sarcasm.
  • Emboldened, I said, "And we don't glorify the devil in our household."
  • "Unlike the way we do in mine. Midnight sacrifices and bloodshakes and all that."
• "And now back to our constitutionally mandated curriculum. If you'll excuse me, I have a class to teach."
• "In science the word theory doesn't mean what it does in everyday conversation. It's not a guess or a hunch. It's a well-reasoned, PROVABLE explanation for something we see in the natural world. A theory has to stand up to testing and proof. It has to survive being challenged by other scientists over and over again. The theory of evolution has done that. It's real. It works. And let's get this straight: in science, it's not a theory's job to become a fact. Theories are there to EXPLAIN facts. To tell us why we're seeing what we see. That's the beauty of a unifying theory like evolution—it gives us a structure so we can understand our world."
• "Intelligent design, on the other hand, is in no shape or form science."
  • Pastor Wells tried to interrupt again, but Ms. Shepherd shut him down. "I am TIRED of this particular lie. It's my duty to expose it. In this class we deal in facts. Intelligent design is not a fact, it's a philosophy. It wants to tell us who is behind it all. That isn't science. It will never be science.
  • "Science is the HOW of things. It's about observations and explanations. It's not science's business to tell you whether God or Buddha or the Sky King made this earth. Science's job is to tell you what we see and let you decide anything more for yourself. Why are we here? Who dunnit? Not my business or any other scientist's to tell you. That is the beauty of this discipline. It leaves us free to decide for ourselves."
• "_Sir_, I understand from your remarks at the school board meeting last night that you would like the subject of evolution to be banned entirely throughout the school system."
  • "Until it is a proven fact, yes."
  • "Uh-huh. So does that go for all the theories? A lot of scientists still consider gravity a theory. And what about relativity—I suppose Einstein got it wrong, too?"
• "I can't help but wonder," she said to our principal, "if the history teachers of this school are being forced to read statements from Holocaust deniers during their section on World War II. Or whether members of the Ku Klux Klan get equal time during Civil Rights Week. Or if it's only the science department being singled out for this great honor of catering to special-interest groups."
• I quickly laid out the whole Jacob-and-the-speckled-sheep thing—about how even back in ancient Hebrew days, they knew about sexual selection and selective breeding for certain traits.
• "Someone should break it to her that Darwin didn't invent evolution, he just noticed it. It's like saying Newton invented gravity." Kayla shook her fist. "Down with Newton! Gravity's keeping me down!"
• "See ya, Mene. Back to the free press."
• Meanwhile, I stayed put, staring at the spectacle.
  • And it really got me thinking.
  • If not for my problems with the church, would I have been out there picketing with them this morning? Wouldn't I be carrying some sign right along with Teresa and Adam, shouting, "Teach me the truth!" and "Darwin lied!" and getting all worked up over this?
  • Here's a scary thought: Would I hate Ms. Shepherd right now? Would I think she's evil for teaching what she's teaching? Wouldn't I have been happy to hear Teresa say, "Shepherd is going down"?
  • And what about Casey? There's no way I'd be friends with him. First of all, he doesn't believe what I believe, and second, I never would have gotten to know him. I'd be hanging out with my old friends, completely ignoring everyone else.
  • These are the kinds of thoughts that drive me crazy. Because it seems like all it takes is one blip in the road, and suddenly you're off in a completely different direction, leading this whole other life. Like a gene mutation, I guess, and now I have legs instead of fins.
• Why do I have to ignore facts just to prove my faith is strong?
• We can't change the past. We can only adapt and change to try and do better in the future. Which is exactly what Ms. Shepherd has been drilling into our heads every day, and what Josh's t-shirts say Bible Grrrl sez. Well, now I do say it: We all need to evolve.
• Then Casey skipped ahead to this scene where Aragorn is passed out, floating on his back down a river, and he washes up on the bank. And some ethereal woman with pointy ears (Arwen—don't really want to be her, although she is beautiful, but I still like the other woman better) kisses him (which is, I guess, one reason to be her). But it turns out it's just a dream, and her lips fade away and morph into horse's lips, and it turns out to be Brego, and he's come to save Aragorn. The horse kneels down and Aragorn grabs his mane and struggles to climb on his back, then Brego stands and carries Aragorn back to the castle and his friends.
  • And if you're going to watch those scenes, you might as well watch some more, and one thing led to another, and next thing I know, it's a couple of hours later and I'm sitting on the floor next to Casey, propped up against his bed, and Kayla's standing in the doorway yelling, "Mom! Casey's giving Mena drugs!"
• And then I rattled it off as fast as I could—Casey's and my project (I didn't tell her what—I wasn't going to spoil it for Casey); the fact that my parents wouldn't want me going over to a boy's house, even if it were perfectly innocent and in pursuit of science (to which Ms. Shepherd said, "Good thinking. Scientists are notorious playboys"—not sure if she was joking); Kayla coming up with the KC thing—
  • Ms. Shepherd held up her hand to stop me. "Let's cut to the chase." Kids from her next class were already streaming in. "One, __lying is for the weak-minded. If you can't think of a truthful way to solve your problems, you're not thinking hard enough.__"
• If my parents find out about this one, they'll probably throw me in a closet and nail it shut and only feed me fruit leathers under the door.
• I think I finally understand how drug addicts must feel.
  • I never understood how you couldn't give something up if you really tried. But if someone told me now I could never kiss Casey Connor again or else I'd end up on the streets pushing a grocery cart filled with all my belongings, I wouldn't care. Just give me one kiss per hour—okay, per minute—and I'll put up with anything.
• ...my heart was speeding like a cheetah.
• I am now officially a Girl Who Has Been Kissed, and kissed well, and I figure I deserve a little chocolate for breakfast. I might declare this an annual holiday.
• I'd rather lick pigeons.
• All I could think about as I got dressed for church was Kayla saying, "Wear something sparkly." I read somewhere that ancient warriors used to paint their chests black before putting on their clothes and armor, because that way in battle they'd remember their black hearts and show no mercy.
  • This was not an occasion for glitter powder, but I thought a black bra and underwear were entirely appropriate. Because if my parents actually wanted me to sit there for an hour of church and listen to Pastor Wells talk about sinners and evildoers while glaring at me the whole time, then spend an hour in Sunday school with that den of vipers known as the youth group, and then spend another hour hanging out in the food court or the sanctuary patio while my parents attended yet another worship service—well, I needed a little armor.
  • I completed my outfit with black slacks, black calf-high boots, and a dark red (puce!) blouse that made it look like I wasn't afraid to wear bold colors because I certainly wasn't trying to hide.
• BIOHAZARDESS: I believe that God created the universe and everything in it, and that evolution is the best explanation of what systems He used to effect it. Does that make sense?
  • MENA@REESEINSURANCE: Yes, I think so.
  • BIOHAZARDESS: Good. So let's start with some basics. As I hope I've conveyed in class, there is a natural order to the universe. It's beautiful in its simplicity and logic. Evolution is part of that natural order. Evolution is simply true. There's nothing evil about it. With me so far?
  • MENA@REESEINSURANCE: Yes.
  • BIOHAZARDESS: Good. Now, quantum physics tells us that at the same time time there's this beautiful, perfect order to all things in a very large sense, there is also a part of the universe—down at the smallest level—that will never EVER be predictable. There are just some things we cannot control. Still with me?
  • MENA@REESEINSURANCE: I think so. It's like all that weird stuff you were saying to Josh.
  • BIOHAZARDESS: Correct. What it means, in a nutshell, is this: The future is not set. Which tells me there will always be room for the miraculous. God left Himself some slack in the rope. As a scientist, I may try to know everything about this universe there is to know, but even then I will never be able to touch that part—that mystery—that lies at the heart of all things. To me, that's where God is. And it's also proof that I have free will. If the future isn't set, I can affect my course. My prayers can matter. How I live my life matters. I'm not just some computer living out my program. That is the God I believe in. It's the God who created a universe so vast and wonderful for me to explore and test and observe, and yet I still have the pleasure of knowing some mysteries will have to wait until I can ask Him face to face.

T-SHIRTS

• United States of Lies
• President Her
• Gravity Is Just a Theory—Why Won't They Tell Us the Truth?

MAGAZINES

• Time
• US News & World Report
• Adbusters

ETC

• "Vex not thy spirit at the course of things, for they heed not thy vexation." -Marcus Aurelius
• www.biblegrrrl.com

INTERESTING THOUGHT

• BIBLE GRRRL SEZ: SCIENCE AND RELIGION UNITE! JESUS AND DARWIN AGREE!
  • What do Origin of Species and the New Testament have in common? More than you'd ever think.
  • In the Gospel of Matthew, 25.14-29, Jesus told the following parable:
  • A man met with his servants before going away on a journey. To the first one he gave five talents (an ancient measure of money); to the second, two talents; and to the third, one talent.
  • When he returned, he called his servants to account. The first one said, "Master, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more."
  • "Well done, my good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things, I will entrust you with much more."
  • The second servant said, "Master you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more."
  • "Well done, my good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things, I will entrust you with much more."
  • But then it was the third servant's turn. "Master, I know you are a hard man, and I was afraid of what you might do. So I took the one talent you gave me and buried it in the ground for safekeeping. See, here I give it back."
  • "You wicked, lazy servant!" the master cried. "Take that talent from that servant and give it to the one who has ten talents. FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS WILL BE GIVEN MORE, AND HE WILL HAVE AN ABUNDANCE. WHOEVER DOES NOT HAVE, EVEN WHAT HE HAS WILL BE TAKEN FROM HIM."
  • Okay, Bible lesson's over, now let's review our science.
  • A fundamental of evolution is the concept of survival of the fittest. Science tells that organisms with an advantage (WHOEVER HAS) will prosper and reproduce(WILL BE GIVEN MORE), while organisms at a disadvantage (WHOEVER DOES NOT HAVE) will die out (EVEN WHAT HE HAS WILL BE TAKEN FROM HIM).
  • Take a breath. You heard right. Read it again.
  • JESUS AND DARWIN AGREE.
  • And Jesus obviously thought it was an important lesson, since he taught it to the crowds again in a different parable (Gospel of Luke, 19:12-26) and then lectured his disciples about it separately when they were alone (Matthew 13:12; Mark 4:25).
  • Still think God doesn't believe in evolution?