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Witness: God behind ‘intelligent design’

Lehigh University professor Michael Behe, right, speaks with Matthew Chapman, left, the great-great- grandson of Charles Darwin, outside of a federal courthouse in Harrisburg, Pa. on Monday. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Martha Raffaele Associated Press
Lehigh University professor Michael Behe, right, speaks with Matthew Chapman, left, the great-great- grandson of Charles Darwin, outside of a federal courthouse in Harrisburg, Pa. on Monday. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

HARRISBURG, Pa. – A biochemistry professor who is a leading advocate of “intelligent design” testified Monday that evolution alone can’t explain complex biological processes, and he believes God is behind them.

Lehigh University Professor Michael Behe was the first witness called by a school board that is requiring students to hear a statement about the intelligent design concept in biology class. Lawyers for the Dover Area School Board began presenting their case Monday in the landmark federal trial, which could decide whether intelligent design can be mentioned in public school science classes as an alternative to the theory of evolution.

Behe, whose work includes a 1996 best-seller called “Darwin’s Black Box,” said students should be taught evolution because it’s widely used in science and that “any well-educated student should understand it.”

Behe, however, argues that evolution cannot fully explain the biological complexities of life, suggesting the work of an intelligent force.

The intelligent design concept does not name the designer, although Behe, a Roman Catholic, testified he personally believes it to be God.

“I conclude that based on theological and philosophical and historical factors,” he said.

The school board is defending its decision a year ago to require students to hear a statement on intelligent design before ninth-grade biology lessons on evolution. The statement says Charles Darwin’s theory is “not a fact,” has inexplicable “gaps,” and refers students to a textbook, “Of Pandas and People,” for more information.

Behe contributed to “Of Pandas and People,” writing a section about blood-clotting. He told a federal judge Monday that in the book, he made a scientific argument that blood-clotting “is poorly explained by Darwinian processes but well explained by design.”

Eight families sued to have intelligent design removed from the biology curriculum, contending the policy essentially promotes the Bible’s view of creation and therefore violates the constitutional separation of church and state.

Mainstream scientists have rejected intelligent design as scientifically untested and contend that its supporters focus on attacking evolutionary theory rather than providing evidence for design.