Is Intelligent Design a Theory Yet?

We should be aware of what proponents of Intelligent Design say about their own scientific progress.

From Paul Nelson, Discovery Institute Fellow, in the July/August 2004 issue of Touchstone magazine:

"Easily the biggest challenge facing the ID community is to develop a full-fledged theory of biological design. We don't have such a theory right now, and that's a problem. Without a theory, it's very hard to know where to direct your research focus. Right now, we've got a bag of powerful intuitions, and a handful of notions such as 'irreducible complexity' and 'specified complexity'-but, as yet, no general theory of biological design."

In addition to there being no scientific theory, no testable hypotheses and no ongoing research, there are no courses on ID being taught in any of our colleges or universities.

Why would we introduce something which has no scientific basis into a high school science class?

Tennessee allows religion to be taught as an elective in courses of comparative religion, and the Bible as literature or history. Teaching ID creationism is fine in this context.

The idea that "God did it" is not useful in our study of the real world. Since the answer to every question is the same, it provides no useful guidance for further scientific research.

ID "theory" which doesn't exist yet, can't be tested and is not of any use has no place in the science classroom.