I DO feel that someone ought to respond to the rather naive and irresponsible letter from, ‘Name and address supplied’, attacking St James’ CofE Primary School. One often finds that ignorance sees fit to hide itself under a cloak of anonymity.

Television documentaries like the recent Darwin series represent the official agenda of the scientific establishment, which leaves out of the account that for over the last 50 years many books have appeared by scientists and others questioning, disproving, even dismantling Darwinism.

Modern anatomy has long since spotted the deficiencies in bone formation between man and his supposed ancestor and the many gaps in fossil finds have yet to establish a so-called ‘missing link’. Anyone with common sense knows that ‘evolution’ has always been there, but modern science has purposely attached it to Darwinism exclusively, choosing to forget that it was a term used frequently by scientists a century before Darwin. And, ironically, the year Darwin died (1882), Gilbert and Sullivan were sending him up in ‘Princess Ida’ with, ‘Man is but only a monkey shaved’ - so he was not taken all that seriously by some even then!

And what has modern science produced since Darwin? The ‘Big Bang’ of potential nuclear annihilation, GM and other environmental pollution, microwave cancer clusters, MRSA and other bugs, and that’s just for starters. But of course we are, ‘greater than Jesus Christ now’, as John Lennon said, which didn’t do him any good did it! While I have no time whatsoever for American-style creationalism (that really is an insult to the intelligence), one should remember that the oldest spiritual wisdom believed man to be first-born of creation. For example, the Aborigines, the oldest-surviving civilisation in the world, still believe that God sang every creature into existence - a wonderful thought! Although I have no children of my own, I would gladly send any I did have to a school like St James’ because I know that they would be in a learning environment which encourages a sense of imagination, openness, respect for one’s neighbour and responsibility for the environment. The principles of Jesus Christ have been around for 2000 years now, that is a fairly good track record I think.

The year 2009 will see Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of his ‘Origin of the species’ theory - note the word ‘theory’. Perhaps this will be the opportunity to consign him to history as an idea that has finally had its day. But it will take more than one genius to do it and I am certainly not one, but unlike Mr/Mrs/Ms NAAS, at least I am literate enough to sign my name to this.

Michael Jones

Stourbridge