A non-jury trial ended Friday with closing arguments from lawyers for the Dover Board of Education and a group of 11 parents, the New York Times reports. At issue is a short statement the board ordered science teachers to read to students saying that the theory of evolution has holes that can be explained by the theory of intelligent design.

Proponents of intelligent design argue that living things are immensely complex and that they could not have evolved through natural selection. They say that intelligent design is a scientific theory that can be tested and proven to a certain extent.

Attorney for the parents, Eric Rothschild, accused the board of dishonest practices, saying board members lied about some factual issues throughout the trial. He said some members who hold creationist beliefs turned to intelligent design because they knew creationism would be thrown out by the courts.

"Its essential religious nature does not change whether it is called 'creation science' or 'intelligent design' or 'sudden emergence theory,' Rothschild said, according to the SF Chronicle. 'The shell game has to stop.'"

This battle is playing out all across America.

In 1999, the state of Kansas included Creationism, a precursor of Intelligent Design, into their school curriculum. One year later the school board overturned that directive. The board now reportedly contains enough conservative members to vote for inclusion of Intelligent Design.

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Christian political activists like Reverend Jerry Johnston of First Family Church in Overland Park Kansas are reportedly supporting the effort to shape Kansas science standards according to fundamental religious beliefs. Johnston said, according to published reports, "Getting intelligent design into school curricula is the worthiest cause of our time and the key to reversing the country's moral decline."

Believers in "The Flying Spaghetti Monster" [FSMism] are lobbying the Kansas School Board, in an apparent attempt to make the inclusion of Intelligent Design into the curriculum appear foolish, to give equal time to teaching the concept of creation by The Flying Spaghetti Monster next to evolution and Intelligent Design.

It is being reported that several members of the Kansas Board of Education have already indicated that they might vote in favor of such an initiative. Board member Carol Rupe reportedly wrote, "The new version [of science standards] changes the very definition of science from 'seeking natural explanations' to 'seeking logical explanations.' That is why I think FSMism is able to be included. It is as 'logical' as any other theory."

Bobby Henderson of Corvallis, Ore., created the tongue-in-cheek deity and an accompanying mythology on the origin of mankind to reportedly satirize the Kansas Board of Education's ongoing flap over evolutionary theory, according to the Wichita Eagle.

According to the paper, since June, when the spaghetti monster made its Internet debut, the parody religion has grown into a full-fledged Internet phenomenon.

Henderson said his Web site -- www.venganza.org -- has received 19 million visits, including 4 million in two days last week.

A search for "Flying Spaghetti Monster" on the Google search engine turns up 96,000 hits. Yahoo offers 171,000 Web pages on the topic.

"It's amazing how big FSM has gotten," Henderson said, according to the Eagle.

-- Compiled from wire reports