Unfortunately, some people seem to think that Darwinian theory is the only possible explanation of the diversity and origins of life. They are now asking the government to impose restrictive guidelines such that only Darwinian evolution should be taught in schools.
My understanding is that Darwin-style explanations on small-scale genetic variations (such as within a species), is well established and accepted by the scientific community. But Darwin-style explanations of large-scale evolution remains incomplete and controversial. In some Biology textbooks, the authors basically say that life must have arisen on Earth naturally. If not, than it must have come from outer space. That does not sound very convincing (nor scientific) to me.
Alternative explanations to Darwinian evolution on large scales should thus be explored on rational and empirical grounds.
A supporter of the more liberal guidelines says ‘Good education is not just a matter of learning facts, but also includes the process of learning to think through issues critically. To encourage students “to explore other explanations” is to open up a forum in the science class to do just this. Indeed it is part of the essence of science, which students are taught, to allow different hypotheses to be placed for critical examination against available data.’ I agree.
It is rather ironic that human knowledge has advanced tremendously in the past several hundred years because of scientists’ willingness and indeed, courage, in examining and challenging the mainstream ideas of the day. Had teachers and students been forbidden to examine alternative theories and explanations, we would not have a chance of learning from Darwin in the first place.
Note: This electric eel is a good reminder of the weirdness and diversity of life. 
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