Alliance For Science

One thing that can be said for creationists is that they are persistent, and this is true for both openly-religious creationists and for their intelligent design brethren. "Intelligent design" advocates have contributed nothing of real value in the way of peer-reviewed published research, and their popular writings have been dissected and thoroughly refuted by a broad spectrum of scientists, philosophers, and even theologians.

Once again spurning any real effort to actually do science, IDs latest venture is Ben Stein's pseudo-documentary "Expelled". It has received many scathing reviews, even from conservative outlets like Fox News, whose reviewer Roger Friedman said:

"Expelled" is a sloppy, all-over-the-place, poorly made (and not just a little boring) "expose" of the scientific community. It’s not very exciting. But it does show that Stein, who’s carved out a career selling eye drops in commercials and amusing us on sitcoms, is either completely nuts or so avaricious that he’s abandoned all good sense to make a buck.

It appears that intelligent design and creationism advocates have settled firmly on "academic freedom" as their latest battle cry. In Florida, while efforts to subvert the statewide science education standards were unsuccessful, anti-evolutionists continue their attempts to push "academic freedom" legislation based on models put forward by the Discovery Institute. See this NCSE Florida Anti-Evolution Update for the latest developments there.

Louisiana, where supporters of genuine science education can never rest easy, now also will be considering anti-evolution legislation in the guise of "academic freedom." Actually, the Louisiana bill is more than just an anti-evolution bill. They also target chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloining. See the NCSE report on Louisiana anti-evolution legislation for further details.

Creationist Threats in Texas, Florida, and South Carolina

• Texas #1 - The Comer Controversy:  There is a furor surrounding the forced resignation of science curriculum direcotr Christine Comer from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Ms. Comer's offense? She forwarded an email (using her TEA email account) announcing a lecture by Barbara Forrest, a nationally prominent expert in the philosophy and history of science who served as an expert witness for the prosecution in the Dover trial. The NCSE has been covering this issue closely. See the latest in the Comer controversy. 150 PhD biology faculty members from Texas universities have written a very powerful and articulate letter Defending Biological Evolution as a Central Pillar of Modern Science Education.

Senator David Vitter of Louisiana has withdrawn a controversial earmark that would have allocated $100,000 dollars to the Louisiana Family Forum, a group that has attacked evolution and endorsed creationism. The earmark was ostensibly to allow the group to 'improve' science education in Louisiana. After considerable protest, the Senator withdrew the earmark, which had been part of a budget for the departments of labor, health, human services, and education. More details can be found in this NCSE Article.

According to cincinnatti.com, the online site of The Enquirer newspaper, the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau has removed some highly inflammatory language from its website. Referring to the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, the language on the Visitors Bureau site said "This 'walk through history' museum will counter evolutionary natural history museums that turn countless minds against Christ and Scripture." The Kentucky Paleontological Society and others had protested this language, claiming it was inappropriate for a taxpayer-supported institution. It does not appear that the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau was deliberately trying to take a controversial stand. Instead, they had merely copied language from the Answers In Genesis website. The offending language has now been removed. The Visitors Bureau has not offered any public statement concerning the removal. Read the full newspaper article for more details.

Pope Benedict XVI has made his strongest statement yet endorsing the validity of evolutionary science and the compatibility of that science with the Roman Catholic faith. This MSNBC article quotes the Pope as follows: “They are presented as alternatives that exclude each other,” the pope said. “This clash is an absurdity because on one hand there is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such.”

This statement is noteworthy because earlier, less specific statements by Pope Benedict hinted of possible support for the "intelligent design" perspective and leaning against evolution. This concern was heightened because of the Pope's close relationship with Cardinal Schoenborn, who openly supported intelligent design, as evidenced in the Cardinal's Op Ed piece that appeared in the New York Times in July of 2005.

The Society of Vertebrate Paleontologists has issued a press release that is highly critical of the Answers In Genesis "Creation Museum". The Society "contends that the museum presents visitors with a view of earth history that has been scientifically disproven for over a century.". Fossil expert Dr. Kevin Padian, referring to the "Creation Museum"'s founder: "Ken Ham is not recognized as a scientist or educator among experts in the fields of geology and paleontology, and his views on the interpretation of Biblical texts are extremist. Visitors to his ‘museum’ may arrive knowing little about these sciences, but they will leave misled and intellectually deceived.."

Those are the words that describe what a majority of likely American voters think about the Creation "Museum", as reported in a nationwide poll. The poll was conducted by Lake Research Associates on behalf of DEFCON. What is noteworthy is that nearly half (49%) of "white evangelicals or fundamentalists only" also placed the Creation "Museum" in one of those three disapproving categories.

The scientific community's response to the Answers in Genesis Creation "Museum" has been swift and strong. Scientists and educators worldwide decry the numerous scientific errors on display. For a summary and links to much more information, see the NCSE Story. Also, Lawrence Krauss's 'Top 10 Reasons Why the Universe, the Sun, the Earth, and Life are not 6000 years old (PDF)" is a "must see".