Creationism
Category archives for Creationism
Antievolution legislation in New Hampshire
Posted by Greg Laden on December 21, 2011 The two antievolution bills on the horizon in New Hampshire have now been prefiled in the state House of Representatives. House Bill 1148, introduced by Jerry Bergevin (R-District 17), would charge the state board of education to “[r]equire evolution to be taught in the public schools of this state as a theory, including the theorists’…
Creationism and more creationism
Posted by Greg Laden on December 7, 2011 Why we still have to take creationism seriously: Adventures in Defending Evolution:
Evolution Surrounded By Creationism? Arm Yourself with Books!
Posted by Greg Laden on October 26, 2011 Suppose you are an intelligent, thoughtful person with a thirst for information, a desire to be challenged, and a tendency to not accept received knowledge at face value. You are embedded in a traditional Christian culture where most of your family, your child’s teachers and friends and those friends’ families, the people where you and…
Attenborough Speaks Out Against Creationism
Posted by Greg Laden on September 23, 2011 Sir David Attenborough: “Evolution is an extremely powerful idea that lies at the heart of biology. At the same time, it’s a sufficiently simple concept that there’s no good reason why it should be left out of the primary curriculum. If creationism is discussed, it should be made clear to pupils that it is not…
Michele Bachmann on Evolution and Science
Posted by Greg Laden on June 27, 2011 She’s running for president, so this is important.
Talk Origins wants to buy Expelled. Can you help them?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 25, 2011 Apparently, when you make a movie, there’s this box of stuff left over that someone has to own. It can include things like the original unedited film/video, from which the director and editors selected/cherry picked what they wanted to include, as well as various correspondences and documents and stuff. The company that produced that horrid…
Are The Miss USA Contestants more Pro Evolution than the United States Senate?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 22, 2011 There’s been a fair amount of talk about the Miss USA interview question “should evolution be taught in schools,” and a fair amount of attention given to the answers provided by the contestants. For the most part, people have gotten mad at these women because they are both beautiful in a classic patriarchal-normative-way and are…
Miss USA Contestants: Is Evolution OK for US Schools?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 13, 2011 Miss USA contestants have been asked for the upcoming beauty contest if evolution should be taught in US schools. In a seemingly unrelated question, they are also to be asked if they would ever pose nude for photographers. It is not clear what the correct answer to either question is supposed to be.
Ark Park Gets State Funding
Posted by Greg Laden on May 22, 2011 The separation of church and state is dead in Kentucky Governor Beshear says he would welcome a “Mecca Theme Park” as well. He also says the Ark Park will be required to not discriminate in hiring. We’ll see. From the Courier-Journal: A state contractor concluded that the proposed Ark Encounter biblical theme park will draw…
Good news from the evolution-creationism front
Posted by Greg Laden on May 9, 2011 Florida Senate Bill 1854 would have required a so-called “thorough presentation and critical analysis of the scientific theory of evolution” which is code word in US state legislatures these days for “taught along side Intelligent Design Creationism as an alternative to established scientific reckoning of the nature and history of life on earth.” Whe the…
A multiplicity of strategies is better than infighting when addressing creationism and related problems
Posted by Greg Laden on May 4, 2011 I have always thought, naively and probably incorrectly, that what defined Accommodationist is what they think, not how they argue. At the same time, I have always thought that what defined a “New Atheist” is how we argued, and not what we think.
Ark Park Makes Mark with Darwinian Snark!
Posted by Greg Laden on March 30, 2011 For that special organization or person that makes you throw up a little in your mouth when you hear about their latest aggravating attack on our children’s education, by way of making fun of something that is not really all that funny, DontDissDarwn Central annually awards the highly alliterated angs-ridden accolade: The Upchucky. And this…
This video will make you throw up a little in your mouth.
Posted by Greg Laden on March 4, 2011 Or worse. Below the fold. Not work safe. Don’t be holding the kitty or you might squeeze it by accident:
Ken Ham and the Creation Museum are Anti-Gay. Who knew?
Posted by Greg Laden on February 13, 2011 This is a developing story (see links below). Joe Sonka, who may nor may not be gay, and his “date” who happens to be a straight guy, went to the Creation Museum “Date Night” on the evening of the 11th. They were not allowed in. I was explained to them that being gay was very…
New England Faculty vs Students on Acceptance of and Teaching Evolution
Posted by Greg Laden on January 20, 2011 A new study compares “acceptance of evolution” by highly educated adult academics with college students in various categories, with all those sampled being in New England, which has the highest overall acceptance of evolution in the US (a mere 59 percent). The results are interesting.
A Creationist Blog Quote Mines Peer Reviewed Research about Protein Evolution
Posted by Greg Laden on January 6, 2011 It is difficult to imagine how point mutations, a large number of which are neutral, a certain number of which are deleterious, and a tiny number of which are fitness-enhancing, can add up to the sorts of evolutionary diversity and adaptive elegance we see in real life. However, there are only two possible explanations for…
The Miller-Morris Debate: Final Segment
Posted by Greg Laden on January 4, 2011 Ken Miller and Henry Morris answer questions from the audience.
Did Noah Build A Road To His Ark? I Don’t Think So, Kentucky
Posted by Greg Laden on January 3, 2011 According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the developers building the new Noah’s Ark museum in Kentucky are asking for the gummit to build ‘em a road to the place. The State Transportation Cabinet, as they call it there, is officially stating that no commitments have been made, which I’m sure means, “The deal’s done and we’z…
Teachers: You can be punished if you teach evolution
Posted by Greg Laden on January 3, 2011 The other day, a science teacher remarked that a student who had previously declared herself to be a creationist, and who’s parents had previously expressed concern over the teaching of evolution, was suddenly all talky-talky and engaging the teacher in more or less polite and friendly discussion about the topic, coming to visit the teacher…
Oklahoma State Senator Josh Brecheen wants to cram his religion down the throats of all the little children in the OK state.
Posted by Greg Laden on December 26, 2010 I hereby nominate Oklahoma as the Stupidest State in the Union.
Breaking News: Noah’s Ark To Be Built in Kentucky
Posted by Greg Laden on December 1, 2010 The builders of the Creation Museum plan to build a full size replica of Noah’s Ark as the centerpiece of a new religious themed amusement park. Answers in Genesis, builders of the Creation Museum, will build the religious-themed amusement park in Kentucky. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is expected to hold a press conference Wednesday to…
Update on Louisiana from Barbara Forrest and the LCS
Posted by Greg Laden on November 20, 2010 So much bad publicity spins out of Louisiana about so many things that we don’t often get a chance to shine a spotlight on the competent, dedicated people who are the real reason that this state works at all. And since Thanksgiving is almost here, it is a good time to tell the world that…
California Science Center Strikes Back against Discovery Institute/AFA Conspiracy
Posted by Greg Laden on November 15, 2010 Last year, the American Freedom Alliance, a California based Don’t Think Tank, attempted to insert, Trojan style,* a creationist film called Darwin’s Dilemma into the repertoire of films shown at the California Science Center. The film is a pro-Intelligent Design film, and behind this insulting and immature ruse was, you guessed it, the Discovery Institute.
Louisiana Does The Right Thing, But Will Still Probably Screw It Up
Posted by Greg Laden on November 13, 2010 Louisiana is one of those states where really stupid stuff tends to happen, especially when it comes to evolution in the school curriculum. Recently, a state panel was in a position to chose either creationist textbooks with which to abuse the children for whom they are responsible, or good biology textbooks to educate the children…
Citizens of Illinois: Alert! Alert! Creationist Alert!
Posted by Greg Laden on October 20, 2010 I just received this dispatch from Monica Metzler, President of the Illinois Science Council. This is important. The current leading candidate in the Illinois Governor’s race has acknowledged his belief in intelligent design and his willingness to permit individual school districts to allow it to be taught. Teaching ID in schools isn’t a top campaign…
American’s knowledge about creationism and evolution …
Posted by Greg Laden on October 1, 2010 By now you’ve heard of the Pew research poll testing American’s knowledge of religion. You may not have learned about the poll’s evolution and creationism questions, as they’ve gotten much less press. In the poll… [r]espondents were asked, “Which of these people developed the theory of evolution by natural selection?” and offered the choice of…
Creationism: Still crazy after all these years
Posted by Greg Laden on September 29, 2010 Antievolutionism in a marine science textbook
Posted by Greg Laden on September 24, 2010 A sidebar in a marine science textbook recommended for approval in Florida is “packed with good ol’ fashioned creationist language,” Florida Citizens for Science charges. The text in question, Life on an Ocean Planet (Current Publishing, 2011), was recently recommended for state approval by the state’s instructional materials adoption committee on a 7-2 vote, according…
Blast from the Past: The Case of the Texas Footprints
Posted by Greg Laden on September 24, 2010 Eugenie Scott Tackles Modified Origin Book
Posted by Greg Laden on September 22, 2010 NCSE’s executive director Eugenie C. Scott was invited to debate Ray Comfort, a creationist in the news recently for his plans to distribute copies of the Origin of Species with his own introduction, on the God & Country blog of U.S. News & World Report. Comfort began the debate on October 29, 2009; Scott replied…
, which is now available for the 
