Science and Culture Today | Page 1313 | Discovering Design in Nature

Darwinists often lament that Intelligent Design is distinctly American movement; they imply, of course, that everyone else is on their side. It is thus with great joy that thanks to new technologies like YouTube we can now see that this is false. István Tasi, a member of the Hungarian ID movement, is featured in a new video by director Viktor Gardos. Opposing István is Dr. Zoltan Galantai, a Hungarian historian of science. This is not István’s first appearance on television. Back in 2005 he and physicist Dr. Ferenc Jeszenszky appeared on the most popular science program in Hungary (“Omniscient University”) in a debate with two Darwinists titled, “Are we existing accidentally?” This new video has English subtitles, so don’t be Read More ›

Text of Louisiana Science Education ActLouisiana State Legislature Passes Landmark Act That Encourages Critical Analysis of EvolutionQuestions and Answers about the Proposed Louisiana Science Education ActTestifying for Academic Freedom in LouisianaLouisiana, Circadian Rhythms, and Darwin in Biology: An Interview with Biology Professor Wade Warren

The Chronicle of Higher Education has an article reporting how the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) recently passed a resolution that “called on universities not to automatically terminate or refuse to appoint professors who refuse to sign a ‘loyalty oath.’” That sounds reasonable. But the same article explained that the AAUP hypocritically adopted a separate resolution against academic freedom bills in Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana because they “allow science teachers to critique ‘prevailing scientific theories.’” It seems that academic freedom for dissenting views is all the rage among the elite of academia–unless you want to use your academic freedom to question Darwin.

An attorney friend e-mailed me to say:

It’s so much easier to write scary stories when the legislation itself is NOT ever quoted. Isn’t there some sort of journalistic standard that should at least urge a reporter to quote the primary source?

You would think that with passage of a law like the Louisiana Science Education Act, now headed to the governor’s office for signing, that the law itself would be quoted in response to bogus charges by malcontents. As we’ve learned, that just doesn’t happen much. A slew of articles have been running in which activists like Barbara Forrest make the false claim that the LSEA opens the door to religion in the classroom. Not so.
Section 1D of the bill clearly states that it

Baton Rouge — With a 36-0 vote, Louisiana’s state senate today passed a landmark academic freedom bill protecting teachers that encourage critical thinking and objective discussion about evolution and other scientific topics.Known as the Louisiana Science Education Act, the bill was previously passed by the state’s House of Representatives with a 94-3 vote, and now will be sent to the governor for his signature. “The bill is a bold statement protecting the freedom of teachers to discuss both the scientific evidence for and against Darwinian evolution and other controversial scientific theories,” said Casey Luskin, an attorney and program officer for public policy and legal affairs at Discovery Institute. “The bill does exactly what it says, which is to allow teachers Read More ›

By a unanimous vote of 36-0, Louisiana’s state Senate has just approved the Louisiana Science Education Act, which seeks to protect the right of teachers and local school districts to encourage “critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories being studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning.” Because the bill passed the Louisiana House last week by a vote of 94-3, the bill now goes to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal for his signature. Be prepared for an onslaught of misinformation about the act, most notably the false claim that the act permits the use of “religious” materials in science classes. Read the bill for yourself here, Read More ›

Michael Behe has a brief review of Ken Miller’s new book up at his Amazon blog: Kenneth R. Miller, a professor of biology at Brown University, has written a new book Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America’s Soul, in which he defends Darwinism, attacks intelligent design, and makes a case for theistic evolution (defined as something like “God used Darwinian evolution to make life”). In all this, it’s pretty much a re-run of his previous book published over a decade ago, Finding Darwin’s God: A Scientist’s Search for Common Ground between God and Evolution. So if you read that book, you’ll have a very good idea of what 90% of the new book concerns. For people who Read More ›

In case you missed this gem from The New York Times, you’re going to love the logic: Nonetheless, Dowd’s views do bring solace to some, going by reactions from parishioners who claim that a scientific perspective has helped them come to terms with their follies of the past. For some at least, the recognition of genetic and biochemical frailty is a healing act. Last fall, for example, after Bob Miller, an 81-year-old man, heard Dowd’s sermon at a Unitarian church in Pensacola, Fla., he felt his guilt over a string of affairs from four decades ago melting away. “I could never quite understand why I had behaved that way,” says Miller, who was climbing the corporate ladder when his infidelities Read More ›

Last month the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard oral arguments on Jeanne Caldwell’s appeal from the District Court’s dismissal of her lawsuit against the University of California and the National Science Foundation regarding religious statements made on the University of California’s “Understanding Evolution” website. (Full disclosure: Jeanne Caldwell is my wife.) The website, which is programmed and hosted by the University of California in conjunction with the National Center for Science Education, was created with over $500,000 in financial support from the National Science Foundation. The District Court had dismissed Jeanne Caldwell’s lawsuit on the basis of her alleged lack of standing to bring the action. The District Court’s ruling, if upheld on appeal, would essentially render the internet an “Establishment Clause-free zone” by barring citizens from suing to stop a governmental endorsement of religion that occurs on the internet. The District Court did not reach the merits of Jeanne Caldwell’s Establishment Clause claim.

The key part of the UE website targeted by Jeanne Caldwell’s lawsuit is a webpage titled, “Misconception: Evolution and religion are incompatible,” in which the UC gives K-12 teachers suggested responses to students in their classroom who ask whether evolution is inconsistent with their personal religious beliefs. Prior to the announcement of the lawsuit in the media, the UC religious response webpage read: