The American fundamentalists who support "creation science" rely on diverse sources and are equipped with the most up-to-date books that challenge details of Darwin's theory. This is how they manage to get a majority in school boards
Sandra Blakeslee
Most children in the US do not learn about the possibility that the world began to exist only 10,000 years ago compared to the 4.5 billion years that scientists claim, mainly thanks to the efforts of the US National Center for Science Education.
The center, located in Berkeley, California, employs four full-time employees and has 4,000 members. From the moment a call for help is received, 24 hours pass until Eugenie Scott, the manager, goes into action.
The center receives a "worn and paltry budget" and helps plan the attack against creation science in public schools. It provides concise articles and pamphlets refuting the claims of creation science, gives legal advice and summaries of judgments related to creation science, recommends writing letters to local newspaper editors, guides how to explain the issue to reporters, provides phone numbers of national experts in the field of evolution and details on dozens of organizations that can to assist
According to Scott, the organization, founded in 81, is active in all 50 states. Most of the debates regarding creation science and evolution take place in small towns in agricultural countries where the population is fairly uniform. "It is impossible to encounter this in the big cities, where the background of the residents is more diverse," she said.
Scott says that sometimes the challenge posed by creation scientists can be "stomped" with a few successful maneuvers. For example, last year the school board in Post Falls, Idaho, at the request of the creation scientists in the community, decided to allow the "creation scientists" considerable latitude in spreading their views in the public schools.
A member of the congregation contacted the Center for Science Education, which reviewed the statement and found that the district violated church and state laws. The proposals made by the center prevented the district from violating the laws, and the curriculum did not change.
In other cases, the people of creation science actually won. A year ago, a committee of educators in Kansas began updating the state's science standards, and its members turned to the center to help them with the delicate task. All 27 science teachers who submitted the new standards for consideration by the Kansas Department of Education were recently shocked by the director of education's decision to omit the subject of evolution from the curriculum.
The struggle to continue teaching evolution is similar to the battle between David and Goliath. The Center for Science Education has an annual budget of $250, raised by its members, compared to an annual budget of $3 million allocated to the Creation Research Institute in Santee, California - from the extreme groups that try to undermine trust in evolution studies.
But Scott has her own sling: churchmen who believe in evolution and scientists who believe in God. When a local resident takes the stage in a public debate and says that he is a Christian who also believes in evolution, it leaves a great impression on his listeners. According to some surveys, about 40% of scientists believe in God.
Published in "Haaretz" on 06/09/1999
The knowledge website was until 2002 part of the IOL portal from the Haaretz group
