Creationsists on the Texas State Board of Education have been tying themselves in knots trying to persuade folks that their attacks on evolution in the public school science curriculum have nothing to do with their religious beliefs. So we thought it would be good to review some of board chairman Don McLeroy’s own words.
In September, for example, McLeroy argued for redefining science to include the study of supernatural explanations for phenomena.
If science is limited to only natural explanations but some natural phenomena are actually the result of supernatural causes then science would never be able to discover that truth — not a very good position for science. Defining science to allow for this possibility is just common sense.
In June McLeroy told the New York Times that he sees the debate over evolution as one between “two systems of science.”
You’ve got a creationist system and a naturalist system.
But the connection between McLeroy’s Christian faith and his attacks on evolution were most explicit in a lecture he gave to his congregation at Grace Bible Church in Bryan in July 2005. McLeroy walked his audience through the arguments for “intelligent design”/creationism and discussed the state board’s adoption of new biology textbooks in 2003. McLeroy noted that he was one of four board members who voted against the proposed books because they didn’t include discussions of so-called “weaknesses” of evolution.
But I want to tell you all the arguments made by all the intelligent design group, all the creationist intelligent design people, I can guarantee the other side heard exactly nothing. They did not hear one single fact, they were not swayed by one argument. It was just amazing. I mean all the, my fellow board members who were really not even the scientists in the group, they were not impressed by any of this. They said, “Oh well, it’s just two opinions.” And there were only the four really conservative, orthodox Christians on the board were the only ones who were willing to stand up to the textbooks and say that they don’t present the weaknesses of evolution. Amazing.
Yes, it’s amazing — amazing that McLeroy continues to argue that he and other creationists on the board really aren’t trying to promote their own personal religious views in public school science classrooms.
