“Of course my motives were religious.”

Percival Davis


Creation science, like the fabled phoenix, has again risen from the ashes.  In its latest incarnation, terms like “God” and “the Creator” have vanished; replaced by what the Christian Right hopes will become a politically correct and legally acceptable surrogate, “intelligent design”.

This latest effort to interject biblical creation as a scientific alternative to the almost universally accepted, although still emerging, theories of evolution is only slightly more subtle than recent backdoor attempts to reintroduce prayer in school by first conning local school districts to approve daily moments of silence. 

The tome promoting intelligent design, “Of Pandas and People” is billed as a scientific reevaluation of evolutionary theories.  Its Richardson, Texas based publishers, the Foundation for Thought and Ethics, have carefully crafted its text, abandoning all overtly religious jargon.  Rather, along with indicating possible flaws in Darwinian theories and gaps in fossil records, the book adopts the tactic of suggesting the world is far too complicated to have evolved from natural forces.  Therefore, there must have been an “intelligent design” behind its formation.  It is interesting to note the Foundation’s founder was previously employed for the Campus Crusades for Christ ministries as did its new marketing director … where they touted literal interpretations of the scriptures.

Already, Christian coalitions in such disparate communities as Atlanta and Louisville, Ohio have presented petitions to their respective school boards urging the adoption of “Pandas” for inclusion in their science curriculums.  One wonders just how many of the petition signers actually read the complete text, as opposed to signing on to a document which furthered their devoutly-held religious convictions.  Concurrently, some fifteen scattered school districts have placed orders of sufficient size to suggest adoption of the text in at least some classrooms. 

As with the old-time religion of creation science, advocates of intelligent design are able to parade forth a handful of scientists with apparently flawless credentials who are prepared to speak out on the veracity of intelligent design.  Its publisher is also fond of citing the academic and literary pedigrees of it co-authors.

One, Dean Keyton, a biology professor at San Francisco State University, previously helped author a 1969 text on evolution but now includes the concept of intelligent design in his lectures.  The biography of his colleague, Hillsborough Community College professor of life sciences, Percival Davis, includes a reference to his co-authorship of a mainstream text, “Biology”.  However, it turns out he was so listed in only one edition after assisting in the revision of several chapters.  Another accolade, conveniently omitted from Davis’ “Pandas” biography is his shared authorship of “A Case for Creation”, and frankly admits, “Of course my motives were religious.”

Evolutionists agree the fossil record is incomplete, but provide ample fossil evidence of transitional forms of life.  They suggest there was not necessarily a smooth progression from species to species … and note the chances of any life form becoming fossilized is extremely small; and of discovery during the past few centuries when its presence might have been scientifically noted infinitesimal minuscule.  As such, it is remarkable there have been so many fossils discovered and cataloged.

This debate, as with President Clinton’s recent olive branch proposal to Newt Gingrich and his socially conservative Republican minions to pass a constitutional amendment to permit prayer in school, accomplishes little although it contentiously divides those who would impose their religious beliefs and customs on the rest of society and those who, while fully supporting First Amendment rights protecting religion, do not accept the notion of transforming our secular society into a benevolent theocracy.

Despite popular myths to the contrary, the founding fathers who drafted of the Constitution and Bill of Rights were not, as a whole, a particularly religious lot.  Rather, many fell into the now demonized category of secular humanists.  Yet, without their significant input, the freedoms and tolerance which now enable religious conservatives to become open activists might not now exist.

It’s time to end the assaults on the secular nature of American social fabric.  Our elected representatives should stop wasting their time and or money pontificating over ways to regulate individual behavior and further narrow religious agendas and get on with such mundane jobs as eliminating the annual budget deficit, ending poverty and rebuilding our decaying cities.

Meantime, alternative, religiously-based, theories on the origins of life, as well as prayer, can, and should be taught in homes, churches, mosques and synagogues.