Creationism in Michigan

AS WE’VE REPORTED before, three states currently are struggling with legislative initiatives that would roll back more than two centuries of progress brought about by the Enlightment, and which would cause a regress into the pre-scientific Dark Ages: Louisiana, Texas (where the issue is a state-wide School Board issue), and Michigan.

From MLive.com, a Michigan news source, we have this: Legislation opens classroom doors to alternative views of evolution, global warming, cloning, in which we learn that the backers of Michigan’s creationist legislation are claiming — as such people always do — that their bills aren’t intended to allow religion in science class. We’ll let you decide, as we give you some excerpts (with bold supplied for emphasis).

… the lawmakers who sponsored the bills — including state Sen. Bill Hardiman, R-Grand Rapids, and Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville — previously backed bills promoting intelligent design, and a version of the [currently pending] bill appeared on the Web site of the Discovery Institute, a Seattle think tank that has supported similar attempts.

They’re referring, of course, to the so-called Academic Freedom Act, promoted by the Discovery Institute. The article continues:

Hardiman, the lead sponsor of the Senate version, said he was inspired by the recent documentary “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.”

That’s on the same level as getting his inspiration from a comic book. Ben Stein should be happy. His movie scored big with at least one ignoramus.

One more excerpt:

The bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, and Mark Jansen, R-Gaines Township, states schools cannot prohibit teachers from helping students “understand, analyze, critique or review” in an objective manner the “strengths and weaknesses” of scientific theories.

Pretty good. “Helping students” with critical analysis and a mention of “strengths and weaknesses” too. So many code words all at once — right from the Discovery Institute’s talking points.

Michigan has problems, big problems. And they have Detroit too. But with “leadership” like this, determined to bring the “science” of Noah’s Ark into the state’s science classes, things will only get worse.

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