Behe and the California Creationism Case
Last week, I [reposted](http://scienceblogs.com/authority/2007/08/the_consequences_of_creationis.php) [four](http://scienceblogs.com/authority/2007/08/more_on_the_california_creatio.php) [old](http://scienceblogs.com/authority/2007/08/still_more_on_the_california_c.php) [articles](http://scienceblogs.com/authority/2007/08/california_the_saga_continues.php) that I wrote back in 2005, when a group representing a number of Christian schools in California filed a lawsuit against the University of California claiming that UC's rejection of several of their courses was illegal "viewpoint discrimination." In [a more recent post](http://scienceblogs.com/authority/2007/09/viewpoint_discrimination_and_t.php), I mentioned that there's a hearing on motions for summary judgement scheduled for later this month. I also mentioned that the Christian schools claim that all they are doing is "adding a religious viewpoint" to "standard course material." It doesn't take a genius to see that the "viewpoint" presented in some of the textbooks used in the rejected courses is explicitly opposed to the actual science of biology. It certainly represents something very far from the "standard" course material for high school biology. (Or, for that matter, biology anywhere in the reality-based universe.) Nevertheless, the Christian schools seem to be determined to argue that they really do teach the "standard" scientific material.
And they've got help - an expert witness. That's right, the Christian schools have found themselves someone who is willing to stand up and argue that a textbook that "puts the Word of God first and science second" really does teach standard science. Who, you might wonder, is the scientist brave enough to stand up to the harsh wind of reality and claim that teaching that, "man is a special creation that is completely separate from the physical universe and the animal kingdom," is just an addition to "standard" science? Professor Michael Joseph Behe of Lehigh University, that's who.
[Read more (at The Questionable Authority, where comments can be left)](http://scienceblogs.com/authority/2007/09/behe_and_the_california_creati.php):