Turmoil in Maine

A letter to the editor of the Kennebec Journal caught my attention this morning. It is from a resident who is alarmed about a gubernatorial candidate named Paul LePage. The reader writes:

In a televised debate on May 27, Paul LePage seems to indicate he thinks public schools ought to teach creationism to children.

One version of creationism tells students that Adam and Eve really existed, that the entire globe flooded (in just over a month, no less), and that the universe is 6,000 years old.

All these things are falsehoods.

And LePage is OK with teaching them to children because he doesn’t really understand science.

This isn’t just some abstract misfortune in science education. There will be real-world consequences, including the harming of future conservation and management efforts.

I suppose the reason that it struck me is that I often think of Maine as being part of greater New England, which has a reputation as being more "enlightened" than the rest of the continental US of A. My brother, who lives in Maine, actually says that this is not the case. Aside from the coastal cities, most of Maine is quite rural, in setting and education. This, he says, often causes friction, such as what is evident in this story. The writer, Michael Hawkins laments that if creationism is taught, Maine science will suffer. This is a sore point for most scientists and those that follow science. I commented on this a bit back:

Understanding of organ transplant and repair is now progressing by leaps and bounds with the help of evolutionary medicine. Understanding of how viruses respond to selection forces and how they affect populations differentially is possible with the understanding of evolutionary theory and the interaction of genetics and the environment. Quantum Mechanics allows us to understand the structure of basic particles and their role in the formation of the universe. The Large Hadron Collider works because of this understanding. New oil-discovering tools work because of our palaeontological and geological understanding of where the deposits of oil are which, in turn, is based on our understanding that the geological record is a picture of 3.5 billion years of life on the earth. Palaeoclimatic reconstructions of the earth have allowed us to understand how climate changes over time and how to recognize those changes before they happen. This understanding has led to the current debate on global warming and climate change.

Not one of these advancements would be possible if
creationism was taught in the public schools.

Not one.

I suspect that, like Tim Pawlenty sort of did, LePage will backtrack on this stance to avoid being seen as scientifically illiterate. We also saw Rand Paul sort of do this recently. This will continue to be a hot-button issue. In the right democratic strategist's hands, it could sink the GOP in November.

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Letter to Rand Paul

I just sent this letter to the Rand Paul campaign. Paul, if you will recall, dodged a question on the age of the earth at a home school convention. This evasion provided a good deal of grist for the "GOP as scientifically illiterates" mill. The letter reads:

Dear Dr. Paul,

At a recent home school convention when you were asked how old the earth is, you "passed." As a scientist who is concerned that the GOP is embracing a scientifically bankrupt model of earth and universal origins that proposes that the universe was created six thousand years ago, I would be most grateful if you would clarify your position on this question. If, like me, you share this concern, it would be most welcome for you to come forward as a Republican who accepts a scientifically grounded view of origins and yet who espouses a Christian world view.Such a pronouncement would show the media that there are non-democrats running for public office that have not rejected modern science.Thank you for your time.

Lets see if I get a response.

Charles Johnson Takes Rand Paul to Task Over the Age of the Earth

Charles Johnson, the erstwhile conservative of Little Green Footballs, is concerned that Rand Paul doesn't know the age of the earth. Here is the video in question:



Very early in the video he is asked how old the earth is and responds that he is going to pass on the answer. Johnson writes:

Did he dodge the question because he’s a creationist and he knows that he shouldn’t reveal it for political reasons, or because he’s not a creationist and he knows he shouldn’t reveal it for political reasons? Either way, this is very sleazy behavior.

My opinion: I think he probably is a creationist, just like his father Ron Paul, because his world view matches the creationist world view in every respect.

I don't agree. I think that he may genuinely not know what the age of the earth is or is expressing some discomfort with the standard evangelical, young earth position. I think if he was truly a young earth creationist in regard to this question, he would have said so. He is not exactly in a hostile crowd. This is a collection of Home schoolers, the vast majority of whom are likely young earth creationists.

My wife and I home school our children because the quality of the public schools in our areas is rather suspect. I have been to home schooling curriculum fairs. It is lockstep anti-evolution, recent earth creationism as far as the eye can see. I have commented on my frustration with this here, here, and here (amongst other places).

In fact, I have no idea what Rand Paul thinks of the age of the earth (although I am inclined to write and ask him) but it is truly odd that he would dodge the question knowing that an affirmation of a young earth creation would resonate with the audience. The issues section of his senatorial race web page is conspicuously silent on this question, perhaps because he has seen what sort of hot water his fellow Republicans have gotten into. Although he supports home schooling, that does not say anything about his views on the age of the earth. I support home schooling also. We will see.

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