FYI, there are other countries that endorse non-scientific issues in academia. Once I attended a lecture by an Indian scholar, Meera Nanda. She complained that there is a movement called 'Vedic science' propagated by Hindu nationalists, and it is quite successful in India. As a result, some pseudoscience such as astrology, numerology, etc. is taught as serious subject matter.
The initial cause was pure, but it was politicized because some people can't stand reality. And because Christians have a hard time compromizing the belief of original sin and redemption with the fact of continuity of man's lineage from the earliest life.
To add some more to the mix is the 'Islamic Science' movement. They are quite unheard outside Muslim countries, but they attracted young and eager Muslims. Sure, the Quran gave some scientific hints, but some of its readers went too far in interpreting and making predictions based on our holy book. At a conference in Pakistan in the late eighties, some 'Islamic Science' proponents revealed their research--one is measuring the speed of angels and another proposed to exploit jinns (spiritual beings, demons) as an energy source. They might have popularized science among the Muslim youth, but unfortunately they're promoting useless stuff...