Since when are the actions of the religious right supported by the majority of the populace? Here is Kansas (yes, Kansas), when the board of education voted to recommend a remmoval of the teaching of evolution, they were thrown out of office. Round 2, in 2002, Creationists demanded that "creation science" be taught alongside evolution.
They were not elected, and those in office who tried to support this lost. The only reason that the KSBE is in the control of these nutjobs currently is because in Western Kansas, where there is the strongest amount of people in favor of the creationists, 10% of the people voted. This allowed the religious right to rally their base, and win the election. If everyone else had voted, this whole ordeal would have been avoided because no matter how many times the creationists change their "theories", the majority will still know that their ultimate goal is to destroy evolution, or minimize it. Because evolution is against god.
I don't really understand the argument of the people who say that evolution doesn't contradict creationism, it does, because combined with the big bang theory, the nebular hypothesis, and the theory of plate tectonics (which will all be next on these people's list) Evolution says genesis doesn't happen and that the Bible is wrong. Now it doesn't contradict the rest, but genesis gets run into the ground by all the evidence and theories out there and they know it, which is why they are so adamant about silencing it.
If the people of this country allow evolutionary theory to be downplayed, then the creationists next step will be to remove it. Their next step will be to exterminate (slowly) anything else that contradicts the literal meaning of the Bible. Then, as some of you mentioned earlier, they will start to modify everything else. I once saw a funny comic in which kids are taught this in Kansas' geogloy class rooms. "God lives up there, and the devil lives below. That's all you need to know."
That's what these people want. Connie Morris says that evolution is an age-old fairy tale. But in truth, what's the fairy tale? And do the people know that? IF they do, and if they mobilize (in the right direction) this November, then these people can fantasize and pray that evolution will just go away all they want to, but God won't be listening.
This whole line of thinking (religous extremism) needs to really be exterminated, or made so the only place where it belongs is the church, to prevent this whole line of thought from ever arising again. If something is not done about this, I'm very afraid for the education of my children. Will they learn to accept other ideals? Or will they learn that all people who do not accept Christ go to hell? Time will tell. Hey, that rhymes!
Okay, I'm done.
Wiseman45