Evolution controversy

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Having been involved in this struggle for 30 years, I feel I can make some
recommendations.

Proponents of science in the schools have to be as aggressive as the
proponents of religion in the schools.  Go to school board meetings, PTA
gatherings, contact school administrators, etc.  Organize with like-minded
parents and concerned citizens who are interested in preserving religious
freedom.  Become politically active in school board elections where this is
an issue.

If, as a professional, you are invited to 'debate' the subject, do not
refuse.  However, do not also assume that you will be able to deal with
(especially) an experienced creation 'science' debater on your feet.
Prepare carefully.  Creationist literature is very limited; there are only
a few arguments that are trotted out again and again.  You can easily find
out what these are and be prepared to refute them.  Do not be afraid to go
on the attack; your opponent will not be ready for it.

I recommend that anyone who gets caught up in this controversy arm
themselves with a wonderful book, SCIENCE AND EARTH HISTORY, by Arthur N.
Strahler (Prometheus Books, Buffalo NY).  This book covers all creation
'science' arguments and provides excellent refutations thereof.  For
example, one creationist argument attempts to show that today's human
population is exactly what one would expect if you started some 7,000 years
ago with just two people.  Strahler provides a graph which demonstrates
that in that case there would have been only a score of people available to
build the pyramids.  I have found that reductio ad absurdem is a very
effective technique.

It seems to me that the governor of Alabama's antics are ample proof that
evolution has not occurred--at least not in some populations.

Best wishes, Bill
___________________
William A. Shear
Department of Biology
Hamden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943 USA
phone (804) 223-6172
FAX (804) 223-6374