The Creation/Evolution Debate: Education v. Indoctrination     2/1/2002
By Guyla Mills

The Creation/Evolution debate, which came out of the ill-conceived Darwinian theory, has been fraught with deceit and confusion since its inception. Charles Darwin published his book On the Origins of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life in 1859. For decades, most scientists and educators did not take seriously his unfounded assertion concerning man's origins.

Darwin’s theory of evolution asserts “species originate by descent, with variation, from present forms, through the natural selection of those individuals best adapted for the reproductive success of their kind.”¹ Today, this theory is taught as fact in science classrooms throughout the country. Attempts to teach evolution as a theory have encountered great resistance in the halls of academia.

In understanding the stronghold of Darwinism, it is imperative to consider the historical progression of the evolution movement itself. The current scientific climate did not just happen; at least 10 steps paved the way to the indoctrination that exists today.

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

Steps to Darwinian Indoctrination

1. Present the lie about man and God to demean what was created in God’s image.

Although support for Darwin’s theory was by no means universal, by the 1920s textbooks such as Hunter’s Civic Biology (published in 1914), which supported the idea that man had evolved from a lower life form, were prevalent in public schools. The message provided fuel to the United States’ growing Ku Klux Klan and the eugenics movement. It concluded that as man descended from a lower life form, he evolved to varying degrees of accomplishment. Hunter’s Civic Biology stated:

At the present time there exist upon the earth five races or varieties of man, each very different from the others in instincts, social customs, and, to an extent, in structure. These are the Ethiopian or negro type, originating in Africa; the Mala or brown race, from the islands of the Pacific; the American Indian; the Mongolian or yellow race, including the natives of China, Japan and the Eskimos; and finally the highest type of all, the Caucasians, represented by the civilized white inhabitants of Europe and America.²

Many were concerned over the impact of the theory of evolution, and legislators introduced laws in several states, including Tennessee, during the 1920s. This legislation forbade the teaching of evolution in public schools. On March 21, 1925, the Tennessee governor signed the Butler Act (named for its sponsor) into law. It read:

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, That it shall be unlawful for any teacher in any of the Universities, Normals and all other public schools of the State which are supported in whole or in part by the public school funds of the State, to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.³

2. Begin pushing the envelope toward the real goal: belief in naturalism instead of God.

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

Immediately after the Butler Act was ratified, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) announced plans to challenge its constitutionality. The ACLU actually recruited through local newspapers for a Tennessee science teacher who would be willing to come forward and serve as defendant. Interestingly, it was an engineer, concerned over his business interests in the dwindling mining town of Dayton, who responded to the ACLU’s request.

Dr. George Rappelyea, an evolutionist active in the local Methodist Church, called a meeting of prominent citizens together at the local pharmacy. Known as the Drug Store Conspiracy, the meeting resulted in finding a young science teacher named John Thomas Scopes to serve as defendant. Rappelyea arranged for a warrant to be served on Scopes two days later.⁴

Prominent attorney Clarence Darrow served as lead counsel for the defense. For the only time in his professional career, he waived his fee. Although modern folklore hails his interest in defending rational, scientific thinking, Darrow’s motives were most likely born out of his known disdain for Christian beliefs.⁵

3. Establish a cloak of deception to desensitize the public.

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

In today’s anti-Biblical political climate, it is worthy to note that the ACLU—which usually opposes all things Christian—was not at all comfortable with Darrow as the lead attorney.⁶ As a strategy, the organization insisted that arguments be presented that biological evolution was not in conflict with Christian beliefs, and thus witnesses who testified should believe both the theory of evolution and the Bible.

The prosecution countered that the Butler Act forbade any teaching about evolution in regard to human ancestry, so a comparison between evolution and the Bible was not pertinent. Some scholars believe that the ACLU never intended to win the case but wanted to appeal and most likely never wanted their “expert witnesses” to testify in person. Under cross-examination, it would have been revealed that their so-called witnesses were Christian in name only and did not hold beliefs consistent with Biblical teaching. The ACLU knew that in order to win in the court of public opinion, the case could not alienate Bible-believing Christians.

4. Claim evidence that is not substantiated as fact.

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

The judge did agree that expert testimony could be submitted through sworn affidavits. Two examples of scientific “evidence” were later identified as hoaxes. They were: a supposed fossil known as Piltdown Man (also called Dawn Man of Dawson, which inaccurately purported to have the skull of a man and jaw of an orangatan)⁷ and the supposed remains of Nebraska Man (which in reality consisted of a pig’s tooth).⁸

Regrettably, though the “evidence” gained press attention, news of the hoaxes didn’t. According to biology historian Jane Maienschein, the Piltdown myth, which was perpetuated until 1953, shows “how easily susceptible researchers can be manipulated into believing that they have actually found just what it was they had been looking for.”⁹

This still happens today. The July 23, 2001, Time magazine cover article “One Giant Step For Mankind” reported the finding of a small fossil as if it had been proven as evidence of the “missing-link” creature between animals and man.

The article states, “But unlike a chimp or any of the other modern apes that amble along on four limbs, kadabba almost certainly walked upright much of the time. The inch-long toe bone makes that clear.”¹⁰

Determined Darwinists are similar to the doubting child who accepts the half-eaten cookie left on the kitchen table as proof of Santa’s existence. However, the track record of fraud involving “missing-link” type specimens, coupled with the fact that the speculation about the fossil is not supported by scientific proof, mean the Time article should carry about as much weight in the public’s mind as one asserting proof of Santa’s existence.

5. Skew the facts and repeat the lie so that the true history is not known.

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

The 12-day trial, which took place in July 1925, resulted in the conviction and a $100 fine for John Scopes. However, the Tennessee Supreme Court declared a mistrial on January 17, 1927, because of a technicality in procedure. The judge had not followed statutory requirement and had assessed a fine instead of deferring to the jury.

It is also mistakenly believed that the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled the Butler Act was unconstitutional on religious grounds. The Establishment Clause to the U.S. Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” That is, Congress cannot establish a state religion. In 1925, the Tennessee Supreme Court did not view the Scopes’ conviction as violating that clause. Its decision stated that the court was not able to see “how the prohibition of teaching the theory that man has descended from a lower order of animals gives preference to any religious establishment or mode of worship.”¹¹

The U.S. Supreme Court did not overthrow laws preventing the teaching of evolution until 40 years after the Scopes Trial. However, the misinformation surrounding the Butler Act had already led many to believe bans were illegal, thus encouraging the teaching of evolution.

6. Sway public opinion by equating evolution with progressive, intellectual thought.

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

At the time of the Scopes Trial, America’s cultural and political climate was in great conflict. Those opposed to the 18th Amendment, which established Prohibition in 1920, were determined not to allow a traditional Christian movement to dominate the culture.

The liberal press seized the opportunity to link pro-evolutionary thought and intellectualism. The former was already becoming what we term “politically correct” today. Even Tennessee Attorney General A. Thomas Stewart, who served as chief prosecutor in the Scopes Trial, was rumored to have accepted Darwin’s theory.¹²

Some within the media feared that evolution would meet the same fate that Prohibition had brought to alcohol. William Jennings Bryan’s role as attorney for the prosecution magnified this fear. Bryan had been instrumental in passing the 18th Amendment. Since he lectured against evolution and published a book, Hell and the High School, opposing it, some speculated that a constitutional amendment to ban the teaching of evolution was in the works.¹³

In 1925, H.L. Mencken, a staunch opponent of Prohibition, was perhaps the leading journalist. His columns in the Baltimore Sun and another newspaper reflected his caustic attitude toward Christianity. His editorial coverage of the Scopes Trial was anything but fair.¹⁴ In fact, the Sun actually paid part of the defense team’s expenses, creating a conflict of interest that reverberates to this day.¹⁵

7. Vilify resistance to the agenda.

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

Bryan, a prominent politician and lawyer, did not serve as lead counsel because the prosecution recognized that the media viewed him as the lightning rod for Biblical values. Not unlike Christian activists today, Bryan became the subject of media mischaracterization—if not persecution.

Mencken, in covering the trial for the Baltimore Sun, depicted Bryan, as well as the people of Dayton, as backward and ignorant.¹⁶ However, Bryan was a man of accomplishment as well as of faith. He had served as U.S. Secretary of State and run three times for president. Although more than 200 journalists covered the trial, Mencken’s mischaracterizations stuck.¹⁷

Regrettably, historians perpetuated the idea that the Scopes Trial had been a victory for evolution. In reality, neither side clearly won. Scopes was found guilty. Further, the Butler Act was not found unconstitutional, which had been a primary goal of the defense.¹⁸ The defense did score markedly, though, in discrediting those who opposed evolution. But the trial didn’t initially dampen legislation against evolution.

By 1927, 18 different anti-evolution bills had been submitted in 14 states. In fact, two-thirds of the anti-evolutionist political activity in the 1920s followed the Scopes trial.¹⁹ In addition, the trial’s influence on school textbooks was minimal. A survey of texts published between 1930 and 1959 found that only 3 percent of the words dealt with evolution. However in the 1960s, when the teaching of evolution increased in the classroom, that figure grew to 8 percent.²⁰

8. Utilize Hollywood in the communication of a lie.

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

In the 1950s, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee wrote Inherit the Wind, a play loosely based on the Scopes Trial. It was a dramatization—not history.²¹ Indeed, it was fiction, yet it became a link in the chain of the pro-evolutionary message. The play depicts the Bryan-based character as an imbecile, the townspeople as narrow-minded, and the young evolutionist-teacher as innocent, if not noble. It inaccurately presents the Scopes trial as an overwhelming victory for evolutionary thought. It is believed that the authors wrote the play as a response to the anti-communist McCarthy era.²²

Yet today the film version of the play, which is bridled with inaccuracies, is viewed almost as a documentary in high schools. Whatever the writers’ motive, the movie, which cast the late Spencer Tracy in the lead, powerfully promulgated evolution. In the 1960s, states began to repeal anti-evolution laws, giving rise to evolution dominance in science education.

9. Use the courts to bring evolution into education.

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

The 1968 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Epperson v. Arkansas gave evolution its greatest inroad into public education. The Court decided that laws that prevented the teaching of evolution, such as the Butler Act, violated the Constitution’s Establishment Clause, which forbids the federal government from setting up a state religion. The Court declared that the primary purpose of these laws is religious.²³

The evolution movement gained even greater momentum almost 20 years later when the high court struck down a Louisiana law. It required biology teachers who taught the theory of evolution to also discuss evidence supporting the theory of “creation science” (Edwards v. Aguillard, 1987).²⁴

Ironically, today, Darwinism is uncritically taught as fact while alternate theories of biological origins, such as Biblical Creationism and Intelligent Design, are vehemently resisted. One can easily argue that schools, through teaching evolution, promote the religions of atheism and secular humanism and currently violate the Establishment Clause.

10. Punish the truth-tellers.

In 1999, the Kansas Board of Education dared to suggest that macro-evolution, the theory that one species developed from another, is not provable. They changed state curriculum standards to open up discussions regarding “logical” explanations of science, rather than just “natural” ones. The media falsely reported that the Board kicked evolution out of the schools and portrayed Board members as anti-academic.²⁵ As a result, most lost their bids for re-election.

Dismantling Darwinism

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

Conventional academics today place evolution on an undisputed pedestal, even though ample evidence exists to suggest that the theory is flawed.

Bryan shrewdly described evolution as a hypothesis—‘millions of guesses strung together’—rather than proven theory. And he knew what was missing: ‘There is not a scientist in all the world who can trace one single species to any other.’ Nearly a century and a half after the publication of On the Origin of Species, the proof for Darwin’s theory remains spotty, according to Phillip E. Johnson and others. Bryan sounds at least reasonable when he argues, ‘If the results of evolution were unimportant, one might require less proof in support of the hypothesis, but before accepting a new philosophy of life, built upon a materialistic foundation, we have reason to demand something more than guesses.’²⁶

Teaching evolution as fact is not intellectually honest. This indoctrinates and immerses students in false information, and denies them the opportunity to become critical thinkers. For example, a typical test question reads: The age of the earth is: a) 4.6 billion years old; b) 4 million years old; c) 6 thousand years old. However, an objective test question would be: Most scientists theorize that the age of the earth is a) 4.6 billion years old; b) 4 million years; c) 6 thousand years old.

Jonathan Wells addresses ten evolutionary icons that misrepresent scientific evidence in the book Icons of Evolution. He writes, “If the icons of evolution are supposed to be our best evidence for Darwin’s theory, and all of them are false or misleading, what does that tell us about the theory? Is it science, or myth?”²⁷ He recommends that students be warned if textbooks misrepresent the truth and suggests that warning labels be placed on them. [See Appendix A.]

In demonstrating the cornerstone that Darwinian thought has on the education system, Wells researched 10 textbooks in use today. Accordingly, he gave each of them the grades of D or F for uncritically relying on logical fallacy, dogmatically treating a theory as an unquestionable fact, or blatantly misrepresenting published scientific evidence. [See Appendix B.]

Not surprisingly, the media participate in the indoctrination. The eight-hour PBS series Evolution, which originally aired in 2001, blatantly illustrates how the theories of evolution are being promoted to the exclusion of the theories of Intelligent Design, and Scientific and Biblical Creationism.

Still, scientists are finding it increasingly difficult to shut out open, balanced debate. One hundred scientists signed a critique of Evolution, titled “A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism.” The disclaimer reads:

There is scientific dissent to Darwinism. It deserves to be heard. We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.²⁸

In addition, the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based public policy center for national and international affairs, published a 155-page book that surveys the series’ errors and provides documentation for the other side of the story.²⁹

Scientists are not alone in calling for a broadening of the debate. U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) introduced an amendment to the education bill of 2001 that would open the debate on origins within the classroom. Ninety-one senators voted for the amendment. The bill passed, and President George W. Bush signed it into law on January 8, 2002. The amendment reads:

It is the sense of the Senate that (1) good science education should prepare students to distinguish the data or testable theories of science from philosophical or religious claims that are made in the name of science; and (2) where biological evolution is taught, the curriculum should help students to understand why this subject generates so much continuing controversy, and should prepare the students to be informed participants in public discussions regarding the subject.³⁰

The call for open debate would probably come as no surprise to Darwin. He recognized a scenario in which his theory could be proved wrong. “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous successive, slight modifications,” he wrote, “my theory would absolutely break down.”³¹

Dr. Michael Behe is professor of biology at Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University. His concept of irreducible complexity does just that—it proves the fallacy in Darwin’s theory. In his book Darwin’s Black Box, Behe illustrates that an interdependent system such as a mousetrap needs all components interacting in order to function as a mousetrap. If only one component changed, the entire system would cease to function. Living things do not change one piece at a time in isolation; whether a single cell or an entire organ, each system has many interdependent components.³² Only Intelligent Design theory (ID), which uses scientific findings to say we see evidence of design in the natural world, can explain this irreducible complexity.

The Heart of the Matter

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

In a postmodern culture, even debate regarding man’s origins is secularized. Intelligent Design theory makes no assertions about the designer. Yet, the very fact that evolutionists strongly oppose even the discussion of ID theory indicates the short distance between acknowledging design and recognizing the designer.

The essence of the creation/evolution debate in 1925 represented a polarization of two worldviews. William Jennings Bryan, defender of the Christian faith, and Clarence Darrow, avowed atheist, knew what fundamentally was at stake.

Opening statements immediately cast the trial as a great struggle between good and evil. “If evolution wins, Christianity goes,” Bryan said. Darrow countered, “Scopes isn’t on trial; civilization is on trial.” He accused the prosecution of “opening the doors for a reign of bigotry equal to anything in the Middle Ages.”³³ Further, he said, “We have the purpose of preventing bigots and ignoramuses from controlling the education of the United States, and you know it, and that is all.”³⁴

Darrow’s real agenda was not to prevent Christians from controlling education but to ensure that atheists and humanists would. Eerily, promoters of the homosexual agenda in the public schools are now using his name-calling ploy more than 75 years later. Perhaps the Scopes Trial signaled the coming of age of atheistic influence, making it chic to openly chastise Christianity in the United States.

Removing the Biblical foundation from education opened the gateway to postmodernism, which has eroded the entire societal landscape. Evolutionary thought has shaped our Western conscience. Abortion, pornography and homosexual behavior would not be rampant had we not dismissed the truth of our origins.

Chuck Colson writes in How Now Shall We Live, “Creation is the first element of the Christian worldview, the foundation on which everything else is built. It is the basis of human dignity, for our origin tells us who we are, why we are here, and how we should treat one another.”³⁵

Some may argue that our legal, educational and cultural foundations have been so drastically altered since 1925 that Biblical arguments are quickly discounted, and therefore not relevant. Clearly, many of those countering Darwinian indoctrination today are not necessarily serious Christians. It is important for believers to understand, however, that the spiritual reality surrounding the creationism/evolution debate remains the same.

Bryan often referred to 2 Peter 1:2-4 when he spoke. His legacy for us today is to understand the true source of knowledge:

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge.³⁶ (NKJV)

William Jennings Bryan died five days after the Scopes Trial ended.³⁷ His tombstone in Arlington National Cemetery appropriately reads: “He kept the faith.”

Bryan persevered, enduring tremendous persecution during his final days. He incisively observed that the motive behind the trial was to ridicule Christians. This serves as a prophetic warning for those defenders of the faith following in his footsteps today.

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

Commonly used school textbooks contain much inaccurate information about evolution. Here is a summary of 10 examples.

Ten Questions to Ask Your Biology Teacher:

1. Origin of Life. Why do textbooks claim that the 1953 Miller-Urey experiment shows how life’s building blocks may have formed on the early Earth—when conditions on the early Earth were probably nothing like those used in the experiment, and the origin of life remains a mystery?
   
   

2. Darwin’s Tree of Life. Why don’t textbooks discuss the “Cambrian explosion,” in which all major animal groups appear together in the fossil record fully formed, instead of branching from a common ancestor—thus contradicting the evolutionary tree of life?
   
   

3. Homology. Why do textbooks define homology as similarity due to common ancestry, then claim that it is evidence for common ancestry—a circular argument masquerading as scientific evidence?
   
   

4. Vertebrate Embryos. Why do textbooks use drawings of similarities in vertebrate embryos as evidence for their common ancestry—even though biologists have known vertebrate embryos are not most similar in their early stages, and the drawings are faked?
   
   

5. Archaeopteryx. Why do textbooks portray this fossil as the missing link between dinosaurs and modern birds—even though modern birds are probably not descended from it, and its supposed ancestors do not appear until millions of years after it?
   
   

6. Peppered Moths. Why do textbooks use pictures of peppered moths camouflaged on tree trunks as evidence for natural selection—when biologists have known since the 1980s that the moths don’t normally rest on tree trunks, and all the pictures have been staged?
   
   

7. Darwin’s Finches. Why do textbooks claim that beak changes in Galapagos finches during a severe drought can explain the origin of species by natural selection—even though the changes were reversed after the drought ended, and no evolution remained?
   
   

8. Mutant Fruit Flies. Why do textbooks use fruit flies with an extra pair of wings as evidence that DNA mutations can supply raw materials for evolution—even though the extra wings have no muscles and these disabled mutants cannot survive outside the laboratory?
   
   

9. Human Origins. Why are artists’ drawings of ape-like humans used to justify materialistic claims that we are just animals and our existence is a mere accident—when fossil experts cannot even agree on who our supposed ancestors were or what they looked like?
   
   

10. Evolution a Fact? Why are we told that Darwin’s theory of evolution is a scientific fact—even though many of its claims are based on misrepresentations of the facts?

Source: Web site for Jonathan Wells, Ph.D., Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth? (Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing, 2000). Dr. Wells is a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute, a member of several scientific associations, and has been published widely in academic journals.

Introduction Steps to Indoctrination   1. Present the lie   2. Push Naturalism over God   3. Deceieve Public   4. Unsubstantiated Evidence   5. Repeat the Lie   6. Evolution as Intellectual   7. Vilify Resistance   8. Utilize Hollywood   9. Use the Courts   10. Punish Truth-Tellers Dismantling Darwinism The Heart of the Matter End Notes Appendix A: Ten Questions Appendix B: Textbook Failures

The following textbooks received a grade of D or F for their uncritical reliance on Darwinian theory.

Biology: The Dynamics of Life, Alton Biggs, Chris Kapicka & Linda Lundgren (Westerville, Ohio: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill), 1998.

Biology, Fifth Edition, Neil A. Campbell, Jane B. Reece & Lawrence G. Mitchell (Menlo Park, California: The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company), 1999.

Evolutionary Biology, Third Edition, Douglas J. Futuyma (Sunderland, Massachusetts: Sinauer Associates), 1998.

Biology: Visualizing Life, Annotated Teacher’s Edition, George B. Johnston (Orlando, Florida: Holt, Rinehart & Winston), 1998.

Biology, Sixth Edition, Sylvia Mader (Boston: WCB/McGraw-Hill), 1998.

Biology, Fifth Edition, Kenneth R. Miller & Joseph Levine (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall), 2000.

Biology, Fifth Edition, Peter H. Raven & George B. Johnson (Boston, Massachusetts: WCB/McGraw-Hill), 1999.

Biology: The Study of Life, Seventh Edition, William D. Schraer & Herbert J. Stoltze (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall), 1999.

Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life, Eighth Edition, Cecie Starr & Ralph Taggart (Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company), 1998.

Source: Jonathan Wells, Icons of Evolution, Science or Myth? Why much of what we teach about evolution is wrong, Regnery Publishing, Inc., Washington, D.C., 2000, p. 8.

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