Much to my surprise, less than a year after the Dover decision, there’s a new Inquisition out there.
And guess what? It ain’t being launched by the Discovery Institute.
Ed Brayton, as tireless a blogger as there is on the importance of science education, is on the case:
…I reject the notion that belief in God, in and of itself, takes anything away from science education. Ken Miller is a theistic evolutionist. His scientific work is impeccable, as are his efforts in science education. Can Moran point to anything at all in Miller’s scientific work that is “sloppy”? I doubt it. Can he point to anything at all in his work on science education, the multiple textbooks that he has authored on evolutionary biology, that is affected in any way whatsoever by his Christian faith? Again, I doubt it.
So what he’s really arguing here is that despite Miller’s successful work in the laboratory explaining molecular evolution and his astonishingly tireless work on behalf of sound science education all over the country, the mere fact that he believes in God somehow undermines the principles of science. Further, that I should be ashamed for not declaring Miller my enemy as he has. And if your bullshit detector isn’t in overdrive right now, it must be broken.
All of this just reinforces my suspicions that we simply are not on the same team and are not working the same goal. My goal is to protect science education. Moran’s goal is to protect his atheism against any and all religious impulse, even if held by people who are excellent scientists and defenders of science education. And as his team pursues their goal they seek nothing less than a purge of the most valuable members of my team as we work to achieve ours.
There are people on my team working to protect science education that do not meet his ideological litmus tests. They believe in God, and therefore no matter how tirelessly they work on behalf of science education, they must be declared the enemy. But as I told Larry a few weeks ago, if you think that Ken Miller, Keith Miller, Howard Van Till, Glenn Morton, Wes Elsberry, Rob Pennock and many others are the enemy, then you simply are not on my team. You’re playing a whole different game and it’s one I have no interest in playing. I’ll stick with my team.
[Emphasis mine]
Me too. Need I point out that many of these self-declared Torquemadas of the new Inquisition boast…how shall we say…thinner resumes than the religious scientists they condemn?