Science or Myth?
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The Burlington-Edison Committee for Science Education
               
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Defeating the Discovery Institute

     On May 8, 1998 we heard that Roger DeHart, a science teacher employed in our high school, was teaching creationism. We later discovered that he was a fundamentalist and was working in concert with fundamentalist foundations worth millions of dollars who make it their business to generate questionable evidence and fund local anti-science initiatives.   

      Specifically, DeHart is supported by The Discovery Institute and the Rutherford Institute, two very active organizations who decry the separation of church and state.

      We first received news of Roger DeHart and his work with the Discovery Institute (DI) when one of our members attended a class on creationism sponsored at a local church. Mr. DeHart spoke at one of the classes. Knowing that DeHart was employed by our high school, we were immediately concerned that DeHart may have been lecturing in his classes that which he was lecturing that morning.

      At that time, most of us in the BECSE, (Burlington-Edison Committee for Science Education), had never heard of the Discovery Institute. As time went by - and soon will be clear - the DI was providing DeHart with his materials, and educating him on how to subvert science in subtle ways that appeared to be legitimate biology.

      Instead of combating DeHart alone, it became clear that our task was to defeat the DI. Over the past 3 years, our knowledge of evolution and creationism has grown. It is now clear to us that our best efforts to combat local creationism will be to assist others to fight local creationism as well. In short, BECSE seeks to combat national creationism. Our goal with this website is to reach out to other communities who are facing anti-science pressure and assist them in their efforts to defend quality science.
      
      The DI has many members, most of whom hold advanced degrees in fields from law and literature to science and mathematics. The one thing they seem to have in common is the desire to move our world back into the dark ages where scientific observations were allowed to be explained by supernatural miracles. A document entitled The Wedge, was published. It lays out a twenty year plan for achieving their goals, which is to have religion control not only science, but also everyday life, laws, and education.

      We are a small town community in a rural county. The members of the BECSE come from many walks of life and many spiritual points of view. To be confronted with the DI  - and their reconstructionist agenda - was frightening. The DI has a budget of millions of dollars. They have a lot of education and titles that impress people which they use for political clout. But, in order for them to win, their teacher here in Burlington must be allowed to teach their materials. At this point in time, Mr. DeHart is not allowed to teach creationism or Intelligent Design in any form. The DI is being defeated in our town, and they can be defeated in yours as well.

      The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) and the ACLU have been invaluable to us. Contact your local ACLU, the NCSE and us. (Here is the ACLU press release on our fight.)

      Don’t be afraid of the big bad Discovery Institute. They can be defeated.