I was invited to Lafayette to talk about my book, and last Sunday I went. Did you know the National Bureau of Economic Research rates Lafayette the “Happiest” city in the United States? (All of the top five and seven of the top 10 were in Louisiana; New York City got the lowest rating). I sensed I was headed to God’s country when I got on the plane. A Roman Catholic priest sat next to me and a young man with a T-shirt quoting a line from the Book of Proverbs sat in front of me.
I was met at the airport by Wayne Taylor, a wonderful man who is Executive Director of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation. Wayne introduced me to a number of Baptists attending a convention, and allowed me to speak to a youth group that night. Some of them related to me the usual sad stories of being bullied about false science by atheist professors.
The next morning we headed off to Baton Rouge, to meet some more people and a key aide to Governor Jindal. Louisiana has enacted the Science Freedom Act:
(1) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, upon
request of a city, parish, or other local public school board, shall allow and
assist teachers, principals, and other school administrators to create and foster
an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that promotes
critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of
scientific theories being studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the
origins of life, global warming, and human cloning.(2) Such assistance shall include support and guidance for teachers
regarding effective ways to help students understand, analyze, critique, and
objectively review scientific theories being studied, including those enumerated
in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.
You would hope that encouraging teachers and students to examine scientific theories critically would be welcomed. Of course, that has not been the case. The law has been very controversial and the ACLU and other groups are constantly seeking to repeal the law and constantly threatening litigation whenever a teacher dares to reveal recent evidence contradicting Darwin’s theory of unguided evolution. How very sad for all of us that students are denied access to the true facts of science, simply because those facts contradict the atheist worldview. I signed a copy of my book for the Governor. I offered my help, perhaps by appearing at a state hearing, to further the cause of scientific freedom. I hope they take me up on that.
Thanks for reading.