February 2005 issue of the “Scientific American”.

An article on page 82 is labelled “Sticker Shock”, and wonders why biology textbooks are singled out.

The author writes:

Maybe that last sentence should be stamped into *every* textbook (and some other books I can think of). And maybe they could rewrite the advisory so that it’s accurate. Perhaps something like, “Variation coupled with natural selection is the most widely accepted theory that explains evolution. Evidence for evolution itself is so overwhelming that those who deny its reality can do so only through nonscientific arguments. They have every right to hold such views. They just can’t teach them as science in this science class.”

The writer provides examples of stickers which might be attached to other books. You can read them for yourselves, so I won’t quote them here, except for the last one. He suggests that an approipriate sticker to go on the cover of “Creationism for Dummies” would read

Religious belief rests on a foundation of faith. Seeking empirical evidence for support of one’s faith-based beliefs therefore could be considered pointless. Or even blasphemous.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Full article and background available from http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6884904/site/newsweek/

Salaam Ken Smith