Readers will recall that geneticist Todd Wood offered an apology recently for involvement he may have had with Tim Stafford’s The Adam Quest, which—he felt—did not treat young Earth creationists like hmself fairly. Here’s Stafford giving his own view at HuffPo:
One of the scientists I profile in my book, the well-known paleontologist Mary Schweitzer, teaches at North Carolina State University. She says that many of the undergraduates who take her course, “Dinosaur World,” come from conservative churches. “They see the data for evolution, and they are placed in an uncomfortable position, splitting their heads and their hearts. They usually choose to walk away from their faith.
Somehow I doubt that is the actual reason. Most often, I suspect, the real reason is the discovery that Biblical values against lying, stealing, casual relationships of all kinds, and corruption generally are just so not cool any more. They are not how the top people got where they are. The dinosaur is a respectable excuse because he is irrelevant to all that, and dead anyway
…
What do we want for our children? What do people on both sides want for their children? Most people would say that they want their children to be scientifically literate, and to have a chance at a career using science.
But today, being scientifically literate and having a career in science are two different things.
“Scientifically literate” means understanding why falsification is important, just for example. Having a career in science may mean campaigning against it because it threatens cherished beliefs, like the multiverse.
See also: Copernicus, you are not going to believe who is using your name. Or how.