The ordinances of heaven: anti-evolutionism and US Conservatism, 1982-1996

© 2015 Dr. Nerida BrooksWhy does creationism persist? The question is heard every time anti-evolutionary activists or sentiments are heard in American discourse. This thesis explores why creationism has become a mainstay of the politics of America’s religious right, from the supposed death knell of creation-science in the 1982 McLean v. Arkansas case to the birth of intelligent design’s “Wedge Strategy” in 1996. Anti-evolutionists have long argued that widespread acceptance of evolutionary thought would have deleterious effects on the American body politic and national character, believing it to lead to an “anything goes” morality of sex and violence. As a means of maintaining the cause following the legal defeats of creation-science, anti-evolutionists turned to emphasizing those effects and linking them to the changes in American culture since the 1960s. While the anti-evolutionist legal cases of the era overtly focused on issues of religious freedom and laying claim to the mantle of science, anti-evolutionists also spoke about how anti-evolutionism was integral for justifying the conservative vision of the traditional family as well, as the version of creation anti-evolutionists espoused held up “one man, one woman” as an exemplar of God’s vision for the family. Anti- evolutionist rhetoric also helped to provide a defense against continuing allegations of conservative racism, emphasizing the importance of “created equal” while pointing out historical racial wrongs of political opponents. Anti-evolutionists also reflected conservative values in their preferred curricula, emphasizing the value of knowledge passed down by trusted authorities, especially religious authorities, over knowledge gained through questioning. This thesis argues that portraying itself as integral to religious freedom, scientific progress, the defense of the family, the defeat of racism, and virtuous, effective education, anti-evolutionism has survived and thrived not through scientific merit but through its emphasis on what its proponents see as the logical implications of evolutionary theory and integrating those beliefs into rationale for broader political goals