Tony Jelsma is Professor of Biology at Dordt College, a
Reformed Christian College that teaches creationism rather than evolution (the program is of course non-accredited). Jelsma himself
is a hardcore creationist and signatory to the Discovery Institute’s petition A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism,
but unlike most signatories, Jelsma has actually studied relevant topics. Of
course, he didn’t understand the science
part of it: “as I pursued the biological
sciences I was aware that my views would be challenged, but I knew that
evolution was wrong, God’s Word is true and I had confidence that any new
findings I had would simply confirm my view.” Yes, it’s not only motivated reasoning in the extreme – Jelsma is positively proud of his ability to withstand
evidence, facts and learning. And though he admits that the 6-day creation
story of the Bible shouldn’t be interpreted literally, he “cannot reconcile human evolution with the Scriptural account of the
creation and fall of man,” so he discards the science, which you are of course
free to do but shouldn’t if you at the same time profess to teach science at an
educational institution.
Diagnosis: A nice illustration of the mechanisms that make
anti-science lunacy thrive. At least Dordt College is evidently not a place to
get an education.
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