Why I am starting this blog

Several years ago -- out of the blue -- a friend asked me what I thought about evolution. "It makes sense," I answered.

She went on, asking me to answer some questions about evolution -- with the caveat that she did not want to be persuaded to believe in it. Her questions made it clear that she had a poor understanding of evolution, and this shocked me because her college degree should have given her a solid science background. We didn't argue the subject, but it became clear that she felt "believing in" evolution would undermine her religious convictions.

The episode weirded me out. I began -- cautiously -- asking friends whom I knew to be actively religious what they thought about evolution. (Happily, no one else I asked felt threatened by it.) I also began doing a lot of reading on the subject, including viewpoints on both sides of the debate about how evolution is taught in schools. More recently, with the religious right growing increasingly bold, I have been monitoring news from around the country about the attacks on the teaching of evolution in public schools.

I decided to start this blog -- Evolutionary Times -- to capture my own thoughts and to highlight the best articles, books, websites and commentary I find about the ongoing assault on the teaching of evolution in the nation's school systems. I don't intend this to be a rant against anyone's beliefs but rather a resource for teachers, parents and students who are dealing with this issue. I welcome your suggestions and feedback.